University of Technology Sydney researchers are leading a trial of technology that could help protect communities during severe weather events by harnessing artificial intelligence and the mobile phone network to predict the possible impacts of flooding.

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Flooding stands as one of the most prevalent natural disasters confronting New South Wales and Australia. Flooding has inflicted profound damages on our economy, community wellbeing, and human lives.

One critical unmet challenge to mitigating flooding risks is the lack of technologies and real-time data that can be used to monitor localised rainfall and predict flooding with sufficient accuracy and granularity.

The recent flooding incident in the Gold Coast exemplifies this issue, as flash flood alerts were disseminated to residents a day too late, when some victims were already trapped by floods.

An emerging technology offers a promising solution to address this challenge. It is called network sensing.

One of the issues with flooding right across New South Wales that we have at the moment is limited ability to have real-time data. So the research that's been done with the University of Technology and the State Emergency Service will allow us to make better predictions on the consequences of flooding and warn communities in a much faster time frame.

This innovative approach extracts the changes in wireless signals caused by rainfalls and water flows. The information is then translated into localised rainfall and flooding data through machine learning.

Unlike traditional sensor networks, network sensing technology utilises existing mobile networks, thereby minimising the need for additional infrastructure and facilitating rapid deployment across New South Wales and beyond.

The University of Technology Sydney stands at the forefront of network sensing research, pioneering groundbreaking advancements in the field since 2017.

It's easy to find researchers, but it's difficult to find researchers who can translate results into practical real-world impacts. We chose UTS because they're world leaders in this field and have that ability.

In 2023, the New South Wales Government funded an audacious project called Smart Flood and Storm Intelligence through its Smart Places Acceleration Program. This project is led by the New South Wales State Emergency Service and conducted by the UTS research team. It aims to prove, at a fundamental level, that the network sensing technology works for environmental sensing and real-time localised flooding can be effectively visualised by a digital twin.

Thanks to the dedication and creativity of our researchers and the great collaboration with SES, we have made significant progress already.

So this new technology has the potential to make all the difference in keeping people's homes and people's lives safe during major flood events.

TPG Telecom has two motivations. First of all, we have a business one, and secondly, we want to make a positive difference in the world. We see this as an exciting new technology that will transform our communications-oriented network into an integrated sensing and communications network.

With multi-year funding from TPG Telecom, UTS's world-leading capabilities, and the New South Wales Government's commitment to transform frontline services, the TPG UTS Network Sensing Lab stands to herald a new era of innovation and collaboration, offering hopes for a safer and more resilient future for communities in New South Wales and beyond.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has partnered with UTS researchers and TPG Telecom to develop and test network sensing technology, which extracts localised weather information including rainfall, water levels and river flows using signals transmitted on the communications network.

Artificial intelligence can then be used to predict risks to infrastructure and communities, paving the way for the SES to potentially use the data for the rapid dissemination of information to affected communities through targeted alerts.

While still in development, the technology could be transformational for emergency services. Currently, accurate real-time information can be challenging to obtain due to the number of flood sensors, sensor network coverage and network outages during weather events.

Testing of the technology is underway along Sydney’s Parramatta and Georges Rivers and will continue as a centrepiece project of UTS and TPG’s new Network Sensing Lab which, which was officially opened recently by NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib.

“Researching this technology is an opportunity to pioneer a new era of flood and storm intelligence. This work represents a significant step in the NSW Government’s efforts to combat risks to lives and properties during severe weather events,” Mr Dib said.

This landmark partnership between UTS, TPG Telecom, NSW SES and the NSW Government has the potential to place NSW and Australia at the forefront of how new telecommunication technologies can help in addressing climate challenges and saving lives. UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt

“As we face increasingly severe weather influenced by climate change, we are supporting the NSW State Emergency Service with technology that could help communities access important storm and flood information quicker.

“The new technology will improve data-driven decision-making for first responders, filling an information gap that could make an important difference in emergency situations.”

University of Technology Sydney Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt said the project was a manifestation of UTS’s mission to translate research into societal impacts, contributing to NSW and Australia’s economic sustainability, prosperity and community resilience.

“Thanks to NSW Government support, our world-leading wireless research team, led by Distinguished Professor Jay Guo, can build on six years of research establishing the foundation for the flood and storm intelligence sensing system now in development,” Professor Parfitt said.

“Network sensing can potentially transform the way our emergency personnel manage and mitigate flood and storm risks, but there are other applications for the technology that also will be explored in the new TPG-UTS Network Sensing Lab.

Group picture. From the left: Distinguished Professor Jay Guo, TPG Telecom Chief Technology Officer Giovanni Chiarelli, NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York, Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib, UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt and Dean of the UTS Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Peta Wyeth. Picture by Andy Roberts
From the left: Distinguished Professor Jay Guo, TPG Telecom Chief Technology Officer Giovanni Chiarelli, NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York, Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib, UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt and Dean of the UTS Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Peta Wyeth. Picture by Andy Roberts

“This landmark partnership between UTS, TPG Telecom, NSW SES and the NSW Government has the potential to place NSW and Australia at the forefront of how new telecommunication technologies can help in addressing climate challenges and saving lives.”

“The TPG-UTS Network Sensing Lab will translate research into industrial solutions,” said Distinguished Professor Jay Guo.

"There are limitless opportunities for network sensing technology aside from rainfall monitoring and flood protection.

“They include traffic management, object and intruder detection for smart transport, collision avoidance, search and rescue and health and sports monitoring.”

The Flood and Storm Intelligence Sensing project is funded through Transport for NSW’s Smart Places Acceleration Program, a special reservation of the Digital Restart Fund, administered by the Department of Customer Service.

The project builds on cross-agency work on improving flood warnings, and the State Disaster Mitigation Plan which flags early warning systems as a priority for the NSW Government.

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