New insights driving smarter irrigation management across Australia’s food bowl

Spanning more than 740,000 hectares of farmland across southern New South Wales, Murray Irrigation Limited’s network is critical to regional productivity, water security and community resilience. But with thousands of kilometres of channels and tens of thousands of distributed assets, understanding asset condition at scale has always been a complex and resource-intensive challenge.

A pioneering method for assessing irrigation infrastructure

Working in close partnership with Murray Irrigation, our team brought together aerial data capture, machine learning and geospatial analytics to create a smarter, more efficient way to assess their network.

High-resolution imagery, LiDAR and spatial data were used to build a detailed picture of channel condition, while machine learning models helped identify defects such as erosion, vegetation intrusion and structural wear. This information was brought together in a centralised GIS platform which gave the Murray Irrigation team a clear, accessible view of asset condition across their entire network.

As Jarryd Pearce, Senior Manager of Water Delivery at Murray Irrigation Limited explains, “This is the biggest one-off condition assessment that MIL has ever done. Innovation is a key enabler for the future of Murray Irrigation.”

From a reactive to proactive approach to asset management

The result is more than a one-off assessment. It’s a step change in how irrigation infrastructure can be managed by shifting from reactive, site-based inspections to a proactive, data-driven approach.

With a comprehensive baseline now in place, Murray Irrigation can better prioritise maintenance and investment, reduce the need for manual inspections, and plan with greater confidence for the long term. The scalable methodology also means assessments can be repeated and refined over time, continuously improving the quality of insight.

Ron McCalman, CEO Murray Irrigation Limited adds, “I commend the Asset Management Teams vision to address the monumental challenge of our aging assets across such a large footprint and to drive innovation in our industry. Having this updated condition assessment data and the high-quality imagery available for the company and seeing it already in use across BAU, shows the efficiencies being achieved and the beginning of a return to the investment.”

For the rural communities and agricultural industries that rely on this network, that means more reliable water delivery, stronger agricultural productivity and greater resilience into the future.

The project is already demonstrating what’s possible when advanced data and deep collaboration come together and is generating interest across the irrigation sector, as operators look for new ways to manage ageing infrastructure at scale.

Key Highlights

• 740,000+ hectares supported 
• 17,000+ assets assessed 
• ~4,000km of irrigation network analysed

Watch a short video about the project below: