Eleven organisations have pitched their technological and digital solutions for boosting the Western Sydney region’s sustainability, inclusivity and economy in the coming decades.
The organisations took part in Pitchfest, an event held in Camden on 28 October 2019.
NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, said the event was part of a push by the Federal and NSW Governments and eight Western Sydney councils to make the digital capability of the Western Parkland City second to none.
“Today’s Pitchfest is about identifying new technologies to help make the Western Parkland City among the smartest and most connected cities in the world,” Mr Ayres said.
“We are looking for ideas which improve internet connectivity, smart monitoring, data sharing, smart public spaces, smart transport, community engagement, local jobs, and smart planning and management,” Mr Ayres said.
Among technologies being pitched was artificial intelligence technology to more quickly identify cracks and leaks in stormwater and sewerage pipes to help local councils save time, money and crucially, water.
There was also a smart transport service offering carpooling apps and solutions to reduce vehicle use and congestion and support the environment, and a smart system for better managing energy efficient LED lighting in buildings.
Over the next 20 years, the eight council areas comprising the Western Parkland City are expected to grow by 500,000 people to a population of 1.5 million.
“At the centre of the region’s economic growth will be the Western Sydney International Airport and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis which will be the catalyst for 200,000 jobs,” Mr Ayres said.
As Australia’s newest smart city, the Aerotropolis will be a world-leader in industry, food production and advanced manufacturing, delivering high value jobs, education and advantage to Western Sydney.
The eleven pitches are as follows:
Community engagement
- JEGMC: an initiative to enable access to digital tools to facilitate social inclusion and economic participation through a community engagement project
- The Mobile Apps Man: concept around improving planning, management and community engagement through Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality and supporting it with applications
Connectivity
- Stilmark Holdings: multi-carrier and common user 5G neutral host shared network throughout Western Parkland City
Data sharing
- Data Republic of Sydney: data sharing platform that enables the sharing of critical data across government agencies and partners in a safe and secure way
- Growback: deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) and sensors to protect and preserve new and mature trees, and monitor environment factors to help mitigate the urban heat impact
Local jobs/working from home
- BIRDI: platform that enables organisations to integrate and scale drones into their operations by providing an end-to-end drone management
Smart monitoring
- CSIRO Data61: monitoring and modelling air quality and related real-time environmental data
Smart planning and management
- VAPAR: cloud-based asset management and predictive maintenance platform, platform relies on smart monitoring
Smart public spaces
- ONEWiFi & Infrastructure: end-to-end build of 4G/5G small cell neutral host infrastructure and making it available to all mobile network operators, and multi-layer customers
- WBS Technology: an emergency lighting Internet of Things (IoT) platform that creates a stable and scalable IoT network and provides a real-time report on the network’s status and compliance with cloud hosted reporting, allowing monitoring and testing of emergency lighting from anywhere
Smart transport
- Liftango: carpool platform with incentives, e.g. guaranteeing parking spaces for app-using car poolers in convenient locations
Viable initiatives could be rolled out in Western Sydney as soon as 2020.
