Alison Donnellan, Author at Algorithm

Artificial Intelligence

Machine learning reveals new insights about energy consumption in Australia

Energy prices often increase as the temperature fluctuates, but did you know that homes further inland tend to have higher levels of use regardless of the season? Or that households with higher incomes use more gas? And that when the temperature rises above 13 degrees, gas consumption drops to some of its lowest levels? These insights are crucial when planning household energy distribution, pricing and infrastructure, and avoiding issues such as power surges and black outs. ...

Featured

Ribit finds new home at Stone & Chalk

Ribit, our student job and internship matching platform, has been acquired by its anchor client, Australia’s largest emerging technology incubator and impact network, Stone & Chalk. Not-for-profit Stone & Chalk brings together founders, talent, investors, industry, corporate and government stakeholders to drive growth, advocacy and commercialisation. Ribit was launched in February 2016 by CSIRO’s Data61 to...

Achieving blockchain adoption: the skills mix that will drive Australian blockchain development

Blockchain technology will be worth over US$175 billion by 2025, and in excess of US$3 trillion by 2030, according to the Australian Government’s National Blockchain Roadmap. Australia must seize this opportunity to become a world-leader in digital technology and bolster the economy, but despite its potential, there is significant uncertainty regarding future adoption of blockchain technology locally. CSIRO’s Data61 researchers have identified a particular set of workforce...

Leadership Insights

Telehealth in Australia during COVID-19 and beyond: Insights

Telehealth has traditionally been used as a mechanism to improve access to healthcare services in rural and remote areas where such services are difficult to access in person. It can reduce the distance that people need to travel for healthcare services and expand the reach of specialist and allied health services, which are less accessible...

Cybersecurity

This new phishing detection system can decode fraudsters

Australians have lost almost half a million dollars this year to phishing scams according to Scamwatch, with over 13,000 reports of attacks affecting individuals aged 18 to over 65. A form of online malicious activity, phishing has increased significantly since 2010, with the outbreak of COVID-19 and a shift to working from home exacerbating the practise. Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit...

Strategic Insights

Pivoting a retail business during COVID-19: Insights

The Australian retail sector is the nation’s second largest employer after healthcare. In August 2019, there were over 1.2 million Australians employed in retail[1], with more working as owner operators in micro or small businesses. For many working in this sector, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lock-down has been devastating. For others, however, there have...

Cybersecurity

How you can a-Void a voice spoofing attack

‘Hey CSIRO’s Data61, how can I prevent spoofing attacks on my voice assistant?’ Good question – if you’re one of the 2.9 million smart speaker or voice assistant owners in Australia (that’s 14% of the population), ensuring your smart device isn’t used to impersonate you and trick third parties into releasing your personal information is crucial. ...

Robotics

Designing robots to detect and deactivate landmines

There have been 122,000 landmine casualties since global tracking began in 1999, with 25% occurring between 2015 to 2018 and a substantial percentage children. Demining is currently a painstakingly difficult task, with the detection, cost, and human risk presenting significant challenges to creating safe and secure landmine-free communities. Robotics are uniquely equipped to handle dangerous tasks such as these, a fact...

Artificial Intelligence

AI provides a picture of mental wellbeing from the bushfires and through COVID-19

It’s been an undeniably challenging start to 2020 for many Australians. The Black Summer of December and January destroyed environments, homes, businesses and communities, while in March the COVID-19 pandemic forced daily life as we knew it to a halt. Lifeline has seen a significant increase in calls for help, with usage up by 25 per cent after 90,000 Australians phoned the crisis support service each...

Analytics

How this algorithm makes your energy bill easier

In 2017, power contributed to 3.04 per cent of Australian’s annual household spend, with electricity costs rising by 9 per cent and gas and other fuels by 21 per cent in the previous six years. As Australia’s energy market continues to fluctuate and transform in response to national and worldwide change, finding the best energy...

Posts by Alison Donnellan