News & Articles | Growing Data Foundation

GDF Water Warriors Provide Tools for Firefighters to Become 'Water Diviners'

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This weekend the Growing Data Foundation’s (GDF) team – the ‘Water Warriors’ is competing in the Australia and New Zealand GovHack Competition. GovHack is an international competition for people of all abilities who seek to make life better through open data. Across one weekend, thousands come together to form teams, agree on projects, and participate in what has become one of the world’s largest open data competitions.

Conducted over a 46-hour period, the competition requires participating teams to create concepts, mashups and models with open government data, to examine the challenges facing government and communities in new and innovative ways.

The Australian 2020 Black Summer bushfires were unprecedented in their scale and level of destruction. More than three billion animals were killed, over 450 people lost their lives, approximately 17 million hectares of land was burnt and more than 6,000 homes and buildings were destroyed.

In the aftermath of these fires, one of the major problems that firefighters universally identified was the difficulty experienced accessing water. In drought affected regions, access to dam and mains water was understandably significantly restricted. In other regions, poorly maintained water hydrants made it difficult to access mains water in a safe way, and no real-time data was available to inform local crews as to the location and level of water storage in static water supplies e.g. water tanks, swimming pools and dams.

In the spirit of using open government data to create a tangible solution to this critical issue, the GDF Water Warriors have created a web application – ‘FireWater’ to demonstrate how low-cost, long range radio technologies (LoRaWAN) and open GIS mapping systems can be used to provide real time water source data to on-the-ground fire crews, in particular the location and status of fire hydrants, water tanks and other natural water sources. It will also incorporate a journey planning functionality, to direct fire crews to nearest available water sources. In developing this exciting application, the Water Warriors have indeed created the capacity for firefighters to become true ‘Water Diviners’.

The GDF team has entered ‘FireWater’ into one South Australia, Australian and International category. Winners will be announced over the coming weeks at formal Awards Nights. I will keep you posted on how we go. Fingers crossed that the team can win at least one category. Regardless, the team believes that it will have made a huge contribution to ensuring that by providing firefighters with the technology tools to become ‘Water Diviners’, that come next fire season, knowledge of available water sources is not one of the major challenges they will have to face.

Go GDF Water Warriors!!!!

The Growing Data Foundation – A True GovHack Success Story

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In 2014, Leo Gaggl — then working in the education and government sector on online learning and open education — recognised that the GovHack SA competition was an opportunity to demonstrate what open data could do for communities. He reached out to a broad group of colleagues and clients, many from education and government, to form a team. Fourteen people responded, and together the fifteen-strong “Nature Ninjas” entered GovHACK SA. The challenge was to develop something useful from previously unseen open data provided by state and commonwealth government departments, local councils, media agencies and universities.

The team accessed data from the State Flora Catalogue and mashed it up with Waite Arboretum Spatial Data and added lookups to the Atlas of Living Australia to develop a prototype application titled ‘What grows here?’. This mobile application can be used to identify flora that is indigenous to any particular geographical location using the GPS function on smart phones. Furthermore, the list of native plants that is displayed can be filtered and selected for certain features such as height, colour and purpose, which makes the application equally useful to either the home gardener or land managers.

The collective skills, commitment and passions of the team were rewarded by winning two state awards and one national award in the following categories: Unleashed Premier’s Award ($30,000); Building on Science, Research &Environmental Data ($2,500); and the People’s Choice Award ($2000).

This prize money was used to establish the Growing Data Foundation (incorporated in January 2015), to promote the development of open projects and systems that support the development of sustainable solutions to environmental, economic and social problems. The Growing Data Foundation is one of the very few, if not the only, project that was initiated during the GovHACK SA in 2014 that is still in existence and continuing to do great work.

For example, in 2016 the Growing Data Foundation founded The Things Network (TTN) Adelaide and currently facilitates the Adelaide OpenData and IoT Meetup that has over 900 subscribers.

In 2019, the Growing Data Foundation was awarded the sole rights to conduct The Things Network Asia Pacific On Tour Conference that was attended by over 150 people and very well-received by a diverse range of stakeholders. In lieu of a large physical conference due to COVID-19, the Growing Data Foundation is planning a range of smaller educational activities over the next 12 months featuring industry experts from across the globe in five key streams – Technical, Environmental, AgTech, Education and Smart Cities.

