The Murray Darling Basin is in crisis - dry river beds, dead fish, dying local communities, accusations of corruption and water theft, conflict between stakeholders. The basic problem - not enough water. This presentation proposes a partial solution through the provision of a critical missing component - accurate real time data about what's happening throughout the Basin.
2. Murray-DarlingBasin
Area 1.1 million square km
Australia’s food bowl - $15 billion in gross
agricultural products - 39% of Australia's total
Multiple stakeholders; farmers & irrigators,
the federal government, rural communities,
4 states, scientists, environmentalists,
regulatory authorities and many more
Lack of trust between stakeholders
Insufficient scientific, environmental &
compliance data
Difficult to make informed decisions
3. Highprofileproblems
Fish kills
Drying river beds
Water restrictions
Conflict between stakeholders
Irrigators vs environmentalists
State vs State
Big irrigators vs small
Upstream vs downstream
Community outrage
Perceived and actual water theft
4. Multipleinquiries
2016 - Murray-Darling Northern Basin Review
2017 - Murray-Darling Basin Water Compliance Review
2017 - Independent Investigation into NSW Water Management & Compliance
2018 - Independent Audit of Queensland Non-Urban Water Measurement & Compliance
2018 - Murray-Darling Basin Compliance Compact
2019 - Murray-Darling Basin Royal Commission (SA)
2019 - Independent Assessment of the 2018-2019 Fish Deaths in the Lower Darling
5. Basin governments should significantly increase investment in research and development to address knowledge gaps.
Murray-DarlingNorthernBasinReview
All models have limitations which carry an inherent uncertainty.
IndependentInvestigationintoNSWWaterManagement&Compliance
More assertive adoption & implementation of new monitoring and compliance technologies such expanded
use remote meter reading and telemetry.
IndependentAuditofQueenslandNon-UrbanWaterMeasurement&Compliance
The use of telemetry and remote read technology needs to be pursued.
Murray-DarlingBasinComplianceCompact
Telemetry should be used to improve timeliness & efficiency of capturing & reporting water take data for compliance.
Murray-DarlingBasinRoyalCommission(SA)
MDBA’s reliance upon modelling to monitor compliance on the basis that it has been used in the past is unsatisfactory.
IndependentAssessmentofthe2018-2019FishDeathsintheLowerDarling
Murray-DarlingBasinWaterCompliancereview
Telemetry is a powerful & efficient way to monitor compliance. Increased use of telemetry is warranted in the Basin.
6. Generalagreement
Basing decisions on modelling is unsatisfactory
There is insufficient up to date & real time data for
Compliance
The environment
The Basin & catchment overall
Scientific data
Irrigators, farmers & local communities
Meters, sensors & telemetry are a critical part of the solution
7. IndependentAuditofQueenslandNon-UrbanWaterMeasurement&Compliance
“Meters were fitted with telemetry devices. A company called Taggle was
keen to invest and support trials in the area. The infrastructure used radio
devices on each meter relaying information to a receiver then via 3G to
Taggle before being sent on to DNRME in Toowoomba.”
“It will be important that the requirement (for telemetry) is expressed
carefully in terms of metering and compliance and enforcement outcomes
desired, rather than making assumptions about the best technologies to
achieve those outcomes.”
IndependentinvestigationintoNSWWaterManagement&Compliance
8. Thesolution
Transmitting data in near real time from water meters and other sensors (flow, depth,
temperature, water quality, catchment rainfall, salinity, oxygen levels, etc.) using
telemetry would:
Significantly improve compliance
Provide invaluable scientific data
Provide critical environmental information
Provide data for irrigators & farmers to improve water efficiency & save money
Make the Murray Darling Basin transparent to all stakeholders
Have benefits for all stakeholders
Sowhyhasn’t itbeenacted upon yet?
9. Thebig(perceived)obstacle
big$Murray-Darling Basin Water Compliance review – 2017
“It is understood that adding a telemetry capacity would cost $3,000, with monthly
operating costs of $10-20 if mobile coverage is available & $50 to $100 in remote sites
served by satellite coverage.“
Thishasbecomeacceptedwisdom-
butitisINCORRECT-byafactorof10ormore
10. Thetruecost
much smaller $
Accepted wisdom Actual Taggle cost
Price per meter/sensor $3,000 $200
Monthly transmission fee $10 to $100 $1.00
Thetotalinvestmenttomonitoreveryoneofthe14,400outtakesintheMDB
andprovideanetworkthatcouldhelpirrigators&researcherswouldbe
lessthan$20million...
