Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Austroads, the association of the Australian and New Zealand transport agencies, is implementing a new strategy to modernise its data services which underpin road safety, identity and vehicle security, heavy vehicle road access and government infrastructure management decision making.
Austroads manages a complex data ecosystem generated from digital data exchanges that facilitate the information sharing between different government entities, data-enabled research programs that create key insights into roads and transit, and initiatives that offer training and educational resources to improve transport management and safety.
“Austroads has a 90-year history and is one of only a handful of organisations that works to achieve national consistency for state and territory responsibilities. Our focus is to identify, negotiate and develop common or shared solutions,” said Geoff Allan, Austroads Chief Executive. “Centralising and standardising data is crucial for enabling seamless collaboration across jurisdictions and ensuring our members have access to reliable and unified information to support their decision making.”
“In nine decades of operations, Austroads has accumulated a vast repository of transport data. While this data holds immense value, it is also fragmented and dispersed across various systems and formats, presenting challenges for effective use,” said Matt Brunsdon, Austroads’ Chief Data & Technology Officer.
To address the challenges and complexities associated with this fragmented data, Austroads has developed a strategy to adopt a modernised data platform based on the Databricks technology platform. The project is currently underway and planned for completion by the end of 2025.
“The platform will act as a centralised landing zone for all disparate datasets, bringing significant benefits such as centralisation, standardisation, and enhanced accessibility. By consolidating data into a single, unified platform, Austroads will ensure consistency across formats and make it easier for members to access and use valuable information,” said Matt.
The introduction of a modernised data platform will also allow Austroads to implement robust data governance practices. This includes ensuring data quality, maintaining accurate and reliable information, enhancing security to protect sensitive data from unauthorised access, and improving compliance with regulatory requirements and standards.