Case studies

In September, the inaugural Cyber Security NSW Summit provided professional development for NSW Government's cyber workforce. Topics included AI, executive communication, incident management, awareness training, and case studies, reflecting cyber threats as a business-wide risk. Minister Jihad Dib announced sponsorship for staff to complete TAFE NSW’s ACSC Essential Eight Assessment Course.

Public transport users in NSW will soon benefit from the Opal Next Gen upgrade, enhancing the Opal ticketing system with new technologies for improved journey planning, payment and information access. This upgrade will align with emerging technologies and customer needs. The $567.9 million Opal Next Generation program will provide customers with greater choice when travelling on the Opal network by introducing Opal cards for digital wallets and allowing more customers to pay using smartphones, wearable devices or bank cards. The improved system will enhance customer experience by making it easier to manage travel, streamline account top up, provide real time information through improved mobile app and website

Provision of data and insights for public use

This data is integrated in apps used by millions of passengers each day and informs state strategies and plans. Data is also available through visualisations published on the Transport website recognising the need for simplified and accessible insights beyond the developer community

An all-of-government digital application to calculate GHG emissions and model net zero pathways to 2050

The carbonZero Accelerator aims to develop an open source, cloud-based, scalable platform for government agencies. For the NSW Government to lead by example in transitioning its agencies and their geographically distributed assets and places to a Net Zero economy, an enabling data platform with suitable and accessible data and information is required to support target setting to achieve net zero, inform intervention opportunities to achieve net zero target, unlock funding and finance mechanism and monitor and report progress in a transparent way.

It is envisaged that carbon Zero Accelerator platform will be used by government agencies and councils to develop a carbon emissions footprint and transparently communicate their strategies to reduce carbon emissions informed by actual data and best-practice approaches to reach net zero target.

The platform can be scaled up for use by all layers of government, state-owned corporations and businesses to measure their carbon footprint, analyse emissions trajectory as a result of the entity’s business operation, model pathways to net zero and develop investment level action plan to implement emission reduction.
 

The Single Digital Patient Record (SDPR) is a transformational health program that will provide an integrated view of a patient’s care within the NSW Health system. It will give clinicians easy and timely access to a holistic record of an individual’s medical information, providing real-time access to medical records and empowering clinical teams to make informed decisions promptly, streamlining processes and reducing administrative burdens on our staff.

Online safety awareness program to nurture safe and respectful digital citizens

Introduced the Cybermarvel program, a joint initiative of the NSW, VIC, TAS, ACT, SA and NT education departments, which aims to build staff and students’ cyber safety awareness and skills, inform parents and carers how to keep their family safe online, and encourage safe and positive online behaviours and experiences.

An app for emergency warnings and advice for floods, tsunamis and fires in NSW

The Hazards Near Me app shows current information about local emergencies, including flood, bushfires and tsunamis, and advice on what to do to stay safe. The app can send push notifications when there are new incidents or when information changes. The NSW Flood Inquiry identified the need for a consolidated approach and single app for hazard warnings.

An annual event to raise awareness of privacy issues

Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) is a campaign that highlights the importance of privacy issues and raises awareness for public sector agencies on how to protect the personal information of our citizens. Each year, the Information and Privacy Commission hosts a NSW campaign for NSW citizens and public sector agencies to raise awareness of privacy rights and obligations.

PAW encourages agencies to build strong privacy foundations and supports citizens to better understand and exercise their privacy rights.

Innovative technology protecting communities

New artificial intelligence (AI) technology is being developed as part of the Flood and Storm Intelligence Sensing project, which is part of the NSW Government’s efforts to protect communities during severe weather events. The project is funded through Transport for NSW’s Smart Places Acceleration Program, which has been funded by the Digital Restart Fund.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has partnered with researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and TPG Telecom to develop and test network sensing technology, which extracts localised weather information including rainfall, water levels and river flows using signals transmitted on the communications network.

The Network Sensing Lab will develop and trial solutions that can be readily deployed in commercial networks. These build on cutting-edge algorithms and techniques developed by UTS researchers to monitor and predict flooding by leveraging existing wireless networks.

