Supporting Recovery Works

Water Level Monitoring on AIMS Road – Rapid Installation and Community Access

As part of ongoing flood recovery works in Cungulla, we’ve installed a temporary water level sensor and live platform on AIMS Road. In a testament to the versatility and ease of our solutions, we were asked to assist on Monday—and by Tuesday morning the sensor was installed and operational, with the dashboard live by lunchtime.

AIMS Road is the only way in and out of Cungulla (a suburb of Townsville to the south) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science . The road leads through tidally inundated salt flats and is at high risk of flooding during substantial rain events.

This initiative supports residents, AIMS staff, and contractors who rely on this essential access route.

On the day of installation, we verified multiple cases of water lapping over the road—while still safe to cross, the data clearly shows how real-time monitoring can help guide safer travel decisions. We’re continuing to calibrate the data with field observations, working closely with residents to improve accuracy.

?Benefits for Cungulla & AIMS

Cungulla has approximately 350 residents, while AIMS employs around 300 staff—all relying on a single road that can be vulnerable to isolation risks during flooding. Although this is a temporary demonstration, it’s already delivering important outcomes

• Helping residents and contractors make informed travel decisions
• Supporting AIMS operations by ensuring data-backed decisions during weather events
• Boosting emergency preparedness, providing real-time insights to guide recovery strategies
• Demonstrating low-cost, real-time flood monitoring, with potential applications for other flood-prone areas

Next Steps and Feedback

This is a trial initiative designed to test feasibility and gather feedback before considering any further rollout. While residents can access live data through the platform, we’re also keen to hear from industry, councils, and flood recovery stakeholders about how similar solutions might be applied elsewhere.

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If you’re connected to the Cungulla community, we encourage you to share this information with residents and contractors who may benefit from the tool. Ongoing feedback will help us fine-tune the system and improve long-term outcomes.

Thank you to Ecocentric Services for taking the lead and the Townsville City Council ’s Environmental team, Smart Precinct NQ , and the Cungulla community for supporting this important project.

Dashboard Link