Sense-T: intelligent sensor network

Sense-T is creating the world’s first economy-wide intelligent sensor network that integrates different data sources to build a digital view of Tasmania.

|The challenge

To create social, economic and environmental benefits from Tasmania’s sensor networks

Tasmania’s existing sensor networks are owned by a range of government departments, energy and water utilities and businesses, and they haven’t been connected together in any meaningful way.

This makes it difficult to create the rich data sets necessary to analyse relationships across the whole economy, which can lead to social, economic and environmental benefits for the state.

 

|Our response

Creating one big network from many small ones

We’re partnering with the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government to create Sense-T, the world’s first economy-wide sensor network that monitors environmental conditions right across Tasmania.

Sense-T brings the existing sensor networks together and adds a range of new cutting-edge sensors, as well as historical and spatial data, to build a digital view of the whole state.

These rich data sets will allow us to look at relationships across the whole economy, not just individual industries or communities, and we can analyse how things impact on each other and the environment, and look for better ways to do things.

|The results

Making data available to the community

Sense-T is established on the premise that we all benefit by sharing data, so long as privacy is protected. Sense-T is putting in place best practice data policies and procedures with the support of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Sense-T draws real-time data into a cloud, to be aggregated with spatial and historical data. Sensor data that previously measured one thing, for one purpose or organisation, can be re-used and shared for the benefit of everyone.

This allows sophisticated modelling and data analysis in real-time. Sense-T will provide web services and publish Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) so people can access the data to develop apps. New ideas can then be tested using Sense-T and scaled cost-effectively elsewhere.