Project Title: Wave Forecasting at Olympic Venues: Complex System Modelling- Partner Organisation: Surfing Australia
- Masters student at the UNSW Data Science Hub
- Supervisors: Dr Mitchell Harley (UNSW) & Professor Scott Sisson (UNSW)
Jono recently completed a Bachelor of Data Science and Decisions at UNSW, majoring in Quantitative Data Science. As part of that, he completed an exchange semester at the University of Amsterdam in the first part of 2023. Jono grew up in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and spent a lot of time in and around the ocean. He’s always loved swimming and surfing. In his spare time, he’s active and can be found at the gym, the beach, or playing basketball or soccer.
What made you interested in this program?
Having completed my undergraduate degree, I was searching for a pathway to further my career towards a field about which I am passionate and will enjoy working in. I have always been fascinated by the analytical aspect of performance in sport – the opportunity provided by this project to apply my skills in this field excites me greatly. Additionally, I enjoy surfing and so to be able to contribute to Australia’s Olympic aspirations while furthering my education is simply an incredible opportunity.
What research question are you looking forward to exploring?
The objective of this project is to assist the competitive performance of Australia’s surfers through forecasting and now-casting tools with a particular focus on wave-riding opportunities. In short, I’m aiming to develop a model that can mimic a surfer’s intuition and determine optimal wave selection through accurate and timely forecasting. I’m excited to explore the data and identify what the most significant factors are in creating wave-riding opportunities. I am also looking forward to dealing with the challenges provided by attempting to model the unpredictable ocean over an extended period of time; namely, how can prediction accuracy be upheld over the course of a 30-60 minute competitive surfing heat, and how can I foresee and account for any sudden changes in the oceanic conditions?
Fun fact about yourself?
I played the flute for ten years and growing up my first dream job was an archaeologist.
Please join us in welcoming Jono!