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World-first data platform helps recovery agencies deal with Australia’s biggest flood disaster

The NSW Northern Rivers floods of 2022 meant that many people were displaced and in need of accommodation. While the development of temporary housing after a disaster is not a new process, being able to access real-time data using LandiQ allowed for it to be planned and developed much more quickly than usual. 

 

Working with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, WSP developed LandiQ in partnership with Giraffe and Aerometrex, as a tool for the NSW Government. It is a world-first data platform designed to improve the planning system by helping NSW Government agencies make faster, smarter decisions about the use of land. 

The platform uses technology to speed up planning processes, identify locations for essential buildings and infrastructure, and help unlock more homes for people by identifying barriers and exploring opportunities to provide practical solutions across the state. It brings more than 40 land use data types into one single platform, making it easy to search more than 8 million lots and properties to cut down the time of land use assessments.

James Strutt, Director of Strategy and Analytics within Property and Development NSW, says that LandiQ was key in supporting a data driven emergency response. 

“The ability to rapidly assess a vast amount of information in real time sped up the early phases in terms of identifying suitable land for temporary housing faster. When you’re in an emergency, those decisions are critical.

“LandiQ showed the risks of potential sites for temporary housing villages and informed the site layouts as new flood information came to hand.” 

As our climate changes, extreme weather events will become more common and building back more resilient and Future Ready™ infrastructure is important.

“It was recognised in the inquiry into the floods that a database linked to LandiQ would allow for local and state governments to have access to the same data sets to make better predictions and decisions in relation to floods,” James says. 

One year on, LandiQ is now playing a critical role in the recovery of the region, through the Resilient Land Program where it is being used to identify flood-safe land suitable for redevelopment to help relocate Northern Rivers residents. The factors that are considered include land zoning, assessment of flood and bushfire risk, important biodiversity values and strategic alignment with state and local government plans.

The Resilient Land Program complements the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation’s, Resilient Homes Program – an initiative to help homeowners improve the flood-resistance of their properties. 

WSP’s Communications and Engagement team are also supporting this program as case managers and assisting those impacted to navigate the process and build back stronger.

Find more about LandiQ, our Digital, and Communications and Engagement services.

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