In this thought piece, NSSN Ambassador at the University of Sydney and bid leader for the Smart Sensing for Australian Resilience Collaborative Research Centre (CRC), Associate Professor Sergio Leon-Saval, discusses his ambitions for the CRC.

*Smart sensors can increase our situational awareness to understand the severity of a natural disaster hazard such as the Hawkesbury River flood in 2022 (Credit: Shutterstock).*

Australia is in a unique situation. We have a population of over 25 million people who live, work and play on a huge land area of more than seven million km². Geographically, we have always been isolated, yet today we stand even more vulnerable against increasing threats across our vast geography.

Storms, droughts, fires and floods are examples of natural disasters that have big impacts on our communities. With more compounding disasters – droughts followed by fires and floods – resources are stretched and there is less time to recover and plan. With fire seasons being extended around the world, it’s even more difficult to plan for resource sharing and we cannot continue to depend on domestic and international resources such as firefighters.

We need new ways of managing resources and multi-disaster capabilities. Better situational awareness will help Australia to be more resilient and build sovereign capability to combat changing environments.

Smart sensors can help Australia deal with whatever hazard comes next. Using sensors to increase our situational awareness, we can understand where a hazard is, how severe it is, where it is heading and how to prioritise resources, including the evacuation of our citizens and the deployment of responders. Smart sensors can particularly play a key role in detecting a threat such as a flood or fire (in minutes or hours) and responding to a threat by mobilising firefighters or responders (in seconds or hours).

Smart sensors in the built environment can detect structures at risk, identify where affected people are, and the state of transportation and communications. An example of smart sensor technology in the form of cameras or radar can understand fuel loads on the ground – important information that can help us understand the impact a natural hazard may have.

Sensors can also help Australia’s military defend our borders. Australia is facing a growing risk of a major power war in the Indo-Pacific within the next ten years. The greatest risk is a major clash between China and the US, most likely over Taiwan. Other risks include the implications of Ukraine including the use of nuclear weapons, conflict in the South China Sea, trans-national terrorism and future unexpected events such as pandemics. Australia needs to be able to quickly prepare for a more dangerous and conflict-prone future in our region.

Smart sensors attached to satellites, aircraft and on the ground can provide supreme situational awareness which can help us protect our borders from threats. For example, sensors attached to an aircraft can provide a pilot, an operator and a person on the ground with exquisite information about their situational awareness in real time.

Whether it is national security or resilience against natural threats, the need for accurate, accessible data allowing for quicker decision making has never been so pressing. To achieve this goal, Australia requires advanced sensors that can provide the right information at the right time to the right entity for situational awareness, which helps us plan and react better to the environment that the country may face.

*Bid leader for the Smart Sensor CRC for Situational Awareness – National Security & Resilience, Associate Professor Sergio Leon-Saval from the University of Sydney.*

Through the NSW Smart Sensing Network’s bid to establish a Smart Sensing for Australian Resilience CRC, we have the ambition to partner with industry and become a national leader in smart sensor technology transfer that will accelerate technical and workforce sovereign capabilities. Australia needs to act to build its sovereign capabilities in situational awareness through smart sensing to ensure that it is well prepared for its national security strategy and its ability to deal with natural disasters.

Australia is standing on a precipice but as a country, we are in a strong position. We possess some of the world’s best researchers, who are working every day in Australian research institutions to expand what is possible through smart sensing. We also possess a variety of industry partners that are passionate about translating research into solving some of Australia’s greatest problems.

In this bid, we are grateful for the support of the NSSN, which has a strong track record of bringing together the country’s best researchers in smart sensing across nine of Australia’s top universities to address key challenges. By working closely with the NSSN, we will be able to create significant capabilities in enhancing technologies that will improve Australia’s resilience in natural disasters and national security.

We have an 18-month timeline to receive feedback and input from prospective partners, researchers and the wider smart sensing network to ensure that this CRC will have the best possible chance to succeed. The challenge is significant, but there will be a plethora of rewards with the opportunity to use game-changing research in smart sensing to positively impact Australia for many years to come if it materialise.

For further information on the CRC bid or to get involved, please contact NSSN BDM Laura Earl on laura.earl@nssn.org.au

Floods, fires and defence: pushing the boundaries of smart sensing through situational awareness