The first step in the rollout of the City of Perth’s new smart city innovation program has been achieved with the award of three tenders. The City was successful in securing a matched funding grant worth $1.3million from the Australian Government, through the Smart Cities and Suburbs Program. This will see ground work commence on technology development and installation of hardware for four projects - Smart Precinct, Smart Irrigation, Smart Sustainability and Data Hub. The new technology aims to improve quality of life and provide a knowledge platform for residents, visitors, businesses and tech start-ups in Perth.
- The Smart Precinct trial project in East Perth, will use CCTVbased sensors and analytics to measure vehicle and pedestrian activity around the new Matagarup Bridge and Optus Stadium. This data will provide valuable insights and assist decision making for City of Perth planners, businesses, and residents in the area, as well as enhance the efficiencies of existing safety and security measures.
- The Smart Irrigation project will see the replacement of old traditional irrigation systems with Smart Controllers integrated into the City of Perth’s live management systems. The new irrigation sensors will utilise predicted weather forecasts and soil moisture readings to automatically adjust watering.
- Smart Sustainability further enhances this environmental monitoring through the deployment of a series of water and air quality sensors across greater Perth.
- The fourth project, known as Data Hub, will see the creation of an Open Data Portal where aggregated data will be published online. The Open Data Portal is an exciting prospect for the City in the provision of information for residents and business.
Engagement with the community is paramount in the overall program and these projects will be supported by a Citizen Science component currently being progressed.
