INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology

GDC was a recipient of grant funding as part of the Australian Federal Government ’ s 5G Innovation Initiative , with the project demonstrating full High-Definition ( HD ) video streaming , remote participant interaction and remote participant control of drones via the Internet , using 5G connectivity solutions from Cradlepoint .

Established in 2000 in Bundaberg , Queensland , the GDC is an Indigenousowned enterprise . Providing leadership and momentum to the economic , social and cultural development of Indigenous people , Gidarjil ’ s vision is to become economically independent and to help Indigenous Australians participate in the wealth and prosperity of the broader Australian economy .

Partnering with MobileCorp and Cradlepoint , GDC saw an opportunity to connect its Elders with the work of its environmental rangers to promote knowledge sharing around Caring for Country and the exploration of cultural heritage sites .

Having a reliable , high bandwidth 5G connection builds on the organization ’ s existing drone operations to deliver additional cultural and commercial benefits for GDC and the wider community of Northern Queensland .

Rangers can now stream video in real time to remote locations for input from off-site experts , or to enable swift action . For example , they can now provide GPS co-ordinates of Crown of Thorn starfish on the reef which can be mapped for diver intervention programs .

Rangers can also stream video from cultural burn activities for hotspot surveillance and ranger safety . They can also use thermal imaging to identify the location of feral animal populations like foxes and wild pigs that could inform rangers in the group to act as part of the protection programs for native animals in the area .

“ Enhanced 5G HD video , enabled by Cradlepoint 5G connectivity solutions , will offer improved outcomes across our existing drone program , including exploration of the Great Barrer Reef Marine Park and National Parks such as Mon Repos , Deepwater

Port Curtis region , Queensland , Australia

National Park ,” said Dr Kerry Blackman , Chief Executive Officer , GDC .

Cultural benefits

The key objective of the grant funding was to enable Gidarjil to reconnect community Elders , who are unable to travel , with areas of cultural significance across traditional land and sea country .

“ The 5G-enabled drones have been crucial in developing connection to country across generations . Our Elders attend some of our meetings and we ’ re able to livestream footage from culturally significant parts of this region with uninterrupted and high-resolution connections thanks to the 5G solutions we ’ re using ,” Dr Blackman said .

Elders can also remotely operate underwater drones to explore the sea country of their youth and to capture HD video footage , which will provide visual cues for their storytelling to the younger generations . This will allow GDC to enhance its traditional knowledge database , led by Elders , to identify tribal heritage sites and the changing landscape . p

Commercial benefits

GDC worked with Cradlepoint partner MobileCorp to deploy Cradlepoint 5G wireless edge adapters , which allow the delivery of HD video from underwater and aerial drones along the traditional sea country of the Port Curtis Coral Coast region .

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