Sizztech services one of the fastest developing regions of Australia. Robust urban growth modelling tools are required to provide informed strategic planning outcomes. Better planning supports the timely and cost-effective delivery of network infrastructure to service this future urban growth. Forecaz was developed by Sizztech to address this need.

Development of Forecaz commenced in 2012 with the Demand Modeller and Tracking Tool (DMaTT) project, a collaboration with Unitywater and Sizztech.  The tool was first deployed in early 2014. The project aimed to develop and implement an automated urban growth modelling, forecasting and demand tracking tool that was credible, consistent, transparent, dynamic and repeatable. The modelling tool has continued to undergo extensive enhancements to become Forecaz.

From 2014 to 2017, Unitywater used Forecaz to progressively generate and refine the urban growth models for Noosa Council, Sunshine Coast Council and Moreton Bay Regional Council. As part of an ongoing program, these urban growth models are updated every six to 12 months.

In 2017 Urban Utilities engaged Sizztech to implemented Forecaz into their environment. Urban Utilities found long term water and sewer infrastructure planning difficult due to outdated planning assumptions not reflecting the actual development that was occurring. Urban Utilities embarked on a 4-year plan to develop and maintain urban growth models for the five local government areas they serviced. Commencing with Ipswich City Council urban growth model in 2018. Following by the Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Somerset Regional Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council and Brisbane City Council urban growth model in later years. The ongoing refresh and refinement of these models continues to be performed. Sizztech has been engaged to assist with this program of works and has made a number of enhancements to Forecaz to integrate the solution within Urban Utilities’ environment.

In 2017 at the University of Sunshine Coast (USC), Sizztech collaborated with Unitywater and USC to introduce a new a third-year subject in USC’s Bachelor of Urban Design and Town Planning (Honours) program. Students were required to develop an urban consolidation development scenario that achieved the vision, aims and objectives for urban consolidation within in the case study urban centre. The project was supported by the use of Forecaz for the modelling of the urban consolidation scenarios. Exposing students to these advance planning approaches and prepare USC students for their future planning careers to explore the new opportunities and impacts of urban consolidation utilising advance modelling tools. This provides industry with graduates that are proficient with these tools.

In 2018 City of Gold Coast (CoGC) engaged Sizztech to implement Forecaz to deliver a robust modelling framework and support a repeatable methodology to provide greater certainty in the City’s growth forecasts. CoGC saw the Planning and Urban Growth (PUG) Model as critical to the success of the City’s next amendment to its Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP). For the last 2 years Sizztech has been working very closely with the PUG Team which resulted in a number of advanced features being implemented in Forecaz to support the complexities of producing urban growth planning assumptions for an LGIP.

Forecaz continues to be enhanced and refined by Sizztech and is being used to model future urban growth of Local Government Areas across Austrialia.

Please contact us for further details.