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Broadband
Awards 2008, presented by ATUG
Australians
working towards becoming ‘world leaders
in the effective use of broadband’
The following are three examples of how a submission can be worded. All three are very different case studies but all are great examples of the effective use of Broadband.
Case study
1 - Mildura Holden Dealership
1.
What
was the process before Broadband?
The Holden dealership in Mildura used to have about 200,000 dollars worth
of parts in stock at any one time because of the distance it was from
Melbourne stockist.
2. Describe
the effective use of broadband
Now with Broadband the owner can go online and see the part he needs,
order it and have it sent to Mildura the next day.
3. Describe
the outcomes/benefits achieved by the use of broadband
The benefit of having broadband in the Holden dealership is 200k in cash
has been freed up to be invested back into the business, but more importantly
the customer is happy with a faster time it takes to fix the vehicle.
4. Describe
any lessons learned about the implementation process
None – all went smoothly
5. Who is the
ISP/Service Provider/Application Developer and describe how their expertise
has contributed to the effective use of broadband.
Telstra Country Wide and Holden – TCW provided the connectivity
and Holden provided the website for ordering and payment processing.
Case study
2 - Mackay Sugar
1.
What was the process before Broadband?
The management of the sugar industry supply chain used to involve a
lot of driving around the district coordinating harvesting and transport
operations, collecting data for the mill’s computer systems and
distributing information to farmers and harvester operators. This took
considerable manpower; communications and data flows were inefficient;
and information outside the mill’s computer network was limited
mainly to printed reports of information that was at least a week old.
In 2000, faced with rising costs, falling sugar prices and declining crop yields, Mackay Sugar began investing in ICT infrastructure, initially to address these inefficiencies.
2. Describe
the effective use of broadband
Estimating the crop each year and tracking the progress of the harvest
was a time-consuming, largely manual task. By combining remote sensing
satellite technology with its GIS mapping system and the web interface,
Mackay Sugar has been able to largely computerise the process and present
the results to growers on line, without requiring the routine preparation
and distribution of paper maps and estimate reports.
The project extended the communications network into the paddock using mobile data communications. Harvesters were fitted with GPS tracking / monitoring units that would locate the machine in the paddock, record operating data with position and time, and transmit it to the “Cooperative Systems” data centre via the mobile data network.
The data can be displayed in either tabular/report format, or spatially via the web portal’s GIS interface. This allows harvesting contractors and growers to monitor and analyse harvesting operations, and the mill to better track the progress of the harvest.
Harvesters are also being fitted with touch screen computers that utilise this communications medium for applications such as the paperless consignment of cane deliveries.
3. Describe
the outcomes/benefits achieved by the use of broadband
This technology has now been in place for four to five years. More than
80% of growers and harvesters now use the portal regularly, and the
technology has sustained a 50% reduction in the number of field officers
since 2000 This infrastructure laid the foundation for the Cooperative
Systems project.
Benefits are field staff reductions, timely, informed on-farm decision making and Operational efficiencies, especially between harvesting and transport.
4. Describe
any lessons learned about the implementation process
The need for a complete picture from all stakeholders is essential to
make sure there are no information gaps in the process. Co-operation
of all stakeholders was paramount to the success of this project.
Training of the farmers was an issue that was seen early in the project. Mackay Sugar organised training programs and arranged bulk purchase of computer equipment to help its members get on line and maximise the benefit they can derive from it.
5. Who is
the ISP/Service Provider/Application Developer and describe how their
expertise has contributed to the effective use of broadband.
A joint initiative by Canegrowers Mackay, Queensland Mechanical Cane
Harvesters Association, Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations (BSES) and
with SRDC (Sugar Research and Development Corporation ) funding.
A project team drawn from the aforementioned stakeholders worked with reference groups of growers and harvester operators to develop strategies and design systems for the major value chain sectors of farming, harvesting and milling.
Case Study 3 -
Eastern Goldfields Regional Reference Site (EGRRS)
1.
What
was the process before Broadband?
All patient information used to arrive as a hard copy, which needed to
be manually scanned, faxed or posted on. Patient information took a
long time to be posted to the GP, especially if the patient was not
a local which is most cases in Kalgoorlie due to the mining boom.
GP’s also needed to travel large distances from Kalgoorlie to access education and specialists in Perth metro area. GP’s were isolated information wise from the rest of the GP community.
2. Describe the effective use of broadband
- A high-speed bandwidth VPN was established to connect all sites.
- Multiple types of bandwidth for GP Health: DSL, Fibre and Satellite
- Bandwidth selected for each site based on availability and application requirements
- All information now is electronic, which can disseminated into specific programs securely and in real time.
- It allows the GP to access a wide range of online educational and support information and a chance to exchange information on the patient to other doctors in the area in a secure fashion.
- The use of video conferencing also allows the patient to be diagnosed by a specialist in another city, which means instant and more accurate diagnoses of a problem.
3. Describe
the outcomes/benefits achieved by the use of broadband
Benefits include:
- Information rapidly available no waiting for post
- Information does not go missing
- Information is SECURE
- Reception staff able to concentrate on other duties rather than be pressured to scan and quickly attach results
- Expenditure on consumables within the practice has been reduced
- Fax machine has given a sigh a relief…..
- Ability to ‘Remote Access’ patient notes securely at all hours
- Use of HIC online
- Ability to videoconference within and external to the VPN
- Enhanced communication within the community of health professionals
Outcomes include:
- 95% have used secure broadband connectivity for e-mail and internet access
- 75% have used it for communicating with other EGRRS participants
- 35% have used on desk video conferencing eg teledermatology
- 30% have accessed their patients records externally
- Saved approximately 33% of monthly telephone costs using VoIP telephony
4. Describe any lessons learned about the implementation process
- Need to focus on people not just technology
- Build on existing processes, relationships, capabilities and infrastructure
- Implement according to regional priorities
- Partnership approach – ongoing communication and consultation
- High level of commitment from participants
- High levels of support and trust (training based on individual and organisation needs)
- If possible ensure systems are interoperable
- Change Management – ongoing training, updates and support, participants highly time-poor, levels of IT literacy are relatively poor
- Governance – multiple providers with different funding structures
- Technical – satellite services, VoIP
- Ensuring content applications are useful and seamless
- Sustainability
5. Who is the ISP/Service Provider/Application Developer and describe how their expertise has contributed to the effective use of broadband.
- Australian Department of Health and Ageing – Funding
- Eastern Goldfields Medical Division of General Practice – Local knowledge
- IP Systems – IT expertise
- CISCO Systems – IT hardware
-
Gold Health – Co-ordinating and Project management
Last updated 3-Sep-2010