Australia faces growing climate challenges, including rising sea levels, extreme weather, storm surges, heatwaves, and heavy rainfall, highlighting the urgent need for resilient infrastructure.

Smart technology, such as digital twins and AI, plays a crucial role in building this resilience by enabling cities to manage infrastructure more effectively, anticipate risks, and promote sustainability.

Sydney’s Smart City Strategy is a great example of leveraging these technologies to transform urban management. By using them, it effectively integrates and analyses data from public spaces and infrastructure projects. This approach supports better urban planning, improves flood management by simulating and forecasting potential impacts, and enhances overall city operations.

As Australia’s cities continue to grow, the adoption of smart technologies will be essential in addressing climate challenges and building sustainable infrastructure.

Strategic approaches for effective implementation

To fully harness the potential of smart technology in boosting infrastructure resilience, cities should adopt a strategic approach that includes:

• Integrating digital twins. Deploying digital twins across multiple infrastructure systems creates a comprehensive, real-time understanding of urban environments.
• Using AI and machine learning. AI and machine learning can be leveraged to analyse data, anticipate problems, and optimise infrastructure design, as well as maintenance and operational processes.
• Promoting collaboration. Involving a broad range of stakeholders—such as policymakers, engineers, technologists, and community members—ensures inclusive and effective infrastructure planning and management.
• Adopting cloud-based solutions. Utilising cloud platforms to integrate data from multiple sources establishes seamless and scalable management of infrastructure systems.

Each of these elements plays a critical part in building resilient, smart cities equipped to face the challenges of the future. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Digital twins and AI: key for infrastructure design resilience

Resilience in infrastructure design is a fundamental principle for future urban development. Cities must be prepared to withstand and recover quickly from disruptions, such as natural disasters or infrastructure failures. Digital twins can play a key role in achieving this resilience by providing dynamic, real-time representations of infrastructure, enabling cities to anticipate potential issues and respond swiftly.

Additionally, leveraging AI and machine learning enhances this capability through analysing vast amounts of data to identify patterns, predict potential problems, and speed up processes. For example, in designing a new treatment plant or retrofitting an existing facility, AI can automate the creating of critical P&IDs, turning them into intelligent digitalized documents, eliminating out-of-date paper and “dumb” PDF documents. Machine learning combines text, symbols, and line detection for classification, tag extraction, and connectivity recreation. AI-driven insights can then help cities proactively address maintenance and operational issues before they escalate, improving the overall resilience of infrastructure systems.

The Port Authority of New South Wales (PANSW) exemplifies this strategy. By implementing digital twins for its seaport assets—such as Sydney Harbour and Port Botany—PANSW has significantly improved safety, efficiency, and environmental impact. AI and machine learning further optimise these gains by predicting maintenance needs and improving operational schedules. This approach has cut physical site visits by 30%, saving AUD 1.5 million annually, and reduced unplanned maintenance by 25%, minimising disruptions and ensuring smooth port operations.

Fostering collaboration for infrastructure development

Fostering collaboration among stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector partners, and community members, is crucial for developing infrastructure that meets the diverse needs of urban populations.

Policymakers, engineers, technologists, and community stakeholders must all be involved to address these needs and to maximise the benefits of advanced technologies. Such collaboration ensures that technological advancements are effectively incorporated into infrastructure projects, enhancing their functionality and sustainability. It also helps in overcoming potential challenges by leveraging the collective expertise and insights of all involved parties.

The benefits of collaboration extend beyond the immediate project outcomes, fostering innovation and driving the successful implementation of complex infrastructure initiatives. The synergy created through diverse stakeholder involvement not only addresses current needs but also anticipates future challenges, leading to more resilient and adaptable infrastructure solutions that contribute to the long-term well-being of communities.

The adoption of cloud-based solutions

Adopting cloud-based solutions for infrastructure management involves leveraging cloud platforms to integrate data from various sources, creating a unified and efficient system for overseeing infrastructure operations.

Cloud-based platforms allow for the consolidation of data from disparate sources, such as sensors, databases, and external systems, into a single, accessible environment. This integration facilitates real-time monitoring and analysis, enabling more informed decision-making and streamlined management of infrastructure systems. The scalability of cloud solutions also means that as infrastructure needs grow or change, the system can easily expand to accommodate increased data and processing requirements.

A notable example of this is Bentley’s collaboration with the Digital Twin Consortium, which demonstrates the effectiveness of cloud-based technologies in urban infrastructure management. By using Azure cloud services, Bentley’s digital twins integrate data from multiple sources to provide a cohesive, holistic view of urban environments. This approach allows cities to manage their assets more efficiently and sustainably, enhancing their resilience to future challenges.

Future-proofing urban development

Enhancing infrastructure resilience through smart technology collaboration is not just an innovative approach, but it is also an essential strategy for future urban development. As Australia grapples with increasing climate challenges, the integration of digital twins, AI, and cloud-based solutions offers transformative potential for cities to proactively manage and adapt their infrastructure.

The path forward lies in leveraging these smart technologies to not only address immediate challenges but also to ensure sustainable, resilient urban environments for generations to come.

By Matt Gijselman, Director – Infrastructure Policy Advancement (A/NZ), Bentley Systems

Matt Gijselman is Director of Infrastructure Policy Advancement for the Asia-Pacific region at Bentley Systems.

He is a senior leader with over 20 years of experience across the public and private sectors in strategy, public policy, and public affairs. Matt has written widely on infrastructure policy issues, including machinery of government, data-driven decision-making, mega-project management, new mobility, smart cities, and sustainability.

In government, Matt has held a number of roles, including supporting the delivery of Infrastructure Australia’s market capacity capability, which provides an evidence base for a comprehensive understanding of the supply and demand of the skills and materials critical to deliver Australia’s major infrastructure pipeline, and associated risks in planning and delivery.

Matt led the government, regulatory, and industry affairs function at an Australian financial services industry peak body for over seven years. He also led the public affairs function for Australia’s largest member organization, the NRMA, driving the ‘new mobility’ strategy – culminating in national reforms and shifting the organization’s approach to new modes of mobility. As CEO of a university-backed venture, Matt led a nationally significant project to establish an AUD 1 billion, 22nd Century education-, research- and industry-integrated presence in Australia’s newest city.

Enjoying Sourceable articles? Subscribe for Free and receive daily updates of all articles which are published on our site

Want to grow your sales, reach more new clients and expand your client base across Australia’s design and construction sector?

Advertise on Sourceable and have your business seen by the thousands of architects, engineers, builders/construction contractors, subcontractors/trade contractors, property developers and building industry suppliers who read our stories across the civil, commercial and residential construction sector