LAKE Macquarie City Council will this month roll out smart infrastructure and cutting-edge technology which promises to help lifeguards do their job, and potentially save lives.
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A range of sensors and cameras will be installed at Redhead Beach and Blacksmiths Beach to monitor wave and swell movement, as well as visitor numbers, as part of the world-first trial.
Manly Beach and Shelly Beach, in Sydney, are also part of the Smart Beaches project.
Smart Beaches project manager Tony Blunden said the project combined smart infrastructure technologies with advanced data analytics and machine learning to generate real-time and forecasted insights into beach visitation and conditions.
"Last year, beach drownings in Australia increased by three per cent and each year more people visit our nation's coast, impacting on safety, access and amenity," Mr Blunden said.
"The Smart Beaches project will arm professional beach lifeguards with real-time information about beach conditions, the number of people on the beach and in the water, and weather conditions, assisting them in making informed decisions about beach management, patrol hours and staffing."
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The first sensors being deployed will be people-counting cameras to measure crowd numbers on each trial beach.
Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers will also be attached to the red and yellow flags, beach signs, lifeguard jet skis, buggies and rescue boards.
The technology will be installed by the end of November and trialled over the 2019-2020 beach season to gauge its value in assessing beach conditions and amenity.
Data collected will be transmitted to lifeguards and other beach authorities to help better manage staff time and channel other resources where they are needed most.
Smart Beaches is a joint project of Lake Macquarie City Council, Northern Beaches Council and the University of Technology, Sydney.
It is funded partly under the Australian Government's Smart Cities and Suburbs Program, encouraging collaborative, cutting-edge projects that improve the liveability, productivity and sustainability of Australian cities, towns and suburbs.
Find out more at smartbeaches.com.au.
