QUT to lead IoT for water research hub

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has announced that the Australian Research Council will provide $5 million in funding for the ARC Research Hub in the Internet of Things for Water to be based at QUT.

QUT’s Professor Yang Liu, as Hub director, will lead the $11.8 million ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub, which will involve six universities and 42 partner organisations. Along with Professor Liu, the proposal was co-led by QUT’s Professor David McCarthy, Professor and Chair in Sustainable Urban Water Management.

Professor Liu said the ARC Research Hub in the Internet of Things for Water aimed to position Australia as a global leader in digital technologies for the water sector.

“The Hub expects to transform Australian capabilities by delivering cutting-edge technologies, and novel visualisation and analytics methods, supported by new business models,” Liu said. “We aim to enhance capabilities to secure water for industry, society and the environment, and improve our productivity through new water management techniques.”

Professor McCarthy said real-time monitoring and control technologies through IoT opened new possibilities for the water sector and could empower consumers to become part of the solution to the challenge of water management.

“The objectives of the ARC Research Hub in the Internet of Things for Water include: developing new sensor technologies; developing advanced visualisation and data analytics; and developing algorithms for real-time control of water systems, including water supply, wastewater and stormwater,” he said.

The industry partners come from across the water sector, including technology developers and manufacturers, telecommunications providers and cybersecurity service providers.

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