Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Tech innovations help protect water and speed up investigation times

Drones have turned out to be a game-changing tool for officers from our state’s water regulator. During a current trial of four drones, officers from the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) have found not only do the drones save them hours a day on some inspections, they’ve also solved other problems.

A recent inspection on the south coast presented unusual difficulties. The business had high biosecurity needs which officers on foot could jeopardise, and there were hazards on the ground which presented a real danger to officers. When a drone inspection was suggested to the farmer, it solved both problems.

Another inspection involved finding allegedly unauthorised work done on a riverbank, where the report from the public provided little detail. Instead of trying to find it on the ground by driving and walking through thick scrub, officers were able to locate the area in half an hour by sending up a drone.

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Aligning with UN Global Goal 9 : Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure