Credit: Dreamstime
Managed services provider (MSP) A1 Technologies has rolled out an Azure DevOps program for the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) in an effort to help eradicate the state’s weed overgrowth.
NSW DPI and CSIRO, alongside other state agencies, have co-created a new website and smartphone app, ‘WeedScan’, to deliver an intelligent artificial intelligence service for consumers to identify and report invasive vegetation.
A1 provided consulting services to NSW DPI's development team to design the Azure DevOps solution that underpinned the app. This included finding efficient ways to build and cost model the ongoing Azure related components.
The solution on Azure enabled NSW DPI to take advantage of Azure machine learning to identify weeds and weed patterns from images uploaded by the community throughout Australia.
Azure DevOps was chosen to standardise the software development process with Azure Pipelines and a centralised repository for code. Additionally, the A1 team established the machine learning environment for NSW DPI to connect their extensive weed database which will drive the weed identification functionality of the WeedScan app.
“NSW DPI are highly focused on education and preventing the spread of weeds within NSW to protect native plants, land and animals,” explained Clint Shiels, A1's chief technology officer.
“A1 often provide co-support or co-project style engagements for internal IT teams so internal teams are closely involved in consulting, design and planning stages and often implementation components allowing internal teams to skill up and have a solid understanding of their new environments.
“A key part of this is our post deployment handovers which typically include ‘as-built’ design documents, ‘how to’ guides for staff and admin teams, solution walkthrough videos and design diagrams.”
The MSP also provided handover build and design documentation with training and a walkthrough of the environment, allowing NSW DPI to be self-sufficient.
The not-for-profit, which provides specialist support for deaf children, tapped A1 to complete an eight-week consulting and advisory project to set it on a path for growth and global expansion.