Offering an easier way to securely verify your identity online and in-person

NSW Digital ID allows customers to securely store and use their credentials to verify their identity online and in-person. 

Using advanced technologies, NSW Digital ID ensures privacy and ease of use, giving individuals full control over their digital identity.

This policy sets clear standards and guidelines for agencies to manage evolving cyber risks effectively.  The NSW Cyber Security Policy incorporates recommendations from the Audit Office of NSW and an independent review commissioned by Cyber Security NSW, following extensive consultation with government agencies to ensure its effectiveness and relevance.

The NSW Cyber Security Policy mandates that all government agencies manage cyber security risks and report annually to Cyber Security NSW by 31 October, either through their portfolio CISO or directly.

Future proofing DPIRD’s emergency response capability

The project was funded through the DRF and enabled the development of a customer facing digital solution able to share and receive digital emergency information with rural and regional communities.

The BioResponse NSW App helps everyone understand, prevent and manage NSW biosecurity threats.

An industry-informed plan to deliver a resilient pipeline of digitally skilled and capable people

The NSW Digital Skills and Workforce Compact is a 7-year, cross-sector collaboration between the NSW Government, the digital industry, and the education and training sector. It aims to address the projected 2030 digital workforce shortfall of 85,000 by implementing innovative and industry-informed strategies. The compact includes actions such as changing perceptions of digital careers, improving retention in digital tertiary education and driving diversity in the digital workforce. Actions also include expanding digital traineeships, scaling digital reskilling programs, and making training more responsive to industry needs. By working together, the partners seek to ensure that people across NSW can access opportunities to develop digital skills, pursue fulfilling careers, and increase community participation in the digital economy.

Modernising workforce capability within eHealth NSW

The eHealth NSW Digital Academy is one of the largest of its kind in Australia. The Digital Academy is a place for eHealth NSW staff to come together to learn new skills, put that learning into practice, and collaborate and share ideas. This helps ensure NSW Health builds technology, designs solutions and creates digital innovations that improve the health outcomes and experiences for patients now and into the future.

It includes a range of training streams, focusing on the skills that are critical to their work such as Agile ways of working, analytics, Cloud, customer centricity, human-centred design, integration and interoperability, safety and quality, and service management.

Building skills for the future: The NSW public sector’s commitment to apprenticeships and traineeships

The 1000 NSW Public Sector Apprentices and Trainees Program is a strategic initiative to bridge the skills gap. The NSW Government pledges to invest $93.7 million to employ an additional 1000 apprentices and trainees across government agencies and State-Owned Corporations by 2026. This initiative aims to address the skills shortage and enhance employment opportunities for youth and those re-entering the workforce. This will ensure there will be a strong pipeline of skilled people to support industries like transport, electricity, water, IT and cyber security.

Highlighting the importance of cultural competence and celebrating diversity

The Multicultural Plan was developed based on community and staff feedback and aims to tailor services for multicultural communities, enhance staff workplace experiences and opportunities, and promote social and economic participation. It highlights the importance of cultural competence and celebrates diversity within the NSW Department of Customer Service’s workforce.

Embracing digital innovation: Sydney Trains VR training for frontline excellence

Sydney Trains has introduced a virtual reality (VR) training program for 3000 train drivers and guards to enhance their emergency response skills. This cutting-edge initiative marks a significant shift from traditional video learning, utilising VR to simulate real-life scenarios.

This empowers train drivers and guards to handle onboard emergencies with greater confidence and efficiency.

Testing innovative technology to improve public safety in crowded places

Funded by the Digital Restart Fund (DRF), the Creating Safer Crowded Places project is an example of the NSW Government’s commitment to using innovative technology to drive real impact in the community. This innovative platform draws data from the CCTV network, social media, and environmental systems to generate insights on crowd behaviour and mood while ensuring visitor anonymity.

Helping people build and buy digital products and services that everyone can use

The Accessibility and Inclusivity Toolkit can be used by agencies and communities to make sure digital products and services meet accessibility guidelines, so everyone can access them. This promotes inclusivity, equal access to information and digital opportunities.

