Moreton Bay Regional Council Installs Optus’ Innovative IoT Satellite Sensors for Smart Water Monitoring in an Australian First

Smart IoT sensors monitor water tank levels across Moreton Bay saving ratepayers and optimising operations

Today, Optus Enterprise and Myriota have partnered with Queensland’s Moreton Bay Regional Council to deploy ground-breaking Internet of Things (IoT) satellite water tank sensors that will monitor the level of water in outdoor water tanks, eliminating the need to send staff to remote locations for manual checks. The inefficient solution required one staff member per day per week to monitor waters levels.

Moreton Bay Regional Council is the first council in Australia to deploy this unique method of remote monitoring, which provides near real time data of actual water levels via low earth orbit satellites, enabling the Council to make informed decisions about water usage, solve problems caused by unexpected water shortages and optimise operations and resources. 

The council rarely found that the water tanks were already empty in their physical monitoring yet still had to physically send someone to check. The adoption of the smart water tank solution has now supported Council to remotely monitor water levels daily, save on operational budgets and capture baseline data that will be useful for further analysis.

The council estimates that the roll out of remote monitoring will reduce costs by around $20,000 per annum, a drop in operational and maintenance costs of nearly 200%.

Optus Enterprise Managing Director, Chris Mitchell, said that collaboration between Optus and Myriota was central to developing the game changing IoT solution.

“Myriota are global leaders in nanosatellite IoT and by partnering with them and leveraging  our amazing network, we were able to unlock new opportunities of IoT by delivering connectivity solutions to industries and regional areas previously constrained by coverage and cost,” said Mr Mitchell.

The deployment builds on Myriota and Optus’ Australian-first Partnership which brought together Optus' IoT networks and digital platforms with Myriota's direct-to-orbit technology and allowing for massive scale deployment of IoT devices across Australia.

The solution uses Myriota’s low-cost, long-battery life secure satellite connectivity and utilises sensors attached to water tanks made by Australian industrial automation company, Ellenex.

CEO and co-founder of Myriota, Dr Alex Grant, said: “This strategic initiative provides the next generation of smart connectivity that captures the potential of IoT. The deployment will have a very real impact, reducing operational costs for Moreton Bay Regional Council and ultimately putting rate payers’ dollars to better use.

“Moreton Bay Regional Council has been visionary in its drive to implement innovative IoT applications that reduce operational costs while creating environmental benefits. There is nothing to stop councils across Australia from adopting satellite IoT technology to drive efficiencies in remote asset management.”

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery said this exciting project further cemented our position as a smart region with a focus on innovative collaboration.

“As a Council we have made great strides in implementing smart technologies, from our AI road scanning system on garbage trucks to pathway defect detection e-bikes, just to name a few,” he said.

“And the deployment of these innovative IoT satellite sensors for water monitoring is just another step we take to embrace technological solutions for the benefit of our community. 

“These water tanks are critical in supplying water for toilets and other amenities at our region’s remote areas, which are used by many locals and tourists each year.

“I’m thrilled at the result of the initial deployment, which has optimised our water management, reduced operation costs and saved ratepayers’ money.

“Innovative collaboration like this is important to Council, as it helps us to plan for the future more effectively and deliver more efficient infrastructure for the Moreton Bay Region community.

ENDS 

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