CASE STUDIES
Solving the Power and Infrastructure Puzzle for Smart City and Rural Monitoring Challenges
Tuesday, 26 May, 2026
In the pursuit of smarter, safer, and more sustainable cities, high-quality data is the most valuable currency. Across the globe, local authorities are transitioning away from fragmented, single-use, single-site data collection methods towards sophisticated, multimodal continuous network monitoring. The goal is clear: to establish a “single source of truth” that planners and traffic teams can trust for every use case.
However, a significant physical hurdle often stands in the way: the streetscape itself.
Traditional traffic sensors require an unobstructed field of view—ideally mounted between 5.5 and 6.0 meters high on existing vertical infrastructure—and a consistent 24-hour mains power supply. But what happens when the perfect location for data collection lacks a power source, or when the local authority doesn’t actually own the street furniture?
The Infrastructure Challenge
Scaling smart city technology often uncovers hidden layers of bureaucracy. In the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region, for example, getting approvals to use existing street lights and traffic signal poles is a major challenge. Unlike in some other markets, ANZ lighting columns are usually owned by power companies, while traffic signals are owned by the state.
This ownership structure makes the installation of permanent sensors subject to complex permissions and administrative surcharges that can become prohibitive. To bridge this gap and ensure cities can still benefit from cutting-edge sensor technology, VivaCity has developed a suite of alternative installation solutions designed for agility, independence, and rapid deployment.
Solution 1: Permanent Solar Independence
When a strategic location lacks power or existing infrastructure access, we don’t have to abandon the countline. For long-term data gathering (12+ months), VivaCity partners with specialised providers to deploy permanent solar-powered solutions.
Independent Infrastructure: A permanent pole can be installed directly into a green strip or bolted into concrete, bypassing the need for existing infrastructure.
Off-Grid Power: The system operates entirely off-grid, typically powered by a 200W solar panel and a 100AH lithium battery.
Safe and Compliant: Installations are conducted safely, requiring standard utility clearances like a “Before You Dig Australia” (BYDA) check prior to installing the concrete base.
VivaCity Sensors installed with solar power option when standard power is not unavailable
Solution 2: Portable Agility for Short-Term Insights
Sometimes, councils need to be highly agile—whether for a short-term three-month trial, a temporary active travel scheme, or to bypass lengthy permit delays entirely. Beyond flexibility, this approach offers a strong financial incentive. From a cost perspective, after the initial CAPEX investment, this portable option proves to be incredibly good value over outdated, legacy data collection systems. Crucially, it replaces fragmented, single-use surveys with the distinct advantage of capturing continuous, real-time multimodal data.
Semi-Permanent Bases: We utilise poles pre-mounted on heavy concrete block bases that can be placed directly on wide pavements, paths, or green strips.
Solar Trailers: For ultimate portability, solar-powered trailers allow customers to easily move sensors to different locations, making them highly convenient for conducting short city-wide surveys.
Independent Operation: Like our permanent poles, these portable units are powered entirely by solar and battery kits, removing any reliance on the local power grid.
Leveraging Council-Owned Assets
VivaCity sensors are ideally deployed on council-owned infrastructure, such as street light poles, traffic signal assets, signage posts, and buildings. By utilizing assets within the direct control of the local authority, councils bypass external stakeholders like state road authorities or utility providers. This significantly reduces lead times and enables deployments exactly where data is needed most—whether along active travel corridors, in parks and precincts, or at key intersections.
The benefits of leveraging council-owned assets are substantial, supporting a more strategic, network-wide view of transport and place data:
Speed and Agility: Faster access and approvals give councils the agility to pilot, scale, and adapt sensor networks in line with project timelines, funding windows, or emerging priorities.
Cost-Effective & Simple Installation: Deployments involve minimal disruption, often utilizing existing mounting points or simple brackets, which keeps installation costs and complexity low.
Flexible Power Options: Sensors can be powered directly via a traditional mains supply or through increasingly flexible solar and battery setups.
Straightforward Maintenance: Because the local authority owns the furniture, ongoing maintenance and physical access remain entirely within your control.
Evidence-Led Outcomes: Building consistent, high-quality datasets across your own assets seamlessly underpins before-and-after scheme evaluations, long-term planning, safety improvements, and community engagement.
Commercial Installations
When council-owned infrastructure is unavailable, VivaCity sensors can easily be installed on commercial premises such as retail frontages, office buildings, car parks, and privately owned poles. By collaborating directly with property owners and business operators who share a vision for safer, more vibrant urban spaces, councils can unlock high-value locations and fill critical data gaps across busy precincts, high streets, and mixed-use areas.
Partnering with commercial premises allows councils to extend their sensor network faster and more strategically, offering benefits that go far beyond basic coverage:
Non-Intrusive Deployment: Installations are lightweight and mounted with minimal impact on the building or daily business operations.
Flexible Power Options: These setups can utilize the building’s existing mains power or employ discrete solar and battery solutions where needed.
Shared Community Ownership: This approach fosters collaboration, with businesses frequently showing active interest in local initiatives around footfall understanding, safety improvements, and precinct planning.
Boosted Local Economy: The resulting data supports better outcomes for both councils and businesses by helping to optimize pedestrian flows, inform trading hours, and guide local activation strategies.
Evidence-Led Safety: Empowering both the council and the community with data-led interventions enhances overall safety and brings local stakeholders along on the journey toward smarter, more responsive places.
Uncompromised Data Quality
Choosing an alternative installation method does not mean sacrificing the quality of the insights. Whether mounted on a standard traffic signal or a temporary solar block, VivaCity sensors continue to deliver industry-leading performance:
Exceptional Accuracy: Our sensors provide 97% independently verified accuracy for 13 different multimodal classes, 24/7.
Comprehensive Datasets: From a single sensor, users can gather an extensive range of data, including Classified Counts, Journey Times, Tracks, Turning Counts, Speed, Occupancy, Near-Miss detection, and Classified Journey Times.
Privacy by Design: All AI-powered video processing happens on the device ; data is strictly anonymous , and video is discarded at the source to ensure no private data ever leaves the sensor.
Empowering the Network
We believe that hardware limitations shouldn’t dictate your data strategy. By removing the barriers of power access and pole ownership, alternative installations enable local authorities to scale their sensor networks efficiently. Moving from small, one-off projects to city-wide rollouts dramatically reduces the total cost of data collection and ensures that insights can truly underpin grant-writing, strategic planning, and the future of urban design.
Discover VivaCity’s Powerful 3-in-1 Sensor Solution
Maximise your investment with smart traffic solutions that deliver more performance and value for you. VivaCity sensors are versatile, adaptable, and designed to grow with your needs, offering a powerful 3-in-one application: the most comprehensive datasets for traffic monitoring, life-saving road safety tools including our near miss technology, and multimodal data for traffic signal optimisation – all from a single device.
Ready to elevate your road network efficiency and safety?
