Beach Hazard Rating
A $1 million Smart State Innovation Project Fund grant was awarded to CoastalCOMS Pty Ltd, to develop a high-tech safety rating for beaches with the capability for use anywhere in the world. The CoastSAFE Alive project aimed to develop a technology to create a live real time assessment tool that will provide a risk profile and safety index for beaches around Australia. Successful outcomes will result in greater accuracy in risk profiling of beaches, better resource management by Surf Life Saving and associated Councils, and the prevention of unnecessary injury or death on our beaches.
CoastalCOMS Pty Ltd partnered with Coastalwatch Pty Ltd, Griffith University, Surf Life Saving Queensland and Surf Life Saving Australia to develop this new technology. Centre Director, Professor Rodger Tomlinson, is a member of the management committee. World renowned expert on beach morphodynamics and hazard ratings, Professor Andrew Short, also joined the team to work on the project.
Renewable energy - waves
As part of the development of a renewable energy strategy for the Gold Coast, there is a need to assess a range of energy sources and their viability. The Centre has supported this reseaech and provided Council with an overview of the scope and applicability of wave derived energy which qualtified the Gold Coast wave energy resource; assessed the feasibility of harnessing that resource; and recommended to Council the suitability of wave energy sites and technologies for possible future investment.