By Alesha Capone
Wyndham council will soon be using cutting-edge technology to keep track of how its recreation resources are being used.
A new project will use sensor-based technology and machine algorithms to capture, record and analyse recreation facility usage.
Wyndham city economy, innovation and liveability director Peter McKinnon said the project was in its planning stage “with the intention to identify and begin installation of a pilot site early in 2019 to 2020 financial year”.
“The pilot site will help refine the solution before a larger scale roll-out across the city over the next 12 months,” he said.
The Smart Sports Field Planning, Monitoring and Management pilot project is being supported by a $493,000 grant from the federal government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program.
Mr McKinnon said the collected data would be used to facilitate better planning and alignment between playing surfaces and community expectations surrounding which sports are being played and which are most popular.
“With this data, council may be able to increase usage hours or open portions of the field to maximise usage, increasing the social benefits these facilities provide,” he said.
“Data will be made publicly available so that residents can see if a field is in use before leaving to go play.”
Mr McKinnon said information collected by the project would also lead to improved sports management planning and resource allocation and more efficient maintenance.
“This type of information has never been available to local government,” he said.
