The City of Greater Bendigo, a local government area in Victoria, Australia, is teaming up with La Trobe University in order to give the residents of Bendigo accurate and real-time temperature readings all over the city.
According to a recent press release, the Clever Weather Project will see up to 100 individual sensors installed throughout Bendigo.
In order to utilise the city’s new Internet of Things (IoT) network, weather sensors are being installed throughout the central business district (CBD), at local landmarks, as well as in the yards of interested residents and business-owners.
Dr Simon Egerton, Head of the University’s Technology Innovation Lab in Bendigo, said that the results of this project could have implications for the way people in Bendigo work and play.
Their sensors are incredibly accurate and responsive. Once these sensors are installed, they will be able to give residents a much more accurate reading of the temperature in their local area.
Data may show that some areas of Bendigo are up to 2 or 3 degrees cooler than others.
This may have implications in the way the people will plan their day and protect themselves from extreme temperatures.
Moreover, the project could also inform the City Council’s planning, according to the Innovation Officer at the City of Greater Bendigo.
More accurate temperature readings will help the Council make important decisions on how to best manage the heat in the city.
These decisions would include where they will plant trees, how and where they will design infrastructure, as well as the improvements to the developments they approve.
With an understanding of temperature impacts, the Council can potentially make changes and investments that will help to cool hotter areas of the city.
It is critical that the whole city is covered thoroughly, as temperatures might vary significantly from one area to the next.
The project has been piloted over recent months, with sensors installed at the University’s Flora Hill campus and areas in Epsom in late 2018.
Future development of the project could see additional information gathered like rainfall and wind speeds.
Open source access to the Internet of Things (IoT) first became available in Bendigo in 2018, also through a partnership project between the University and the City of Greater Bendigo.
The Internet of Things is defined as a network of internet-enabled devices that gather and share data.
To make the Clever Weather Project a success, members of the community are being invited to volunteer to have sensors installed in their yards or places of work.
The team is in need of around 100 sensors spread throughout Bendigo, including in the outer suburbs. Interested parties may find details here.
Currently, the Bureau of Meteorology’s automatic weather station located at the Bendigo Airport provides the local monitoring.
