DIGITAL TWINS OF CITIES
Hexagon is supporting cities around the world to achieve their sustainability goals , including in :
• California – digital twins map green spaces to save water
• Austria – digital twins help city planners make informed decisions when implementing solar panels
• Palermo , Italy – digital twins improve the efficiency and sustainability of maintaining and watering public green areas , gardens , and parks
“ Green spaces are crucial because they lead to healthier communities and more satisfied and fulfilled residents ,” Eva says . “ A digital twin was created using images from the European Union ’ s space programme , Copernicus . This now monitors areas of vegetative stress and keeps Palermo ’ s green spaces healthier , while also reducing costs associated with in-person inspections , maintenance and planning .”
For example , NTT Data has partnered with climate tech start-up Eoliann to use a digital twin to simulate flood risks using data visualisation . This helps build datadriven climate resilience into financial , economic and social decision-making .
The opportunities in a closed loop “ Where digital twins become powerful is where there is a closed loop ,” says Bill .
In a closed loop the digital twin sets a condition which , when met , triggers an action .
“ The most obvious is a smart building where occupation sensors can be harnessed to power down lighting ,
104 July 2024