Water, Weather & Environment
Centralised air quality monitoring supports statewide data integration and public reporting.
The New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) supports industry and local communities in understanding air pollution and implementing measures to improve air quality. Across a geographically diverse state, the agency collects and analyses air quality data from multiple monitoring networks and provides the public with timely access to current air quality conditions. Close collaboration with environmental protection agencies and health authorities ensures the monitoring activities establish a robust scientific basis for reducing pollution and protecting public health.
- The challenge
- The solution
- The benefits
The challenge
Over time the DCCEEW air quality monitoring infrastructure evolved into a complex, multi-network environment. Separate monitoring programmes — each with distinct objectives, data structures, and operational workflows—required consolidation into a unified system to improve efficiency, consistency, and accessibility.
The agency now required a centralised platform capable of integrating diverse datasets, preserving long-term historical records, and supporting both regulatory compliance and public information services. Additionally, the system had to accommodate evolving requirements including new monitoring networks, updated regulatory frameworks, and enhanced public notification capabilities.
Key Challenges:
- Integrate five distinct monitoring networks into a single data management system
- Manage and provide access to approximately 50 years of historical air quality data
- Standardise data workflows across diverse monitoring programmes and telemetry systems
- Support near real-time data processing and hourly public reporting of air quality index (AQI) values
- Enable both automated and manual quality assurance and control (QA/QC) processes
- Deliver scalable architecture to accommodate ongoing system enhancements and regulatory updates
- Provide timely public notifications for air quality threshold exceedances
The solution
DCCEEW implemented KISTERS AquisNet Data Management System (DMS) as the central platform for managing all air quality monitoring networks across New South Wales. The system was configured to meet Australian national regulatory requirements and tailored to support agency-specific workflows, ensuring consistency across operational and analytical processes.
AquisNet consolidates five major monitoring networks within a single, unified environment, including the statewide air quality monitoring network, the Sydney metropolitan network, the Upper Hunter Valley Air Quality Monitoring Network (UHAQMN), the Lower Hunter Valley network, and the DustWatch programme. This approach enables standardised data handling while maintaining flexibility for network-specific requirements.
The solution supports the full data processing chain — from acquisition and ingestion through validation, analysis, reporting, and public dissemination — and has been continuously enhanced to address evolving operational and regulatory needs.
Key Technical Specifications:
- Installation and commissioning of AquisNet DMS and associated modules for air quality data management, laboratory data integration, and asset tracking
- Centralised management of five monitoring networks within a single AquisNet instance
- Migration and integration of historical datasets, providing access to approximately 50 years of air quality records
- Data ingestion workflows based on file server transfers and database staging tables, supporting a DCCEEW-developed telemetry system
- Configuration of automated and manual QA/QC workflows to ensure data accuracy and regulatory compliance
- Deployment of interactive client tools supporting scientific analysis, data validation, and correction of measurement errors
- Implementation of reporting, alerting, and public data dissemination processes, including near real-time AQI reporting
- Integration of citizen notification services via email and SMS / text for air quality threshold exceedances
- Scalable system architecture supporting continuous enhancement through evolving user requirements and change requests
The benefits
The centralised AquisNet platform enables the Department to efficiently manage an expansive, multi-network air quality monitoring environment while maintaining consistency across value-added processes. By consolidating all monitoring networks within a single system, the agency has improved data accessibility, reduced system fragmentation, and enhanced operational efficiency.
The integration of approximately 50 years of historical data provides a robust foundation for long-term trend analysis, supporting evidence-based policy development and environmental management strategies. Automated and manual QA/QC processes ensure high quality data while standardised workflows improve reliability and repeatability across monitoring programmes.
Near real-time data processing and hourly AQI updates enhance the agency’s ability to inform the public about current air quality conditions. Integrated alerting and notification services provide timely communication to communities affected by pollution events, strengthening public awareness and health protection measures.
Interactive analytical tools enable scientists and analysts to focus on interpreting data, identifying trends, and supporting decision-making, rather than managing disparate systems. Continuous system enhancements ensure the platform remains aligned with regulatory requirements and emerging monitoring needs.
Overall, the solution supports DCCEEW’s mandate to improve air quality outcomes across New South Wales by enabling transparent, reliable, and scientifically robust monitoring and reporting.