Digital services and information technology

The Tasmanian Government is committed to enabling the business, social and education benefits of the digital economy by fostering an innovative, sustainable and vibrant digital services and information communications technology (ICT) industry. This is being achieved by:

supporting businesses to engage with the digital economy
assisting the ICT industry to exploit development opportunities from digital applications, technologies and services
providing greater community access to a range of new services that take advantage of the digital economy, with a particular focus on government and community services in areas such as health, education, smart energy management and government online services
delivering online services to the community and businesses which provide opportunities for interaction and collaboration.

The Deloitte Access Economics Australia’s Digital Pulse 2017 report for the Australian Computer Society indicated that there were almost 7 000 people employed in the Tasmanian ICT sector, or 2.91 per cent of the Tasmanian workforce. Note that these figures are calculated using the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) and include ICT technical/professional, sales, trades admin and logistics support. Annual revenue generated is estimated at almost $2 billion.

Tasmania's geographic, demographic and economic diversity along with its size means that it provides a robust, representative and easily accessible sample population for digital companies and research organisations wanting to test and adapt their products for a western market.

Opportunities exist for investment in:

test bedding - Tasmania's geographic, demographic and economic diversity along with its size provides a representative and easily accessible sample population for product testing and adaptation
home or office networking
data centres, contact centres and processing centres
content creation and development including social networking, gaming, entertainment, cloud-based data services, mobility and telepresence applications
creating business in the digital economy
smart research, including micro-sensing.

Through improved access to super-fast broadband, Tasmania is a hub for digital content developers, digital technology innovators and digital economy entrepreneurs, such as:

Savage Interactive is an Apple iPad Pro partner and their digital drawing product Procreate received an Apple Design Award in 2013.
Biteable is a simple video maker with over 2 million users globally.
ISW has partnered with IBM and their communication and collaboration product Kudos Suite has been adopted by major organisations such as US bank Wells Fargo, Pepsico, the Dutch tax office, and the German airline Lufthansa.

Tasmania has a significant track record in key digital sectors including:

Internet of Things (IoT) - Launceston, in the state’s north, is currently trialling Australia’s first city wide LoRa network and has recently been confirmed as Australia’s first ‘Gigabit city’
eHealth - our small size provides a contained and representative population for field testing but we have also developed many innovative health applications, such as Anderson Morgan, Healthcare Software and Verdant Health
eLearning - major contracts have been secured throughout Australia and internationally, with companies like Synateq and 41st Degree Software
eGovernment - Tasmania is focused on innovative government processes, improved services and transparent access to information as developed by technology companies, Eclipse/ DXC, CGI and RXP.
Interactive media - backed by state agency Screen Tasmania, Tasmania offers an interactive media and games production sector with companies such as Ionata Digital, Biteable, TakeFlight, Blue Rocket Productions, Roar Films, Secret Lab, Myriad Games Studio and Giant Margarita
Data centres - TasNetworks, TasmaNet
Digital transformation - Ionata Digital, Anderson Morgan
Project management - 2PM Services, The Project Lab
Cyber security - Anderson Morgan, Fortinet
Agriculture - Tasmania’s AgriVision 2050 plan paves the way to grow the value of the agriculture sector tenfold by 2050. Sensor technology companies like The Yield are working to develop solutions that will improve productivity, reduce compliance costs and provide greater food shelf-life.
Research and development - Tasmania has access to virtual reality, augmented reality, 3-D interaction and universal computing through research and development laboratory, HITLab AU. Similarly, access to applied research in the areas of sensor networks and data management is available through CSIRO Data61, HITLab, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, The Yield, the University of Tasmania and the state wide sensor program, Sense-T.

Sense T is using data, sensing technologies and data analytics to help see alignments and opportunities, to improve decision making and create real impact. It has already made a dramatic impact on innovation and productivity, as well as supporting better resource and environmental management. For example, sensors have enabled better use of irrigation and fertilisers, early warning on frost, and optimising harvesting decisions. The program has also resulted in two projects delivering world first research into tourist movements and a personalised air quality monitoring system to assist people with respiratory issues manage their condition in changing environmental conditions.

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