By: Andra Christie, DTP Leadership Team and Solutions Architect at AWS
Our DTP Sydney event, sponsored by Cupix, was a fantastic mix of engagement and interest, where a lively group of collaborators from various industries joined us at the Arthouse Hotel.
We had some networking and drinks upon arrival, followed by Damien Cutcliffe kicking things off with an acknowledgement of country and some DTP updates on our working groups and upcoming events for the rest of the year. Varhun Prasad was next, welcoming everyone to the event and providing details on Cupix and their current focus in the digital twin sphere.
James Strutt from NSW Department of Planning and Environment followed as our main speaker, and delivered a wonderful and interactive speech that focused on Land iQ, a program that is already transforming planning processes across the state. (Land iQ is currently being used by NSW government departments and nine local councils, helping to reduce time, cost and duplication. It played a key role in work to support flood response planning in northern NSW last year and is now focused on supporting the State Government’s audit of publicly owned land for housing.)
James referred the recent Land iQ securing of more than $11 million in State and Commonwealth funding to back in its current work to identify surplus and underutilised public land for housing and to also help extend it for use in other sectors.
James also discussed the numerous project-wide lessons learnt and how they have shaped current exploration into how these capabilities might provide long-term advantages and benefits.
Some questions from the audience included:
“What is the next evolution of Land iQ? Is there a firm roadmap that has been established?”
“At what point in its lifecycle did it become recognized that Land iQ is a digital twin and did this change the trajectory of the project?”
“How has the funding from government influenced how the private sector sees the project and do you think they will be looking to leverage similar capabilities?”
“Have you found that there is a key “AHA” moment with the tool especially with people who have used other tools with less insights/capabilities?”
The event concluded with more interactions, drinks and nibbles, with many attendees remarking how valuable these types of informal yet focused gatherings truly are for the digital twin space!
Our key observations from the event:
Based on the questions as well as discussions through the evening, it was apparent how important a successful use case like Land iQ truly is and how it captures the imagination and fuels the next relevant digital twin venture
Considering that most participants stayed an hour post the official conclusion of the event, it has highlighted and reinforced our view that industry is craving this type of digital twin related forum.
Join us for our next event, the DTP Town Hall on the 24th August which will be virtual. We look forward to seeing you all at further events in person this year and next!