Andrew is a smart city researcher and program lead working at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney. His work centres on smart city strategy development, smart sensing technologies, and how to deliver impact through better management, interpretation, sharing and activation of data. He has worked to design and deliver a variety of critically acclaimed smart city projects since 2017, in collaboration with a diversity of organisations including local, state and Commonwealth governments in Australia, multiple other universities, public and private sector corporations across multiple sectors, SMEs and start-ups.

Andrew’s background is in environmental sustainability and social impact, with an MSc in Human Ecology and a BSc hons. in Geography. He has worked previously in environmental NGOs and Corporate Social Responsibility and has straddled the space between community advocacy, industry and public sector research, providing an ideal background for leading collaboration in the smart city sector. Andrew is also a PhD candidate, exploring the applications of smart sensor technologies to urban sustainability.

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An overview of Andrew's notable projects:

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1) OPENAIR (Operational Network of Air Quality Impact Resources) (2021-2023)

Total project value: AUD 2.05 million

Andrew's role: Initiated and developed the project design, partner coalition and funding application, in collaboration with the NSW Smart Sensing Network; 'Methodology lead' for the project.

Project summary: Air quality is increasingly recognised as a threat to the health and wellbeing of communities. Emerging smart technologies are enabling local governments to monitor and respond to local air quality issues in new ways. Until now, there has been no clear support or guidance relating to the use of these technologies. The Operational Network of Air Quality Impact Resources (OPENAIR) project brought together a coalition of five universities (led by the ISF), six local governments, the NSW Smart Sensing Network, and NSW Department of Planning and Environment, to develop a comprehensive suite of best practice resources on all aspects of smart low-cost air quality monitoring. The project team worked directly with Council practitioners to understand the realities of working with this technology, ensuring that resources were as practical and relevant as possible. OPENAIR established a growing community of practice for smart low-cost air quality monitoring in NSW. The project also trialled the sharing and harmonisation of near-real-time data from local governments into a state government-managed platform, establishing a basis for scaled intergovernmental smart city data sharing in the coming years.

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2) SIMPaCT (Smart Irrigation Management for Parks and Cool Towns) (2021-2023)

Total project value: AUD 5.84 million

Andrew's role: Initiated and developed the project design, partner coalition and funding application, in collaboration with the University of Western Sydney; Smart city strategy and implementation lead for the project.

Project summary: SIMPaCT tackles three challenges facing Australian cities: urban heat; water scarcity; and providing high quality green spaces. As the climate crisis deepens, and cities are densifying, these challenges are becoming more pronounced. SIMPaCT is a smart irrigation management solution that directly addresses these challenges. Through a combination of smart low-cost sensing, real-time IoT data management and advanced analytics (including a Machine Learning application), SIMPaCT helps to maximise urban cooling, optimise water efficiency, and maintain thriving green infrastructure. The pilot project was delivered at Sydney Olympic Park with support from the NSW Government’s Smart Places Acceleration Fund, in collaboration with Sydney Olympic Park Authority, NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Sydney Water and Western Sydney University, as well as a number of industry partners. ISF’s role was to oversee the delivery of live data from the park, writing of the project Blueprint, and leading the development of a post-project Roadmap for scalability.

SIMPaCT has received multiple awards, including:
- The 2023 IoT Impact 'Research' award
- The 2023 IoT Impact 'IoT for Good' award
- The 2023 Innovation Australia 'Govtech project, product or service award'
- The 2023 Innovation Australia 'People's Choice Award'
- FINALIST - 2023 World Smart City Awards
- FINALIST - 2023 Banksia Award for 'Climate Technology Impact'
- FINALIST - 2023 Banksia Award for 'Placemaking'

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3) Climate Responsive Neighbourhoods: Melrose Park (2018-2020)

Total project value: AUD 1.14 million

Andrew's role: Initiated and developed the project design, partner coalition and funding application, in collaboration with the City of Parramatta. Smart city strategy and implementation lead for the project.

Project summary: In collaboration with the City of Parramatta Council, developer PAYCE, and technology partners ESRI Australia and Urban Institute, this multimillion-dollar project is a demonstration site (30-hectare brownfield development over 10 years) for sensor-integrated site management to measure current development planning and regulatory practices supported by real-time, continuous, distributed, and localised data. The project establishes use cases for low-cost sensor data for environmental variables (temperature, humidity, air quality, noise, and stormwater) and develops further sophistication in the TULIP approach, including improved data capture and data management methodologies and the creation of the TULIP Data Lake by UTS Rapido. The challenge is to better understand and respond to local environmental changes as the site develops. The benefits include improved site monitoring and management, as well as understanding how environmental conditions can vary on a micro-climate level. The project worked with the local community, exploring citizen’s concerns about environmental liveability, and delivering novel and accessible new technologies, such as an open community LoRaWAN network and a public data discovery dashboard. The data collected and the lessons learnt from this project were published in a Blueprint for Climate Responsive Neighbourhoods, which can be translated into future projects to deliver comprehensive information regarding microclimates in city neighbourhoods, and beyond.

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4) Smart Beaches project: Lake Macquarie and Sydney Northern Beaches (2018-2020)

Total project value: AUD 2.0 million

Andrew's role: Initiated and developed the project design, partner coalition and funding application, in collaboration with Lake Macquarie City Council and Northern Beaches Council; contribution to project design/strategy in the first six months of project establishment

Project summary: Smart Beaches utilised a range of emerging sensing technologies such as GPS trackers, accelerometers, and AI-powered image processing to gather real-time data about beach conditions and the the location/movement of surf life-saving equipment. The project engaged with lifeguards and beach safety organisations and developed innovative safety solutions that made use of these new data resources. The technology has continued as an ongoing and valued program of Lake Macquarie City Council.

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5) Smart liveable neighbourhoods: Lake Macquarie and City of Sydney (2017-2019)

Total project value: AUD 866,000

Andrew's role: Initiated and developed the project design, partner coalition and funding application, in collaboration with Lake Macquarie City Council and City of Sydney Council. Smart city strategy and implementation lead for the project.

Project summary: We worked collaboratively with Lake Macquarie City Council and the City of Sydney to explore the intersection of emerging smart city technologies, applied methodologies, city operations, community participation, and urban development agendas that prioritise sustainability, liveability, and resilience outcomes. The project saw the deployment of over 100 smart low-cost environmental sensors, including the TULIP EMS device, for measuring environmental variables such as urban heat, air quality, noise levels, and vehicle and pedestrian density, with the aim of using the data to inform better public spaces and services, optimise council operations, and to digitally engage community. We developed the TULIP open architecture model and built a deep working knowledge of environmental monitoring and deployment methodologies, device management, data management, data analytics and visualisation, and data sharing to help Councils to improve planning, design, and management of public spaces and facilities. The lessons learned through the project have supported a growing understanding of best practice for distributed low-cost urban environmental monitoring, positioning UTS as a national leader in the field.