Sarbeswar Praharaj lived at New College Postgraduate Village (NCV) from 2015-2016 while he was completing his PhD at UNSW. He arrived in Sydney as a trained urban planner and explored this area further in his doctoral research, looking at Smart Cities in India and Australia. He is particularly interested in city analytics, geo-spatial modelling, and the power of digital platforms to bring together local stakeholders in urban development plans.
Most recently, he has used his expertise to produce a COVID-19 India Hotspots Monitor. A live dashboard built using reliable crowdsourced information, it is a useful tool in monitoring the spread of the disease in India.
The dashboard can be viewed here:
https://public.tableau.com/views/Covid-19IndiaHotspotsMonitor/Dashboard1?:display_count=y&:origin=viz_share_link
Sarbeswar is currently conducting research at the Smart Cities and Infrastructure Research Cluster, UNSW. He coordinates the Australia-India Smart Cities Knowledge Exchange Network, and is working on the ‘Making Cities Safer for Women and Children with Smart Technology’ project in collaboration with the Australia-Korea Foundation and the Australian Government.