Overview

In the pursuit of transforming into a smart city, the City of Boroondara, located in Melbourne, Victoria, has implemented an advanced stormwater pit monitoring system. This initiative was part of a broader strategy to enhance urban infrastructure management and improve community standards of living. Minnovation played a pivotal role, managing the end-to-end design, deployment, and maintenance of the system. The project also included 3rd party collaborations with Milesight for providing the sensor technology and M2MOne for network connectivity solutions.

Project Context

The stormwater pit monitoring system integrates seamlessly into Boroondara’s broader smart city framework, which includes various technology-driven projects such as smart waste and advanced pedestrian monitoring systems. These initiatives collectively aim to boost urban efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

Challenges and Minnovation’s Role

1. Comprehensive System Design: Minnovation engineered the system to address specific urban challenges, including real-time monitoring of water levels and flow rates in stormwater pits, and the detection of potential blockages.
2. Deployment in an Urban Setting: The placement and installation of sensors in a dense urban environment like Boroondara required careful planning and execution to minimise disruption to the community. Minnovation managed the deployment efficiently, ensuring seamless integration with the existing infrastructure.
3. Data Management and Analysis: Minnovation implemented advanced data analytics platforms to process and analyze the data collected. Their proprietary machine learning algorithm is central to the solution and designed to accurately predict and diagnose issues within the stormwater system.
4. Maintenance and Continuous Improvement: Minnovation’s commitment extends beyond deployment; they actively manage the maintenance of the system. This includes regular system checks, updates to the analytical software, and adjustments to sensor configurations as needed, particularly in challenging areas like shallow pits prone to debris accumulation.

Challenges

The implementation faced several challenges, which were systematically addressed:

1. Underground Connectivity: Establishing a dependable underground communication network was crucial, achieved through the use of the NB-IoT network, known for its strong underground penetration.
2. Urban Installation: The integration of new technology into existing infrastructure required careful planning to avoid disruptions, ensuring the city operations remained unaffected.
3. Data Management: Handling and analyzing the vast amount of data generated by the stormwater pit monitoring system necessitated robust technological solutions provided by Minnovation.
4. Localized Challenges: Specific issues like a shallow pit that frequently collected debris at the end of a court presented unique challenges. This was tackled by customising sensor placement and refining the analytical algorithms.
5. False Alarms: False triggering of maintenance activity is a (known) common problem in drain monitoring implementations. Minnovation’s analytical algorithms address this problem eliminating 99% of false alarms.

Benefits to the City

The stormwater pit monitoring system has delivered significant benefits:

• Enhanced Flood Management: The system’s real-time monitoring capabilities have greatly reduced the frequency and impact of flooding.
• Efficient Maintenance Scheduling: Data-driven insights allow for targeted maintenance, optimizing resource allocation and reducing costs.
• Community Safety and Satisfaction: Improved management of the urban drainage system has enhanced resident safety and satisfaction, reflecting positively on municipal services.

Ongoing Collaboration and Innovation

Minnovation continues to work closely with the City of Boroondara to refine the stormwater pit monitoring system, particularly focusing on complex areas like debris-heavy shallow pits. These efforts are aimed at enhancing the system’s effectiveness and adaptability to Boroondara’s evolving urban landscape.

Strategic Partnerships

The successful implementation of the stormwater pit monitoring system also relied on the expertise of Milesight IoT for sensor hardware and M2MOne for ensuring seamless connectivity to the Telstra NB-IoT network.

Minnovation managed all relationships during the project delivery ensuring a successful and stress-free delivery for the City, on time and on budget

Conclusion

Minnovation’s end-to-end management of the stormwater pit monitoring system has significantly contributed to the City of Boroondara’s transformation into a smart city. This project showcases how comprehensive technological management can streamline urban infrastructure operations, improve community living standards, and provide a replicable model for other cities aiming to implement smart technology solutions effectively.