i-Sense Oakleigh: The Smart Connected Precinct

• Project typeSmart Cities
• Contractor nameTraffic Technologies Ltd

The “i-Sense Oakleigh: The Smart Connected Precinct” is an exciting project that aims to provide and pilot a range of smart technologies around Oakleigh.

The project was a collaboration between Monash Council and Monash University to build a smart precinct underpinned by advanced sensor technologies and a data communication network.

The project was completed in December 2020.

The network provides a connected IoT platform to sense, collect and analyse relevant data to improve liveability for the community within the precinct. The sensors and its platform collect and fuse different data on mobility as well as improve utilisation of public spaces such as on-street and off-street parking.

This project utilises existing technology in a new way. The platform will increase livability in the Oakleigh precinct by developing a communication network and IoT platform using multiple sensor technologies to capture data. This data will be used in applications that will increase service and efficiency and improve the community's liveability.

Thirteen lighting poles along Atherton Road between Warrigal Road and Clyde Street have been installed; six of the poles along Atherton Road are 'smart poles'. The poles serve as a base for the smart connected sensing array platform, along with bin sensors that can alert Council's maintenance teams to bins that are full and help improve the number of times bins are checked and emptied. Smart lighting provides for lighting that can be controlled and adjusted remotely. A prototype data collection was developed where all the data can be visualised, via an app, to provide information on when and where parking will be available in the precinct to allow visitors to plan their day. 

Project Outcomes and Benefits

Sense, collect and analyse relevant data to support and improve productivity, accessibility and liveability for the community:

• Data from sensors embedded into various physical infrastructures such as street lighting, garbage bins etc. is being collected and analysed. This will enable the predictability of asset failure, proactive responses, better lighting and energy efficiency and service optimisation. These sensors and infrastructure monitoring could be added in other areas of the Councils. Smart city initiatives do not involve collecting personal data or monitoring private activities. Instead, sensors and other technologies are used to collect data on urban activities, such as traffic counts and waste management, to promote smart city activities. 

Complement Civil works to enhance liveability

• The proposed civil works at Atherton Road were to widen the footpath area to enable footpath trading, provide safer pedestrian crossing facilities, improve lighting, improve street furniture, enhance greenery and narrow the carriageway to manage vehicular speeds. Complementing the civil works are the placement of smart devices. The expectation is that these civil works, along with the digital infrastructure, will enable a well-connected precinct that can share rich data with its users, encourage the use of the area and enhance pedestrian activity, which will stimulate the local economy.

Scalability of the project:

• Systems and infrastructure developed in this project are expected to be undertaken at other precinct improvements (e.g. Glen Waverley. Mount Waverly & Clayton shopping precinct). The infrastructure is hosted on a cloud platform allowing for substantial future scaling.

Enable further development and implementation of IoT-related technology.

• The project has created an end-to-end solution that collects diverse city data from the source of physical infrastructure, processes it on the edge and the cloud, and provides live data analytics using open standards. The collected data provides analytics for decision-makers and enables the Council to coordinate, collaborate its activities and better serve its residents. It also creates a digital transformation framework that supports the local government's data-driven governance for liveability, sustainability, and innovative ecosystem development. 

Monash University was our technical partner for i-Sense Oakleigh, contributing $70,000 to the project. The Federal Government has contributed $700,000.

Traffic Technologies

Traffic Technologies Ltd has developed the IoT platform the i-Sense Oakleigh project. The Company’s “TST” Smart City platform has already been used in lighting systems across Victoria and New South Wales and has wide applications for the future, including traffic management, parking and asset management.

Media Release Traffic Technologies Ltd Cooperation with Monash Council and Monash University(PDF, 66KB)