Winners have been announced today of the Committee for Sydney’s Smart City Awards.

The awards have been created in partnership with PAYCE to provide a platform to celebrate projects and partnerships that address the fundamental challenges faced by cities, governments, communities, industry and the ICT sector in Sydney, as well as promote, advance and implement efficient design, planning and delivery of urban environments and services through the use of information and communication technology.

Five categories were announced tonight, judged by a panel that included:

• Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO, Chief Commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission
• The Hon Victor Dominello MP, Minister for Finance, Services and Property
• Adam Beck, Executive Director of the Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand
• Dorte Ekelund, Principal Advisor on Smart Cities for SMEC and also the Chair of the Committee for Sydney’s Smart Cities Taskforce.

The winners were announced this evening at an awards ceremony at the Sofitel Darling Harbour are:

Best Industry-led Partnership: Keolis Downer for Keoride. Keoride is a partnership between Keolis Downer, AECOM, Via, GoGet, Data61 and Transport for NSW to deliver on-demand transport options linking people on the Northern Beaches to their nearest B-line stop and on-demand services across the Macquarie Park innovation precinct.  In the first year of operation, tens of thousands of passengers have used the service in the two pilot areas with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

On the Northern Beaches, nearly 15,000 passengers have used the service after just 8 months. Customer feedback is extremely positive: 96% of customers estimate Keoride is a better option than their individual car and 98% feel safe and find it convenient. In Macquarie Park, 5,000 trips were done in the first four months.

Best Local Government Initiative: Liverpool City Council for the Smart Pedestrian Project. Liverpool City Council’s Smart Pedestrian Project is a ground-breaking initiative that will revolutionise urban design and traffic management in the city. Developed in collaboration with industry research partners, the project uses a combination of CCTV, image recognition, Wi-Fi and LPWAN technologies to collect real time volumes of pedestrian and vehicle traffic in Liverpool city centre.

Best Community Initiative: SMART Infrastructure Facility, University of Wollongong for Wollongong Digital Living Lab. The Wollongong Digital Living Lab was launched by the SMART Infrastructure Facility at the University of Wollongong. SMART has deployed a public Internet of Things network across Wollongong using LoRaWAN technology. The network provides an open, free-to-air platform, accessible to the entire community to use for research and to test new ideas. 

Best NSW Government Initiative: Sydney Water for the IoT Pilot. Sydney Water has installed more than 320 IoT devices as part of an Internet of Things network that can provide real-time information to improve knowledge of water and wastewater systems and infrastructure. The IoT network has had real on the ground impacts, preventing sewer chokes and wastewater overflows.

Overall Best Smart City Project: Keolis Downer for Keoride. 

The Committee for Sydney congratulates all nominees and winners.

Commenting on Keoride winning the award for Overall Best Smart City Project, The Hon Andrew Constance MP, NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure said the NSW Government is proud to be investing in smart technology to improve the way people get around the city.

“The Keoride partnership is a great example of using global technology solutions to help us rethink public transport. People can now get picked from their home or a location of their choice and dropped off at local transport hubs – all for the price of a bus ticket. We have 13 On Demand trails underway across Sydney with more to come in the regions. We’re always looking for innovative transport solutions like these to help relieve congestion and provide more choice to commuters.”

Full list of winners and nominees

Best Industry-Led Partnership

• GetOutdoors nominated by BlueChilli
• Keoride nominated by Keolis Downer (Winner)
• Western Sydney University Liverpool City Campus nominated by Western Sydney University
• SunSPoT nominated by Australian PV Institute
• Wentworth Point nominated by Billbergia
• Building Code Energy Performance Trajectory nominated by CRC for Low Carbon Living
• Sydney Airport Facial Recognition Trial nominated by Sydney Airport (Highly Commended)
• Microclimate and Urban Heat Island Mitigation Decision- Support Tool nominated by CRC for Low Carbon Living
• Demand Management Incentive Fund nominated by Ausgrid
• Project Sydney: Bradfield Oration nominated by News Corp
• Liverpool Innovation Precinct nominated by South Western Sydney Local Health District
• CityPulse Sydney nominated by PwC
• Future Street nominated by Place Design Group
• UTS OTOVAC nominated by the University of Technology Sydney
• UTS District Cooling Project nominated by the University of Technology Sydney (Highly Commended)
• Sydney Fish Market Smart Waste Showcase nominated by KPMG and Sydney Fish Market
• Thinxtra Smart Council Program nominated by Thinxtra
• The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities nominated by Investa
• Myair CitySensors nominated by City Futures Research Centre, UNSW

Best Community Initiative

• Free to Be nominated by Plan International Australia
• Re-engagement Initiative into Supportive Education (RISE) nominated by Sydney Community Foundation
• Wollongong Digital Living Lab nominated by SMART Infrastructure Facility, UOW (Winner)
• CityData Active Transport nominated by City Futures Research Centre, UNSW

Best NSW Government Initiative

• Open Loop Ticketing nominated by Mastercard (Highly Commended)
• Sydney Water IoT Pilot nominated by Sydney Water (Winner)
• Healthy Homes and Neighbourhoods nominated by Sydney Local Health District
• Healthy Beginnings App nominated by Sydney Local Health District
• Connected Garden nominated by Optus and Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Domain

Best Local Government Initiative

• Smart Social Spaces nominated by People and Place Research Cluster, UNSW
• Liveability Indicator Mapping nominated by SGS Economics and Planning
• Campbelltown Smart City Dashboard and Platform nominated by Kinesis and Campbelltown City Council
• FloodSmart Parramatta nominated by City of Parramatta (Highly Commended)
• TULIP – City of Sydney Smart Urban Heat Monitoring nominated by the University of Technology Sydney (Highly Commended)
• Smart Pedestrian Project nominated by Liverpool City Council (Winner)
• Turn Down the Heat nominated by Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils

Overall Best Smart City Project

• Keoride nominated by Keolis Downer (Winner)

Notes to Editors:

1. The Committee for Sydney is an independent think tank and champion for the whole of Sydney, providing thought leadership beyond the electoral cycle. The Committee aims to enhance the economic, social, cultural and environmental conditions that make Sydney a competitive, resilient and liveable global city. The Committee has a diverse membership with over 150 member organisations: including the major corporate sectors driving Sydney’s economy; strategically minded local authorities; key NSW Government departments and agencies; not- for-profit organisations; and leading arts and sporting institutions. Members help develop and deliver priorities, provide expertise and ensure a representative geographical spread across the greater Sydney region.