NSW emergency operations centre opened

A new telecommunications operations centre to support critical communications during bushfires or floods has been opened by the New South Wales Minister for Digital and Customer Service Victor Dominello.

The Sydney-based centre would give the NSW Telco Authority’s Telecommunications Emergency Management Unit (TEMU) real-time information on potential impacts to telecommunications infrastructure for emergency services organisations. By tracking the likes of severe weather in real time with the telco authority, the centre will be able to update first responders and telecommunication carriers with accurate information on the location of critical infrastructure that might need protecting.

The centre will be managed by the telco authority’s TEMU team and will be used to monitor, gather information, analyse data and geospatial mapping by utilising the Joint Intelligence Management System (JIMS). JIMS will enable real-time identification of risks to telecommunications infrastructure within NSW and across neighbouring states.

The operations centre provides critical support during an emergency as well as offering facilitation capabilities for long-term operations requiring significant coordination between multiple agencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.