LoRa network for Launceston

Following the recent launch of an Internet of Things (IoT) network in the city of Brisbane, Tasmania’s Hodgman government has announced $100,000 to fund a LoRa network in Launceston.

The Launceston LoRa network will consist of approximately 10 base stations, each with a maximum range of about 20 km. Low-power sensors will connect to these base stations and then to the internet. This makes data transfer extremely low cost compared with applications and sensors which rely on the mobile phone network.

The network will enable a host of innovative new projects involving transport, monitoring, inventory control, health, traffic and sensing, all in real time. According to Minister for Information Technology and Innovation Michael Ferguson, there are “hundreds of possible applications for this network”.

“It could range from simple things like tracking animals, monitoring bins, detecting water levels or measuring air quality to more complex projects using movement sensors and accelerometers in the area of telehealth,” said Ferguson. “I expect we’ll see projects developed and creative ideas in areas we currently can’t even anticipate.”

The network gateways and sensors will be manufactured by Definium Technologies, a Launceston-based IT company, while the project will be run out of the Enterprize Innovation Hub. Other collaborators include the University of Tasmania’s Sense-T partnership and CSIRO’s Data61, with Sense-T Director Dr Stephen Cahon saying the project will “leverage Sense-T’s IoT capabilities to advance current and new technology-focused projects in creating an impact for Tasmania”.

“This project builds organically on the work already done by the university through Sense-T and several key partners in creating the facilities to design, prototype and build next-generation sensors, capture data and complete the analytics and interpretive feedback to a range of end users,” added Professor Brigid Heywood, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), University of Tasmania.

“The university has an agreed strategic development partnership with Definium and has already recruited several key individuals with technical capability across agriculture, aquaculture, tourism and e-health to advance this work.”

Work on the pilot project has commenced and is expected to be operational early 2017.