WaterNSW has a vision of increasing its use of telemetered and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and devices to remove any manual work required to collect data in the field, make that information widely available to customers and the community, and ultimately provide an overarching view of water quantity and quality in the state.
WaterNSW oversees New South Wales' rivers and water supply systems and supplies two thirds of the water used in the state. It owns and operates the largest surface and groundwater monitoring network in the southern hemisphere, and builds, maintains, and operates essential infrastructure.
The state-owned entity is slowly getting there, having recently reached a stage of being able to process and visualise the data it collects, and make it shareable via its WaterInsights Portal.
WaterNSW can now compile all the telemetry data it collects and automatically processes it on a single platform using Nutanix software.
"Our water data is critically important, and it needs to be shared. Making it accessible is a core part of our role," WaterNSW CIO Ian Robinson said.
"From the Bureau of Meteorology investigating weather patterns, to government departments making policy and population decisions, to farmers and irrigators who need to know when there's enough water available for them to start pumping -- all these decisions are influenced by our data."
WaterNSW relies on using 4,600 measurement gauges and sensing devices installed in waterways across the state to collect data including water levels, flow rates, uplift pressure, groundwater depths, water quality, and seepage.
"We're a data management company when it comes down to it," Robinson said.
"Everything we deliver for our customers depends on the visibility of what's happening across our water network. Whether that's river flows, storage levels, or water