The content on this page and other DCITA document archive pages is provided to assist research and may contain references to activities or policies that have no current application. See the full archive disclaimer.
Project profiles - round 1
The projects funded in Round 1 cover a range of regional and national initiatives. Many of the projects have a specific focus on small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
TradeData
TradeData provides a marketing information service based on details of internationally traded goods, sourced from Customs declarations. Up to date information is available on thousands of individual products, covering imports and exports from Australia and wide range of other countries.
TradeData can supply valuable market information on the size and price structure of markets, can assess market shares, identify potential new export markets, identify potential import replacement markets and assist in evaluating your marketing strategies. For example, an Australian orange producer noticed that there were imports or candied orange peel going to the baking industry. This company now candies the peel it used to discard and replaced these imports.
Website: www.tradedata.net
Visual Manufacturing Online
The Visual Manufacturing On-Line (VMOL) project sought to test, trial and demonstrate on-line intranet/intranet technology in an actual product design or product refinement process. The project funded by the ITOL grant was for the Queensland Manufacturing Institute (QMI) to assist Rover Mowers in the design of a new plastic catcher flap for a new mower. QMI performed Finite Element Analysis to assist Rover in its development.
Through the use of ISDN Internet connections, QMI and Rover were able to transfer CAD files quickly between sites and to conduct desktop videoconferencing. The videoconferencing software allowed file exchange, video feed, audio channel, and a whiteboard with full mark-up and screen capture capabilities as well as the unique ability to display interactive 3-D shaded CAD models. These abilities allowed QMI and Rover staff to meet on-line to discuss the design and analysis of the mower flap. QMI were able to quickly convey necessary changes to Rover and obtain the designer's immediate approval.
Rover estimates a 15-30% time and cost saving in carrying out the design of this new component through the use of videoconferencing rather that face-to-face meetings. The ability to exchange data quickly also allowed Rover to accept changes to the design of the flap much later than would have been possible using their traditional methods.
Web Based Industry Support Service
The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering at the University of Sydney developed a full search web based industry capability database. The project responds to the SME sector's need for a single entry point through a standardised format for a range of information services required for collaboration and networking. The search element of the system involves structured database field searching through simple online text questionnaires.
Website: www.warren.usyd.edu.au
Intrawool
The Intrawool project is working to implement an electronic system to manage information on wool bales as they move from woolgrowers in Australia through to wool spinners in Europe. The Australian part of the project, that received ITOL funding, is looking at the information needs of the market, including the development of systems to facilitate access to market information by users and enable processing results to be passed back to growers.
A key element of this is the cost-effective tracking of wool bales to enhance both information flow and the development of efficient materials handling system. By capturing accurate data electronically about each bale in the woolshed significant improvements in the quality of information available to the industry are expected.
Website: www.awex.com.au/awexmain:homepage
Horticulture Online
The Horticulture Online project was funded as a proof of concept project to trial the sale and distribution of Australian horticultural products via the Internet. The pilot project generated a lot of data on the application of electronic business solutions in agribusiness.
The original pilot has been developed to explore the application of electronic business in information and document exchange through the different levels of the value chain within business hubs, identify the functions that can be valuably automated in a business to business framework, develop communications systems and protocols that satisfy user needs and which facilitate electronic business within business hubs, and demonstrate that electronic business (at the business level of the market) can be both feasible and efficient in business hubs in the horticultural industry.
Australian Building and Construction Database
The project aims to demonstrate to construction companies, their suppliers and subcontractors how to reduce costs and facilitate innovation through online networking.
The project seeks to establish the benefits for the architecture, engineering and construction industry of linking an existing online multimedia network, the Australian Building and Construction Database, to an actual construction site. The project will also establish benchmarks and review the costs and benefits of electronic data exchange against the more traditional paper based project management systems.
Contact: dennis.lenard@uts.edu.au.
Regulation Analysis Service
A project to provide on-line access to regulations covering the meat industry from "gate to plate". The Regulations Service will provide electronic sourcing and maintenance of regulatory text from a number of jurisdictions and regulatory agencies in Australia and overseas. Legal and meat/food industry expertise will be used to interpret textual material in a set of pre-defined structured analyses, creating a database of meaningful information, which will be available on an Internet site.
The system will produce an integrated software system following a matrix model of where legislation has its impact. Users are able to drill down on the web site to find the regulatory information that relates to their business needs.
Contact: ruralact@dynamite.com.au.
ACTEW Mobile Maps
The project developed an information system designed to improve operational efficiency and service delivery for all utilities and local government authorities.
The project, ACTEW Mobile Maps, is a system that provided for Internet, Intranet and mobile (in field) access to corporate engineering and spatial databases. The practical application of the project will allow field workers to access data remotely resulting in improvements to operational efficiency and service delivery.
Contact: ross.ackland@cmis.csiro.au