Despite having a large geographical area and modest population, Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world with over 86% of the population residing in cities and towns. Australia’s population is expected to increase from approximately 26 million to almost 36 million by 2050. Most of this growth will be accommodated by existing urban places or by new large-scale urban development initiatives in Western Sydney, Southeast Queensland and regional locations.
NSW faces major challenges in housing this booming population and the issues has become the major focus of the state government as it looks to balance economic and population growth with societal need for affordable and equitable housing.
Urban planners, infrastructure providers and service delivery agencies also face difficulties in balancing the sometimes-competing needs of transport congestion, locating residential, commercial and industrial development, liveability, community resilience and natural resources. These difficulties will only become more acute as populations increase. Other factors such as climate change and the need to decarbonise our society must also be considered by urban planners.
Why smart sensing is part of the solution
Smart places are spaces and buildings that use technology and data to improve efficiency, sustainability, liveability, and an overall quality of life for residents.
They are important to Australia (and indeed globally) because they offer solutions to pressing urban and rural challenges while promoting sustainable development, economic growth, and inclusive prosperity for all.
Smart sensing can be used to improve planning, optimise public services, energy and water; improve mobility, provide education and healthcare and to enhance resilience to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
Research and development activities are focused on creating new types of sensors and also techniques and systems to process, transmit and analyse sensing data. New sensors include long-life devices that can be embedded in infrastructure, harvest their own energy, and reduce the overall cost of collecting data from the built environment. Machine learning and other artificial intelligence techniques are being used to process, combine and extract actionable information from data. There are many opportunities to develop new analytical tools including (1) modelling, planning and decision support tools, (2) automated operational systems, and (3) producing city performance indicators and visualisations.
As smart city thinking, and solutions have matured in recent times there is a recognition that data sharing enables cities to be planned and managed more as integrated systems involving multiple collaborators than as operational silos.
Digital twins are also becoming prominent, serving as platforms for accessing and visualising data (including sensing data). Both the NSW state government and industry are active in developing digital twins of cities, buildings and the natural environment.
The NSSN Smart Places Priority responds to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
With the support of the NSW Government, the NSSN is your one-stop shop for multi-disciplinary expertise and technology. Some of our existing projects include:
A breath of fresh air
Led by the NSSN in collaboration with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, the award-winning Operational Network of Air Quality Impact Resources (OPENAIR) empowers local councils to combat air pollution through Australia’s first common method for using low-cost smart sensors to measure air quality. Developed by researchers, tech experts and local councils, OPENAIR’s Best Practice Guide and free-to-download resources guide councils through collecting and analysing localised data so they can make informed decisions about how to respond to poor air quality. The $2.4 million program received a $1.78 million contribution from NSW Government through the Smart Places Acceleration Program, which is part of the Digital Restart Fund. Read more.
Saving water and saving money
The Advanced Pipe Sensing to Reduce Leaks & Breaks project led by NSSN brought Sydney Water and 10 other water utility and industry partners together with the expertise of six NSW/ACT universities to deliver innovative smart sensing solutions to the water industry. The $3.4 million program used smart sensing for condition assessment and leak detection to prevent catastrophic breaks in critical water infrastructure. This multi-disciplinary, multi-university, multi-partner program of works weaved five different strands of cutting-edge scientific and engineering inquiry including quantum sensing, acoustic sensing, LiDAR technology and next-generation data analytics. Read more.
Building bridges
The Intelligent structural health monitoring of bridges project is helping agencies and councils regularly inspect and maintain the large number of bridges in Australia that are more than 50 years old. The project partners Transport for NSW with researchers at UNSW and the University of Sydney to develop smart fibre optic sensors which can monitor corrosion in concrete structures and help extend the service life of a bridge. Read more.
Working with the NSSN simplifies the process of engaging with universities by creating a one-stop shop for the leading research-intensive universities across NSW & the ACT, providing access to cutting-edge facilities and world-class researchers.
To find out how the NSSN can help solve your Smart Places challenges, please contact Peter Runcie at peter.runcie@nssn.org.au.
