Curtin University is playing host to a wireless industrial sensor environment (WISE) that can be used to safely trial IoT deployments before deploying into their operations.

WISE was created by Curtin, Cisco and Innovation Central Perth.

It is designed to “enable organisations to develop best practices for capturing, transporting, visualising and analysing data,” the university said in a statement.

“The digitisation of the physical world is accelerating with the proliferation of low-cost, battery-powered wireless sensors across all industries, particularly the resources, oil and gas, utilities, chemical and fertiliser manufacturing sectors,” Curtin University research partnerships director Paul Nicholls said.

“These sensors enable organisations to significantly change the way they operate and manage their businesses and the WISE program will bring together all the areas of expertise required to ensure industry can make use of the efficiencies the latest technological advances offer.

“By building the WISE platform on the campus, we are providing industry a safe environment to trial these technologies before deployment in operational environments.”

In addition to being able to use the university-based testbed, organisations can also access Innovation Central Perth experts “that can help identify the most appropriate sensors, connectivity and analytics technology stacks to address their challenges.”

Cisco Australia’s innovation centre general manager Tom Goerke said Cisco was keen to show IoT could solve real world problems.

“WISE will provide our customers with the ability to rapidly prototype on a testbed that includes sensors, multiple access technologies, data fabric, data visualisations as well as a range of analytic platforms that will accelerate their understanding of what is possible,” Goerke said.