Tasmania is now heading in the right direction and we need to build on that momentum.
We are investing in our competitive strengths such as agriculture to create new jobs on farms and in our country towns to deliver our long-term goal to grow value of the sector tenfold to $10 billion by 2050.
If we are to reach that target, we need to be innovative and use value-adding partnerships. That’s why I was extremely pleased today to launch the new Sense-T Pasture Predictor, with Tasmanian farmers set to reap the benefits.
This online tool uses data from a range of sources, including current weather conditions and forecasts, rainfall events, past climate records and real-time soil moisture, to provide accurate forecasting for farmers and graziers. For example, by having timely assessment of their pastures, they can plan exactly when they might need to buy feed or to move their livestock.
The Pasture Predictor was developed by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and CSIRO as part of Sense‑T’s $1.9 million Beef and Dairy Project, jointly funded by the Tasmanian Government, the University of Tasmania and CSIRO.
Sense-T has been operating in Tasmania now for about three years and in that time we’ve seen world-class research into sensors and data analytics, the use of big data, and research into data management and privacy, giving Tasmania international recognition outside of some of our more traditional strengths.
Stage One Sense-T has focussed on agriculture, with projects in optimising aquaculture, beef and dairy, viticulture and water management.
Stage Two projects are now getting underway and will expand to areas such as tourism, health, new financial services, and infrastructure, freight and logistics. In addition, the Hodgman Liberal Government has identified mining, forestry, and other key sectors of the Tasmanian economy as priority themes for research under government funding provided to the program.
We will continue to partner with Sense-T and our local ICT sector on these projects to drive economic growth and create jobs in a connected and empowered Tasmanian economy.
I congratulate everyone who was involved in the development of the Pasture Predictor. The online tool can be found at www.sense-t.org.au
More Media Releases from Michael Ferguson
More Media Releases from the Minister for Information Technology and Innovation