...withnoneedfor3/4GorSatellitecommunications-sodramaticallycheapertransmissioncosts
ANDmuchmorereliabletransmission
11. Goodmanagementreliesonaccuratedata
Real time or near real time measurement:
Offtakes
Flow, depth
Water quality, salinity , oxygen levels
Water temperature
Catchment rainfall, weather
Soil moisture, furrow irrigation levels
Anything else with a sensor
For compliance, scientific & environmental monitoring
12. Thesolution
Taggle offers a complete proven solution
Economical and cost-effective
Many existing customers in Murray-Darling Basin
Enables use of multiple sensors
100% Australian designed & developed
Helps ALL stakeholders
Farmers & irrigators
Compliance authorities
The environment
The States
Councils, utilities
Industry
Scientists & researchers
Has been canvassed in the reports
13. TagglecustomersinBasin
Bathurst Council
Edward River Council
Federation Council
Goldenfields Council
Gunnedah Shire Council
Mid Western Regional Council
Moree Plains Council
Narrabri Shire Council
SA Water
GWM Water
Southern Rural Water
Totalof53,583SmartMetersintheMDB-32,000
morebeingrolledout in2019
14. Proventechnology
34+ Australian utilities/councils
Farmers, irrigators, researchers,
businesses, high rise buildings
1.4 billion sensor readings in 2018,
> 1 billion sensor readings Jan–July 2019
60 GL of water measured in 2018
6 GL of leaks detected in 2018
160,000 live devices installed
60,000 more devices being rolled out
Partnered with Honeywell
Being exported internationally
18. Optionsinclude
Telemetry-enabled:
Smart Water Meters
Air quality sensors
Weather stations & rain gauges
Water quality sensors
H2S sensors, Oxygen levels
Flow sensors, level sensors
Pressure sensors
Overflow sensors
Soil moisture sensors
Any sensor with standard interface
MiWater analytic & display
software
19. MaketheMurray-Darlingtransparent–theplan
Install meters with telemetry on all outtakes
Compliance, trust, low cost for irrigators
Monitor environmental conditions in real time
Flow, depth
Rainfall, weather
Water quality, oxygen levels, temperature, etc.
Assist farmers & irrigators with data on
Soil moisture sensors, end furrow sensors
Remote trough sensors
Use less water, reduce run-off, save money
Measure anything that can be measure by a sensor – in real time
Provide real time scientific data
Make better, more informed decisions
Telemetry
for
compliance
Telemetry
for the
environment
Telemetry
for irrigators
Telemetry
for science
20. MaketheMurray-Darlingtransparent–thebenefits
Help ALL stakeholders
Increase transparency
Reduce conflict
Help farmers, irrigators & rural communities
Help the environment
Low risk – proven technology
Low investment – less than 10% of alternative approaches
Australian technology – 100% Australian designed & developed
Export potential – strong partnership with Honeywell
Regional employment opportunities
21. Irrigators&farmers-benefits
Much cheaper solution than other proposed
compliance methods
No reliance on 3G or Satellites
Easier to install and support
Affordable telemetry provides real-time information:
• Manage water better
• Reduce water use
• Reduce run-off
• Use less fertiliser
• Save money through lower water costs
• Save money through cheaper compliance costs
• Monitor cattle, identify leaks, measure rainfall, soil moisture, end furrow water levels, bore depth,
etc. – anything that can be measured with a sensor
22. Regulators-benefits
Roll out compliance more quickly and rapidly
Reduce costs of compliance
Eliminate push-back from irrigators
Gather near real time data – hourly transmission
Meet all recommendations of Matthews report
All pipe sizes
All irrigators, small & large
Focus on results, not a specific technology
Receive data in standard format
Obtain additional information on MDB
23. Environmentalbenefits
Reduce run-off
Conserve water
Identify potential problems immediately
Understand environmental issues in
basin much better
Measure rainfall, water quality,
flow, etc. to better manage basin
Better quality, real time data to support
proposals
24. Scientificresearchbenefits
Allows scientists & researchers to monitor anything that
can be measured with a sensor – in near real time
Weather, catchment rainfall
Bore water, CSG water
Air quality, water quality, salinity, flow
depth, temperature, etc.
