Our Multi-hazard Monitoring and Sensor Network

Our Multi-Hazard Monitoring and Sensor Network

Harnessing real-time data for disaster preparedness and community safety across the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Region

The Illawarra-Shoalhaven Joint Organisation is committed to building safer, more resilient communities across its member councils. With increasing climate-related risks such as bushfires, storms, and floods, real-time access to environmental data is more critical than ever.

In collaboration with Attentis® – Smart sensors, Intelligent wireless networks and real-time information and Telstra, and with funding through the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund, ISJO has implemented a region-wide multi-hazard monitoring network. This system enables councils, emergency services and communities to make faster, better-informed decisions to reduce disaster risk.

Purpose of the Multi-Hazard Monitoring and Sensor Network

The Illawarra-Shoalhaven multi-hazard monitoring and sensor network has been designed to enhance disaster resilience across the region by enabling real-time situational awareness, improved decision-making, and stronger community engagement. Its core purposes include:

Early Detection: The system provides real-time monitoring of natural hazard conditions such as temperature fluctuations, wind activity, smoke presence, humidity, and rainfall. This enables authorities to detect emerging threats early and act before situations escalate.
Informed Planning: By delivering accurate, time-stamped environmental data, the network supports proactive disaster risk reduction strategies, emergency preparedness, and evidence-informed urban and regional planning.
Regional Collaboration: The system facilitates shared access to monitoring data between councils, emergency services, and state agencies. This fosters coordinated responses and enables consistent, region-wide situational awareness.
Public Access and Education: A live public-facing dashboard allows community members to view real-time environmental conditions, helping to raise awareness of local hazards and promote a culture of preparedness and shared responsibility.
Evidence-Based Emergency Response: Live data supports the operational decisions of emergency services, enabling faster and more precise responses during critical events such as bushfires, storms, and floods.

The sensor network integrates a suite of advanced technologies designed to capture both visual and environmental datea including:

High-Resolution Cardinal Images:

Still images are captured every 15 minutes, providing visual documentation of conditions at key locations.

Time-Lapse Video Generation:

Sequential stills are automatically compiled into time-lapse videos, enabling users to observe environmental changes and hazard progression over time.

Meteorological Data:

The system continuously records temperature, wind speed and gusts, wind direction, humidity, and rainfall—critical variables in understanding and forecasting hazardous weather events.

Air Quality Monitoring:

Particulate Matter (PM) sensors detect and measure air quality for particle sizes of 1µm, 2.5µm, and 10µm, which is particularly valuable during bushfire events and periods of poor air quality.

Sonic Water Level Sensors:

These instruments monitor rising water levels in real time, providing early warnings for potential flooding or flash flood events.

Threshold-Based Automatic Alerts:

Notifications are automatically triggered when sensor readings exceed predefined thresholds, allowing for rapid awareness and mobilisation of emergency protocols.

What are the next steps?

The infrastructure necessary to support the Illawarra-Shoalhaven multi-hazard monitoring and sensor network has now been successfully completed. This marks a significant milestone in enhancing the region’s resilience to natural hazards through real-time data collection and monitoring. However, to fully realise the benefits and capabilities of this advanced system, several key follow-up actions are required:

Deliver targeted training sessions to local councils to demonstrate the practical applications of the technology, increase stakeholder engagement, and build capacity for integrating the data into emergency planning, response, and long-term resilience strategies.
Conduct a comprehensive evaluation report on the performance and effectiveness of the current system. This assessment should aim to identify both the strengths and potential limitations of the network, taking into account technical functionality, data accuracy, user experience, and operational integration with existing systems.
Implement the recommendations derived from the evaluation, with a focus on addressing identified concerns, improving system efficiency, and enhancing user adoption. This may include technical upgrades, interface improvements, policy adjustments, or additional training based on stakeholder feedback.

By completing these steps, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region can maximise the value of its investment in this innovative monitoring infrastructure and ensure it delivers tangible outcomes for risk reduction, preparedness and community safety.

Images captured at the Swamp Road Multi-Hazard Sensor Station during the East Coast Low event on July 1st (left) and July 2nd (right), 2025.The photographs show Swamp Road fully inundated by rising waters on July 2nd. Flood debris had begun accumulating on the bridge structure, indicating potential infrastructure impacts.