Making digital connectivity throughout the state world-leading, affordable and resilient

The NSW Digital Connectivity Index, launched by the NSW Telco Authority with support from the Department of Customer Service Spatial Services, is an interactive map measuring digital connectivity quality through access, affordability, and demographics, using 220 million datasets. It helps government agencies and communities make informed decisions, prioritise digital inclusion, and guide infrastructure investments.

An index score measures the quality of digital connectivity in an area. The higher the score, the more favourable the conditions of digital activities are in an area. NSW has an overall index score of 55. 

NSW Health’s secure virtual platform for clinical consultations

eHealth NSW collaborated with the Agency for Clinical Innovation to create a secure virtual platform for clinicians, patients, and carers. They gathered user requirements and piloted the platform with six health districts in 2019 before its statewide launch in September 2020. Leveraging existing videoconferencing services, they enhanced capacity to support widespread virtual care.

The platform streamlined clinical workflows, offered improved monitoring and reporting, and improved access to interpreter services statewide. There have been 300,000+ virtual consultations conducted in total and 16,000+ virtual consultations a month.

Breaking down barriers to digital inclusion

The NSW Government is developing the first Digital Inclusion Strategy in our state. The strategy aims to ensure everyone in NSW can access, afford, and engage with digital technologies and services. The strategy will address challenges and provide support regardless of location, age, race, gender identity, socio-economic status or disability.

The Digital Inclusion Strategy aims to support the 60% of Australians who feel they can’t keep up with rapid changes in technology.

Supporting older people in NSW with access to low-cost or free digital literacy training

This NSW Government initiative, in partnership with Telstra, provides low cost or free training sessions for older people to build confidence using online services. The low-cost or free digital literacy training at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels includes the use of computers, tablets, smartphones and online applications such as email, social media and cyber safety. Digital inclusion helps seniors to be active and independent members of their immediate and broader communities.

Trialling a purpose-built AI tool for educational use in schools

The NSW Department of Education has developed NSWEduChat, a purpose-built generative AI tool for educational use in schools. NSWEduChat is currently the safest and most cost-effective generative AI tool available for our schools and staff. NSWEduChat is based in our own cloud environment in Sydney, Australia, data is secure, caters to the NSW educational context and aligns to the NSW AI Assessment Framework.

Key features of NSWEduChat include advanced safeguards, such as content filtering, topic restriction, and moderation, to ensure a safe learning environment. The tool encourages critical thinking by guiding students to reason through questions rather than providing direct answers, fostering a deeper understanding of educational material. 

Supported by Professional Learning resources and technical assistance, the trial will be closely monitored to inform the future direction of AI integration in NSW public schools. This initiative reflects a commitment to transparency, continuous improvement, and the ethical use of AI.

Streamlining policy access for school staff with AI

The NSWEduChat Policy Finder is an AI-driven tool designed to expedite the process of locating information within policy and procedure documents for school staff. This innovative tool leverages AI technology to answer queries by extracting relevant content from the documents and directing users to the original sources. The Policy Finder aims to enhance efficiency and support informed decision-making among school staff by significantly reducing the time and effort required to find specific policy details.

The project is set to begin a trial phase, during which its effectiveness and user experience will be closely monitored. Based on the trial results, decisions will be made regarding the expansion of the trial to include a larger number of participants. This initiative reflects the NSW Department of Education's commitment in leveraging advanced technology to improve administrative processes and support the smooth operation of educational institutions. The ultimate goal is to streamline access to crucial information, thereby empowering school staff to perform their roles more effectively and efficiently.

Land iQ is designed to improve the planning system by helping NSW government agencies make faster, smarter decisions about the use of land

It’s a living platform designed to continue to evolve and adapt to the future needs of users, leveraging new digital resources as they become available. It’s available to NSW Government agencies while we continue to refine the tool and develop license options to make it available to other levels of government, councils, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, researchers and industry.

