Council gathers valuable data through smart technology

Three people counting sensors have been installed in Katoomba to help shape the future of the town.

The sensors are at the top of Katoomba Street, at Carrington Place (powered by solar), and at the Town Centre Arcade.

The Sensors Project is funded through the Federal Government’s Smart Cities & Suburbs Program, with a variety of partners (including Sydney Water and the Universities of NSW and Wollongong) who will assist with data analysis.

“These smart technologies can enable us to gather important information about how people are using our towns and villages, and this can influence planning and policy to improve liveability,” said Mayor Cr Mark Greenhill.

“By measuring pedestrian movements, we can see how people move through our towns and this can inform our decision making on various community projects. For example, we can look at how many people visit the town at night, or whether revitalising an area increases visitor numbers. 

“In addition, the sensors can be developed to assist in other key areas, such as parking; air quality; waste, energy and water management; and smart lighting.

“This can all be done without compromising privacy, as the monitoring is based on smart phone signals and remains anonymous.” The sensors detect that a smart phone has passed by using WiFi signals only, and personal data is not captured, stored or transmitted.

The sensors count smart phones in the three locations, and send the counts over a Low Power Wide Area Network or LoRaWAN, a low-cost, lower-power network that connects wireless battery-operated devices across a wide area. 

For more information email [email protected].