The Moorabool Shire is set to reach the next level of tech-savvy with a new initiative designed to turn the region into a “smart shire”.
Moorabool council has partnered with Golden Plains Shire and Hepburn Shire to form a consortium across the three municipalities, receiving $750,000 in funding from the state government’s Rural Councils Transformation Grants program to split equally.
The funding will be used to develop a Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) across the three council areas, as part of the Smart Shires Network.
The network will comprise thirty LoRaWAN gateways across the three shires, which will enable the establishment of an Internet of Things (IoT) network, made up of sensor technology that can provide monitoring and reporting to build capacity and insight into council operations.
The IoT network will allow the councils to manage assets such as public toilets, rubbish bins and public spaces more effectively.
Potential opportunities for the network include monitoring patronage at local events, public spaces and recreation trails, monitoring public toilet and rubbish bin usage to ensure facility cleaning and waste collection are matched to usage and understanding the soil water moisture profile of grassed areas to better control water usage at council managed facilities.
The gateways and IoT network will also be available for the community and local businesses to use to gather data relevant to their needs.