In June 2020, the Growing Data Foundation was invited by the District Council of Loxton Waikerie located in the Riverland region of South Australian to lead a Riverland Schools IoT Project. The aim of this project is to get staff and students in the four Riverland high schools involved in curriculum-based activities that use open, real-time data collected via sensors and LoRaWAN infrastructure recently installed across the Riverland to solve social, economic or environmental problems.

From Friday 14 – Sunday 16, 2020 members of the Growing Data Foundation will be joined by a team of other interested individuals to compete in the GovHack Competition which will be held simultaneously across Australia and New Zealand. During the 46-hour period the team will be required to create concepts, mashups and models with open government data, to examine the challenges facing government and communities in new and innovative ways.

Once again the Growing Data Foundation has an exciting and innovative project idea that it aims to bring to fruition over the weekend. Watch this space to find out what the Growing Data Foundation ‘Water Warriors’ have been able to achieve in this latest Govhack Competition!

Nest boxes and integrated sensors

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

As a result of urban pressure old trees with hollows that animals rely on for shelter and breeding sites are disappearing at an alarming rate. Providing nesting boxes for wildlife is a start but to truly protect our critters we need to know more.

A way to help

Nesting boxes can provide homes to animals such as owls, parrots, possums and bats, but how do we know if the nesting boxes are being used by these animals? How do we know if they are installed in the best places? Nesting boxes are only the first part of the story. Through the use of technology it is possible to monitor, measure and collect real time data to inform best practice wildlife management.

The team leading this project is the Growing Data Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that supports open-source projects and the development of sustainable solutions for social good. Members from the GDF working with Adelaide company fauNature have designed and built a nest box which integrates sensors and other technologies to collect data in a non-intrusive manner. This data can then be analysed to improve wildlife management outcomes. People will be able to determine how animals are using the nest boxes in parks, urban environments and even in their own backyards.

The Growing Data Foundation have just deployed two smart-nests in the Adelaide parklands. The open data collected from the sensors within the nest boxes (aka “smart nests”) is being made freely available for others to use in their own projects. The nest box project links with the Adelaide The Things Network, an open data network convened by the Growing Data Foundation. The advantage of this approach is that it provides the ability for the nest box to be connected in real-time to the internet without network costs, in parkland situations where WiFi availability is problematic and mobile contracts are expensive.

You can find out more about the Smart Nest and the The Things Network at “The Things Network on Tour APAC”, the first Australian conference dedicated to The Things Network and LoraWAN technologies on November 17-18 2019 in Adelaide, South Australia.

This project has been supported by a grant from the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management (NRM) board.

Helping the dolphins

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In the last few years I have taken a keen interest in the Port River Dolphin Sanctuary and it’s 30 resident dolphins. The dolphins are doing an amazing job of surviving and breeding in a busy river port but it has not been without its fair share of tragedy and loss.

The tech

There is scope for TTN and GDF to step in and set up an environmental monitoring and surveillance system that will measure water quality parameters including temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH. If Marine Rangers and the Port community are able to have real time data on when water quality drops or if a pollution event occurs, they will be able to respond quickly to any harmful events.

A way to help

There have been reports of people actively harassing and hurting the dolphins and some of these magnificent animals have been found with wounds on their bodies from bullets, spears and impacts with fast moving objects such as boats and jet ski’s.

There is also evidence of dolphins dying from living in a heavily polluted environment. That being said, the Port River is definitely a lot healthier and less polluted than it has been in the past, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

I am hoping there is group of similarly concerned people out there who would like to work on this project so we can help protect the Port River Dolphins. We certainly have the technology to get this project happening – we just need a core group of committed people to kick start the project. Who’s in?

Thanks
Sam

The Things Network Adelaide

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000

We are advocating for the development of a city-wide Internet of Things data network in Adelaide. A network that can talk to the internet without 3G or WiFi (no and has low battery usage, long range and low bandwidth extends opportunities for makers, inventors and creatives.

Get involved!

Join The Things Network – Adelaide, and join the Adelaide Open Data and IoT Meetup group to connect with like-minded people – and to get news, details of events straight to your app or mailbox.

About

The advantage of this technology for Maker and citizen science projects is that it allows ‘things’ to talk to the internet without 3G or WiFi – meaning that if a box is located in a remote area; data can still be obtained on conditions, effectiveness… or whatever it is you are measuring/monitoring.

Ansterdam has successfully demonstrated the value of this concept by creating the The Things Network using a new a new technology named LoraWAN™ that is perfect for Internet of Things projects.

Adelaide has many citizen science projects, makers, tinkerers and creators who will benefit from such a network.

