Drones case study

Around the world, drone technology is delivering faster, safer and more efficient outcomes in many areas including emergency services, public safety and security, asset management and research.

In NSW, innovations such as Surf Life Saving drones, shark watch drones as well as farming and land management use cases are realising significant benefits. When it comes to transport, we understand that drones have a big part to play in future mobility.

We are working at understanding safe, effective use of drone technologies in urban and regional areas by using them in our own operations and continuing to look for partnerships with industry and the research and development community.

Transport for NSW’s Transport Management Centre (TMC) is currently investigating the deployment of drones to improve incident management, providing faster, more complete information in planning and responding safely and effectively to incidents across our network.

The Cargo Movement Coordination Centre (CMCC) is trialling drones to manage congestion, incidents, asset and equipment, as well as provide better situational awareness, around port sand connecting rail, roads and container storage sites.  

Sydney Trains are using drones to safely check overhead wires and inspect tracks quickly. This means fewer disruptions to train services, as inspection crews often need to isolate power and services for the safety of crews and customers. Roads and Maritime Services have also improved road and infrastructure maintenance operations through the operation of drones.

Development of the Sydney Science Park - a 280 hectare, fully integrated community that aims to create more than 12,000 knowledge based jobs, cater to over 10,000 students and be home to over 10,000 residents - may be a perfect urban test bed for drone technology, all while interacting with members of a community.

We are exploring how to achieve even greater benefits from drones technology through automated and beyond line-of-sight flights in our own operations because we see benefits in areas as diverse as network  maintenance and incident response.