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Technology - Tried and Tested
NQ BRANCH CONFERENCE BEST PAPER
Gary Everson, Cairns Regional Council Gary is the maintenance manager for the Cairns Regional Council (CRC) encompassing road transport, parks, marine and drainage infrastructure. With experience in the military, water industry and local government, Gary has developed expertise across numerous disciplines.
but also structured well enough to ensure any resulting business case contains everything required to dial in the combination to the CFO’s safe. Trial projects There have been a range of technology-based projects trialled at CRC with some being cutting edge with a higher risk of failure. However, most were more mature in their product development cycle. The trial projects included:
Background One of CRC’s core objectives is for every staff member to improve each process they work on at every opportunity. This has generated a range of continuous improvement programs across the departments that have trialled a range of technologies, some very successful and some not quite as successful. Not all the systems, processes and technologies that have been trialled are directly related to engineering disciplines, however all have an application to work functions we are involved with at some point.
Robotic mowers (automower) – used for high quality, manicured lawn settings within the city
Each technology trial requires a ‘go/no go’ for launch based on potential return on investment and likelihood of operational success. This process needs to be flexible to enable creative access,
Portable CCTV trailer for events and crowd management
Carpool hire systems for staff use of pool cars Smart solar compacting litter bins (recycled materials) In ground parking sensors – monitoring free/taken bays Parking infringement systems – license plate recognition systems Electric power tools – chainsaws, blowers, hedgers, etc Drones for asset inspection
City sweepers to clean paths with pedestrians using the space Smart light poles with
Engineering for Public Works | June 2018
Local government area key facts • Area - 1687 km2 of land on a narrow coastal strip between the Great Dividing Range and the Coral Sea • Population - estimated residential population of the Cairns region was 162,451 persons as at 30 June 2016 • Gross regional product $8.37b • Total asset base – $3.5b • Employees – 1,250 • Roads – 1,253km • Paths – 450km • Drains – 768km • Rateable properties – 73,000 • Annual budget – circa $300m Source: http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/ region/facts and https://economy.id.com. au/cairns/home
integrated sensory systems GPS remote monitoring for fleet Traffic management software – integrating with Apple/Google maps Community Wifi – engaging the community Dashcams – asset data capture
