BoM's Groundbreaking Tech Transformation Project 'Robust' Achieved Under Budget at $866M

The AustralianBureau of Meteorology (BoM) has wrapped up its seven-year technology transformation project known as Robust.

It was speculated to be a billion-dollar endeavour, but, contrary to expectation, it concluded at $866 million.

The program, dubbed as the BoM's "most ambitious project," aimed to rectify "security, stability, and resilience vulnerabilities" that had emerged following a 2015 hack, and subsequent outages. The vulnerabilities were born out of a lack of sustained investment, a situation Robust was designed to amend.

Over the course of seven years, up until June 30, 2024, when the program officially concluded, an elaborate transformation was carried out. A new IT infrastructure was erected, superior cyber and physical security capabilities were installed, along with a fully operating environment. Major upgrades, including new and enhanced radars, automated weather balloon launchers, flood warning equipment, and associated communication networks, were completed.

Andrew Johnson, CEO of BoM, stated that Robust has delivered secure, stable, and resilient technologies for the Australian community, allowing the Bureau to continue providing trusted and reliable weather, water, climate, and ocean services. Thanks to this significant investment, the BoM maintains its position as one of the world's leading hydrological and meteorological agencies.

- CyberBeat