A safe and secure nation is underpinned by strong research capabilities. In our shifting climate, hazards such as bushfires and floods are expected to increase in frequency and severity over time. In the ever-changing online environment, cyber threats are evolving on a daily basis, affecting our privacy and security.
We partner with consultancies, utilities, emergency response agencies and state and local governments to evaluate natural hazard risks and improve our response to disasters and other emergencies. We have a world-leading capability in modelling and predictive technologies for disasters including floods, coastal inundation and bushfires.
Our products, including SPARK for bushfire simulation and AMICUS for fire spread, are used by industry and government for simulation and mitigation planning. Our software for Emergency Situational Awareness (ESA), which uses our expertise in computational linguistics and natural language processing, improves alert notification and response effectiveness.
As our dependence on interconnected devices increases, so too does our vulnerability when it comes to online security. Preventing, detecting and recovering from online attacks is a global challenge that no individual organisation or government can manage in isolation. That’s why we’re working closely with our local and international partners to enhance our preparedness and ability to combat such threats and minimise disruption. We believe that, in the process, we can make the best of the innovation opportunities in cyber security and create a vibrant and globally competitive Australian cyber security industry.
We are applying our core strengths in data analytics, trustworthy software systems and autonomous cyber operations to accelerate the national cyber security strategy. Our expertise ranges from designing secure authentication for IoT devices, to innovating new data encryption methods and building trustworthy and resilient cyber systems.
We co-supervise, educate and inspire cyber security PhD students working with the DST group and our 29 partner universities across Australia. We’re also committed to educating and upskilling industry on cyber resilience including a collaboration with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) to share our learning and experience.
From localised initiatives, such as predictive analysis of floods and bushfires, through to global disaster risk mapping, we’re committed to ensuring our preparedness and response to disasters is world-leading.
Our work in anonymisation and encryption allows insights to be gleaned from data sets while maintaining the privacy of individuals.
Technological innovations such as cloud computing and IoT can only achieve acceptance if the technology can be trusted. We’re working to enhance the security of these systems.
Our research into understanding and managing risk is providing detailed information to government agencies on environmental risks and smart data acquisition.
Core to CSIRO Data61’s mission to create Australia’s data driven future is to address the underpinning national challenges around cyber security. A summary of progress during FY16/17 against our core cyber security objectives, in support of the National Cyber Security Strategy, is outlined below.