• Data library – A comprehensive spatial and government data library including typology assumptions sourced from relevant delivery entities (e.g. School Infrastructure, Health Infrastructure, Landcom).
• Site search – Advanced multiple-criteria site searching including ownership, size, planning controls, and proximity to services, infrastructure, amenities, constraints and more.
• Geocentric analysis – A comprehensive analysis of a particular location against benchmarks and other geographies.
• Scenario planning – Land use scenario analysis to understand impact of change in use across social, economic, environmental and financial metrics.

Addressing the digital divide between rural and metropolitan NSW public schools

The Rural Access Gap program was set up to address the growing digital divide between metropolitan and rural, regional and remote public schools in NSW. The program, supported by the Digital Restart fund, aimed to provide schools with learning and education opportunities equivalent to their metropolitan counterparts, through modern IT equipment, collaboration tools and professional learning, and upgraded infrastructure to provide faster and more reliable internet access.

Using AI to revolutionise road maintenance and operations

Asset AI® is helping the NSW Government and local councils make roads safer by using near-real-time data to streamline road maintenance tasks.

Sensors and cameras are fixed to council vehicles to collect information about the roads. This data is then analysed using artificial intelligence. The insights will help find and fix problems on the roads faster, making them safer for drivers and pedestrians.

Building strong digital foundations

The State Digital Assets (SDA) Reuse Policy promotes and governs the reuse of SDAs across all NSW Government portfolios and agencies. SDAs are digital solutions used by more than one NSW Government agency and encompass applications, technology infrastructure and data. They are the building blocks of efficient, proactive, customised and seamless government services.

Actionable strategies to enhance security and reduce costs by reducing legacy technology in NSW

Digital NSW have completed a State of NSW Legacy Report, which will help address the challenge of ensuring agencies have the right technology to meet their objectives through actionable strategies to enhance security, reduce costs and guide investments to reduce legacy technology.

The Process and Technology Harmonisation Program

Consolidating multiple finance and technology systems to simplify our corporate and shared service system and support through the Process and Technology Harmonisation (PaTH) program.

A Digital Platform to share Evidence to multi-agencies

A digital platform to collect evidence from multiple sources and share it with relevant stakeholders in the public safety and justice agencies in NSW. The system will provide access to all the actors in the justice process from NSWPF, DCJ, ODPP, Courts, Legal Aid and Solicitors to all the evidence and case briefings digitally allowing the interactions between these stakeholders in a safe and secure environment. The system will provide content digitally and will save time and improve efficiencies in Justice process and proceedings.

Technology Roadmap 2025-2029

Water agencies (Water NSW, NRAR and DCCEEW) have developed a joint Technology Roadmap.  The Roadmap brings together four (4) business improvement strategies that will benefit customers and deliver efficiencies:

1. Water Market System redesigns each water user transaction process to be quicker, cheaper and online through a more connected system available to all 3 water agencies.
2. Water Shared Data Management and Governance will transform data information systems to a higher standard and deliver a central point of truth, while fixing current systemic access and data quality issues.
3. Water Compliance System builds technical interfaces between NRAR’s water compliance management system and various WaterNSW systems.  This will make water compliance more efficient.
4. Customer Metering Solution builds modern technology that will link on farm and back-office technology to make information available in near real time on a users’ device and to compliance officers and resource managers out in the field

Multi-award winning project: Creating cooler parks and gardens for our communities to enjoy, using smart water irrigation systems at Bicentennial Park

SIMPaCT uses machine learning and smart technology to cool the microclimate, using data sourced from a mix of environmental sensors. A network of sensors has been set up to record soil moisture and air temperature. The information will be used to fine-tune irrigation at the park using artificial intelligence (AI). Insights will be shared online so that park users will be able to find the coolest and shadiest places in the park for picnics, play and exercise. In addition, SIMPaCT helps mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect in the adjacent residential precincts. 

SIMPaCT focuses on making the park a 'cool island', with far reaching thermal benefits for communities downwind from the park.

This project has set up over 50 devices to measure temperature and humidity. There are also 13 weather stations and over 200 ‘smart-soil’ devices installed across the park.