Calvin Oppy

What's your job about?

I am working as a Systems Engineer within Active Network Operations (ANO) within TMR. I am currently part of a team that is working on the STREAMS Platform Management Project (SPMP). STREAMS is a complete, integrated ITS solution supporting a comprehensive range of services and infrastructure, making it possible to run traffic signalling, incident response, motorway management and other traffic services from a single system. The SPM project will refresh key components of the current STREAMS Classic platform, that supports road operations services and manages Intelligent Transport System (ITS) devices such as loop detectors, Variable Speed Limits Signs (VSLS), CCTV, amongst other devices.

Some of the highlights of the work I have done include:

1. Assist in developing a Concept of Operations (ConOps) document for the SPM Project which describes the systems characteristics for a proposed system from a user's perspective,
2. Performing a data comparison exercise over a period of 48-hours between two incident/disruption management logging services, SIMS and COV,
3. Assisting Senior System Engineers as they conduct User Acceptance Testing (UAT) as part of STREAMS Classic deployment activity,
4. Reviewing proposed ITS device placements on SMART motorways and ensuring compliance with TMR design standards, and
5. Extracting Lane Closures and Variable Speed Limit Signs (VSLS) data from STREAMS Classic on behalf of the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB).

Additionally, I have attended several training courses that have greatly expanded my knowledge about Transport and IT systems. These courses include:

1. Safe System Assessment, a course on the characteristics of a Safe System Road environment and learning about the principles of intersection design
2. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), a set of detailed practices for IT activities such as IT service management and IT asset management, and
3. Sidra Intersection, a software package used for intersection capacity, signalised intersections, and network timing calculations.

What's your background?

I grew up in the southeast of Melbourne and attended Monash University completing a double degree in Engineering and Arts, where I majored in Mechanical Engineering and History, respectively. I completed my degree in 2019 and I got a job in Canberra as a Defence Contractor for Downer Defence Systems (DDS). During my two years tenure with DDS prior to working for TMR, I was involved in Intelligence capability integration. Some of this work aspects included auditing the state of Multi-Domain Strike (MDS) within the Defence Enterprise, being involved in the development of the Operational View-1 (OV-1) of MDS and developing the Full Spectrum Targeting (FST) Manual to support capability improvement opportunities and remediate key risks within Defence.

While I was at university I was given the opportunity to complete a student exchange at Tilburg University in the Netherlands along with an internship for the Balkan-based manufacturing company Rade Končar in Skopje, Macedonia. I also worked as a bartender, waiter, barista, and cleaner along with several other service jobs at different times while I was at university.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes, most of my work involves defining and describing proposed system characteristics and outcomes, prior to handing over to developers to work on the technical aspects of the project. I have found that my writing skills, which I have developed from the completion of my Arts degree, are very useful – a lot of engineers can't write very well! The soft skills and people skills I developed from the service work I did have also been useful in the consultation work I have done with operators and coordinators from Transport Management Centres.

What's the coolest thing about your job?

As a Systems Engineer, I sit above all the technical aspects of a project and instead focus on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their lifecycles. I think this gives me a unique perspective — I get to see a project in full and from afar, as opposed to being siloed and focused on the technical aspects of a project.

What are the limitations of your job?

On the flip side of being a Systems Engineer, I don't learn anything in depth. As I must be across the operating principles of the project/product and the direction it is heading, there is no room for me to learn the technical aspects of the work that is going on.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

1. Travel more
2. Get involved in everything you can
3. Don't be afraid to try new things and start fresh!