First Names Here

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Names and language are not just words – they are closely linked to our identity and culture. Aboriginal communities are sharng their languages through story, song and eduction. Tae a walk and learn the first names for places and, possibly later, for plants and things.

About

Names and language are not just words – they are closely linked to our identity and culture. Around Australia Aboriginal communities and groups are reviving and sharing their languages through story, song and through community and formal eduction. As you walk around this app allows you to see the first names for places and, possibly later, for plants and things.

You will be able to see what Aboriginal communities predominant in a particular area – fixed borders are a very western concept and we want to reflect this by avoiding drawing firm regional borders but instead showing you where there is a predominance from a particular community and where there is a shared presence from a number of communities.

As well a general interest – this app could be used as a learning tool for schools to provoke discussion and learning linked to the Australian Curriculum Across Curriculum Prioritys, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

What lives here?

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Old trees with hollows that animals rely on are disappearing and as a result some species are dying out. Providing nesting boxes is a start but to truly protect threatened species we need to know more. We use technology to monitor, measure and return data to inform future decisions.

Connect with nature

Biophilia is a human condition that refers to our deep connection to nature. Rather than using technology to disconnect, we are using it to satisfy and strengthen connections of human with nature.

The tech

In tandem with this project, we are looking at setting up an Adelaide LowRaWAN™ network (The Things Network). The advantage of this technology for Maker and citizen science projects is that it allows ‘things’ to talk to the internet without 3G or WiFi – no WiFi codes and no mobile subscriptions – meaning that if a box is located in a remote area; data can still be obtained on conditions, effectiveness… or whatever it is you are measuring/monitoring.

About

Biodiversity underpins everything we do. The world is rapidly urbanising. The environments and homes that organisms share with humans are changing.

Councils and non-government organisations install nesting boxes at great cost. Nesting boxes can provide homes to animals like possums and birds. But – how do where the nesting boxes are being used by these animals? How do we know we have we installed the boxes in the best places? Nesting boxes are only the first part of the story.

We will use sensors and technology to monitor and measure if the boxes are being used. This data will also inform how we set up nesting boxes in the future – and where we place them. To ensure that nesting boxes are doing their job, we will use software, databases and hardware technology like: sensors; bluetooth; LowRaWAN™; wireless networks; Raspberry Pi; andWioLink.

People will be able to see if animals are using the nesting boxes in parks, urban environments – and in their own back yards. Data collected from the nestings boxes will be made available openly for others to use in their own prjects, learning – or out of curiosity.

Scientists and citizen science projects will be able to use the data to inform and plan their projects. Schools could use the nesting boxes and resulting data for projects and learning – for example in science, mathematics, geography.

What grows here?

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Whether you are a revegetation project team member, landscaper or gardener the ‘What Grows Here?’ app will help you find plants that best suit your space and needs. Learners can learn about local bird life.

The App

See detailed descriptions of over 1000 Australian Native Plants ranging from trees and shrubs to ground-covers and grasses.

The well-being of all life on our planet is under increasing pressure from climate change.

It has been known for decades that part of the solution lies in repairing our natural environment through tree planting and restoring forest to areas that have been cleared.

The ‘What grows here?’ app will empower you to and be part of the solution and help you plant the right tree, at the right time in the right place.

__ WGH? for Android

__ WGH? for iOS

Open data sets

‘What Grows Here?’ uses the following open datasets:
State Flora Catalogue (data.sa.gov)
Waite Arboretum Spatial Data
Atlas of Living Australia

About

‘What Grows Here?’ won the following Unleashed SA and GovHack prizes:

Premiers Award: Unleashed SA Competition
Building on science, research and environmental data Award: Unleashed SA Competition
The People’s Choice Hack, 1st Prize: National GovHack Competition

Visit the South Australian Unleashed and GovHack websites to find out about the competition and see the amazing projects different teams have created using open data.

‘What Grows Here?’ products were developed as part of the Unleased SA node of GovHack in 2014. As a result of participating in GovHack and winning awards that supported the development of the ‘What Grows Here?’ app and Learning Hub, the Nature Ninjas formed the Growing Data Foundation. The foundation will bring like-minded people together to work on open sustainable projects that support the community.

The Nature Ninjas team for the 2014 competition included: Joerg Boeselt; Leanne Brookes; Samantha Bywaters; Leo Gaggl; John Flackett; Brent Leideritz; David Lindley; Kristen Morgan; Rhys Moult; Katherine Nguyen; James Plummer; Sean Simper; Kenny Tran; Kien Vu; Catriona Ward.