In a project supported by the New South Wales State Emergency Service (NSW SES) and NSW Government, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) researchers working with industry partner TPG Telecom have completed field trials proving that artificial intelligence-driven processing of data derived from 5G mobile networks in conjunction with a flood digital twin – a virtual replica that mirrors its real-world counterpart – can deliver unprecedented accuracy in flood monitoring and prediction.
The technology was showcased at an official demonstration today at Iron Cove on the Parramatta River in Sydney.
NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said the Smart Flood and Storm Intelligence project could help communities access important storm and flood information faster.
“This technology has potential to improve disaster response, mitigating loss of life and enhancing community resilience across NSW.”
NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Commissioner Mike Wassing ASFM said the collaboration with UTS on the Smart Flood and Sensing Intelligence project shone a light on the possibilities technology opened for operational intelligence and enhanced response coordination.
“This technology has the potential to provide the NSW SES with next-level capabilities, such as accurate real-time information and predictive intelligence which could help better inform our warnings and response,” Commissioner Wassing said.
“While there is more testing to be done, this could revolutionise our command centres, fast-track intelligence, better inform operational posturing and save lives in the future.”
UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt said that while network sensing research is being explored globally, UTS has been a pioneer in the field for nearly a decade.
“By collaborating with NSW SES and TPG Telecom, we have become the first to translate research into practice, demonstrating that the technology works in the real world in the field trials that have been conducted on the Paramatta and Georges Rivers.
“The work continues in the TPG-UTS Network Sensing Lab, where researchers are advancing the next stage of research and development that will support large-scale deployment of the technology, for which both UTS and TPG have filed patents.”
TPG Telecom CTO Giovanni Chiarelli said TPG Telecom is proud to be UTS’s partner to pioneer network sensing technology for flood management.
“The success of the Smart Flood and Storm Intelligence project provided us with a solid foundation to mature the technology in our commercial networks. Thanks to the TPG-UTS Network Sensing Lab, we are now in a globally leading position to unleash the potential power of mobile phone networks to sense the world, manage risks caused by climate change, and enhance the resilience of our societies.
UTS Distinguished Professor Jay Guo, Director of the Global Big Data Technologies Centre and project leader, said the proven capacity of existing network infrastructure to sense what is happening in the physical environment provided both a highly accurate and sustainable solution to flood monitoring and early warning.
“Nothing new needs to be built, no dedicated sensors for this purpose need to be deployed,” Distinguished Professor Guo said.
“We’ve proved that bouncing signals from mobile phone towers onto bodies of water can detect changes and this data when analysed and visualised using artificial intelligence can predict risks to infrastructure and communities, paving the way for rapid and targeted alerts to affected communities.
“The next stage is to advance the reliability and adaptability of 5G-enabled flood sensing systems, ensuring consistent performance in sparse-data and degraded-network environments through adaptive system design and resilient architecture.
“Integral to that will be extending the collaboration with NSW spatial services and potentially other major mobile network providers, ensuring sufficient spatial data, comprehensive 5G coverage, and long-term scalability of the sensing system.”