An Australian city is deploying smart city technology which will be used to remotely monitor the condition of the city’s sportsground.
National Narrowband Network Co (NNNCo) has been chosen to install a carrier-grade Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) across the city of Newcastle in New South Wales, with the first of seven sensor gateways being installed at National Park.
The soil monitoring sensor will be used to measure the field’s moisture, potentially allowing the council to save on water costs and maintenance, iTnews reports. The sensor will also allow sports organisations to remotely determine whether the field is fit for play ahead of competitions.
The LoRaWAN network is expected to provide low cost, low-power connectivity that will support millions of wireless Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and data collecting devices.
City officials say this will enable a wide range of smart city applications to improve liveability, for example by helping motorists find parking spaces; better integrating transport services; helping the council better manage park and recreation facilities; signalling when to collect waste; and providing valuable insights to businesses.
Welcoming the launch of the project, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the LoRAWAN gateways would allow businesses and community groups to connect for free and collect valuable data.
“By investing in this infrastructure, we will provide a platform for community groups, education and research providers, industry, businesses and entrepreneurs to develop their own smart applications and ideas,” the Lord Mayor said. “From collecting information on foot traffic, to the state of council-owned sporting ground, and enabling community and environmental groups to create their own coal dust sensors, this is a big technological breakthrough for the city. The seven gateways will enable connectivity that would have otherwise been far too costly.”
Tags: Internet of Things, IoT, Smart City, The Built Environment