Digital Transformation in Government Insight #54:
IoT in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden

The IoT-enabled poles

Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden and Domain joined forces with Optus and smart-city provider ENE.HUB to use IoT to provide a better customer experience in the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain area. The project introduced 40 multi-functional poles to the 63-hectare space.

The poles provide:

• LED smart lighting
• Free WiFi
• 3G/4G mobile phone coverage
• USB charging points
• Ranger assist buttons
• Wayfinding signs
• Display screens
• Powerpoints

You may like to view the YouTube demonstration of the new IoT poles.

While the poles were officially launched in February, testing of the WiFi took place on New Year’s Eve with over 7000 people logging on during the night (and early hours of the morning).

Future enhancements

The poles are also set up to be 4.5 and 5G upgrade-ready and will have electric vehicle charging stations added down the track.

The app

The Garden also launched its new app, which is available in English and Mandarin. The app provides real-time navigation of the park, including self-guided tours that feature augmented reality and audio. Users can also access information about upcoming events, plants, and the Garden’s history. The app integrates with Apple Watch for navigation features.

Further developments are also planned for the app, including a flower database so visitors can search and identify flowers.

Behind the Garden

The Royal Botanic Garden is managed by the The Botanic Gardens Trust. The Board of the Trust reports directly to the Minister for Environment and Heritage and staff are employed by the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage.

Salsa Digital’s take

It’s great to see the use of IoT and smart technology coming to Australian cities. Over the coming months and years we expect to see many more initiatives like this coming to public spaces, often government-run spaces. We blogged about smart cities in December 2016...it might be time for an update soon! No doubt this year’s IoT awards will also provide some more great examples of IoT in action, including smart city applications. If you’ve got a project your agency has worked on, you might like to submit it to the IoT awards.