Scientists can use actual real time data rather than
relying on theoretical models
25. Taggletelemetry–howitworks
1 - Meter (or other sensor) fitted with Taggle transmitter
10-15 year battery life
Works with any AS4747 water meter – mechanical, ultrasonic & magflow
Works with any sensor that uses standard protocols, e.g. Temperature, flow,
pressure, water quality, salinity, depth, soil moisture, overflow, air quality, rain
gauges, weather stations, electricity, etc.
Standard protocols supported include Modbus, RS485, RS232, 4-20 mA
Other non-standard protocols can be added with a few days work
Different transmitters for different situations, e.g.
* Higher power to transmit from under steel plates, longer distances, etc
* Retrofit to existing meter types
26. Taggletelemetry–howitworks
2 - Transmitter sends data to Taggle receiver
Data transmitted hourly but can be any other interval
Data sent is current reading plus two previous readings. Data is cumulative
(i.e. reflects the true reading at the time it’s transmitted)
Data is held at receiver for several months – can be expanded to
five years if required
If transmission not received remedial action
can be taken within days
Data is encrypted for security
Range, transmitter to receiver – up to 40 km in rural areas
Coverage – up to 5,000+ sq km per receiver
Capacity – up to 40,000 sensors per receiver
27. Taggletelemetry–howitworks
3 - Taggle receiver sends data to client software via cloud
Encrypted data is sent to Taggle servers via 3G
Data then sent via FTPS or SFTP to client’s software
platform or Taggle’s own MiWater software
Data can be sent as .CSV file or other standard file type
Encrypted data can be retained on
Taggle’s servers or deleted as required
28. 1. Sensors for data acquisition
2. Taggle modules (“Tags”)
3. LPWAN Base Stations
4. The IoT cloud
5. IoT Platform
6. Operational & Analytic software
7. Customer portal & apps
Taggletelemetry–howitworks
30. TagglecustomersMarch2019
NSW
Armidale Local Council
Ballina Shire Council
Bathurst Regional Council
Edward River Council
Eurobodalla Shire Council
Federation Council
Goldenfields Water
Gunnedah Shire Council
Lithgow City Council
Mid-Western Regional Council
Moree Plains Shire Council
Narrabri Shire Council
Narrendera Shire Council
Port Macquarie Hastings Council
Sydney Water
ACT/National
Canberra Airport
Department of Defence
31. June 2019
TagglecustomersMarch2019
Northern Territory
NT Power & Water
South Australia
SA Water
Victoria
Barwon Water
City West Water
GWM Water
Southern Rural Water
Yarra Valley Water
Queensland
Banana Shire Council
Bundaberg Regional Council
Cassowary Coast Shire Council
Charters Towers Regional Council
Farmacist (Irrigation)
Fraser Coast Council
Isaac Regional Council
Mackay Regional Council
Mareeba Shire Council
Torres Shire Council
Townsville Shire Council
UnityWater
Whitsunday Regional Council
32. Tagglecustomerawardsinclude
Townsville City Council – Short listed for Smart City of the Year 2019 – Metropolitan
Mid Western Regional Council – shortlisted for IDC Smart Cities Award 2019
SA Water – Winner, 2018 Australian Digital Utility of the Year
SA Water - Bronze prize, International Water Association's Project Innovation Awards
SA Water – Winner, Best Industrial IoT Project, Australian IoT Awards 2019
Narrabri Regional Council – Winner, 2018 Bluett Award for most progressive council in NSW,
Urban & Rural Sectors
Mackay Regional Council – Winner, 2018 AWA Program Innovation Award - < 250,000 users
Mackay Regional Council – Winner, National Award for Excellence, 2016 Local Govt Awards
Mackay Regional Council – Winner, 2016 International Water Association Awards, Digital
Innovation in Local Government