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Robert & Pam Ingram’s properties, on the Victorian and New South Wales border north of Orbost, need constant watch over the livestock water supply. Using his Observant system, Robert can use the internet, his laptop or SMS messages to keep fully informed, whether he be in Melbourne or a remote project location in the Third World.

Given the great distances involved, Telstra NextG was the ideal choice for providing the communications link between Melbourne and his Monaro properties.

The Observant system performs many key functions, allowing complete remote control, and greater peace of mind. At any time, information is relayed that keeps Robert fully informed about the level of water in his tanks, the water flowing out of the tanks and the ability to automatically or manually start and stop his pumps. If at any time, things are not as they should be, an SMS message will be sent to any nominated number. Taking full advantage of the NextG network, the system will also be able relay photos from a still image camera, showing a clear picture of what is going on.

Data sharing with partners is fully supported with the Observant system. Robert can authorise his local reseller, Peter Bright (father of Torah Bright, Olympic Gold Medal winner) from Monaro Water Services to log in to the web site, view data and receive SMS alerts. This allows Peter to offer excellent “local” support, despite being based in Cooma, hundreds of kilometres from Melbourne.

With Peter’s assistance Robert plans to extend the observant system to collect on-site weather and soil moisture data, which will be used to manage and control a drip irrigation system remotely.  All data and commands to operate the system will be transmitted through the Telstra 3G network

Remote Control Management at Napperby Station

Checking water supply and managing stock health – from anywhere in the world – by logging onto the Internet has been a major management change for Roy Chisholm of Napperby Station in the Northern Territory.

Napperby Station is a large pastoral property in Central Australia, and for the past 12 months has been running by remote control. Mr Chisholm installed an Observant Remote Monitoring System™ from Australian company Observant Pty Ltd which links his office computer with monitored watering points on his property via a network of solar powered radio signals.

“The operational costs of fuel, labour, vehicles and general maintenance are increasing at an exponential rate and we have a 500 kilometre bore run we do twice a week,” says Mr Chisholm.

“But with Observant I can do half of my bore runs via the homestead computer or log on to the Internet, wherever I am in the world. I can check water levels, have the opportunity of a visual image at a water point, check how my stock are performing, weigh them, and record the information from their tags.”

“It’s a technology that makes production a lot more efficient. I’ve estimated that I’ll be recovering the cost of implementing this system in just over a couple of years.”

Mr Chisholm is at the forefront of a quiet revolution according to Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre’s Jan Ferguson on ABC TV’s Landline program.

“This is an industry that has worked in much the same way for 150 years, but technology is really changing and bringing pastoralism into the twenty-first century,” says Ms Ferguson.

Observant’s CEO, Matthew Pryor, believes the Observant system is a key tool in achieving productivity, profitability and sustainability.

“Fuel prices, vehicle costs, labour costs, safety and labour availability have all continued to move against the pastoralist. The cost line is really where pastoralists have the best chance of making a long-term difference to their margins, and that’s what the Observant system does for them,” says Mr Pryor.

Even on a ‘typical’ property, a borerunner is likely to check stock water points two to three times a week – driving up to 100 kilometres each week – often arriving to find there are no issues to fix.

The Observant system provides a snapshot of water levels, flow rates, nutrient doses – as well as livestock movement and weights – to any Internet-connected device in any location. So property owners know when they need to do a bore run, when they don’t, and exactly how their animals are performing at all times, which reduces both operating costs and carbon footprints.

Easy to install and use, the Observant system is technologically advanced and yet built to withstand Australia’s toughest climates. And with so much valuable information about their livestock available at the touch of a button, property owners are adopting more rigourous management practices and finally overcoming the perennial problems of distance and isolation.