The digital twin city is a powerful approach to urban planning and management that has emerged in a time of rapidly increasing urbanization. A digital twin city is a virtual replica of a physical city that enables simulation, monitoring, and control of complex urban scenarios, enhancing efficiency and sustainability.
We are now on the brink of an even more transformative phase in urban development: the era of metavercities. Metavercities are the next evolution of digital twin cities, integrating physical, digital, and human systems to create an interconnected urban ecosystem.
This transition promises immense benefits to economic growth, social inclusion, and innovation, but poses significant challenges. We need a deeper understanding of the digital twin city concept, development of relevant technology and governance structures, and a clear path forward.
Best practice in the world of digital twins
Over the past year, the World Economic Forum and industry partners have selected three best practice examples of digital twin city projects.
Auckland, New Zealand
Safeswim is a digital twin of Auckland’s wastewater and stormwater networks that predicts water quality across the city’s 84 beaches in real time. Over 1 billion data points and analysis are collated from multiple organizations each day. Due to its success Safeswim has been extended to include 72 sites throughout New Zealand’s Northland Region and is Surf Life Saving’s chosen platform to share water safety information and warnings.
Hong Kong SAR
The Tung Chung New Town Extension (TCNTE) is the pilot project to develop a low-carbon community on Lantau Island. Innovative technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), satellite navigation, and smart security measures have been used in all aspects of reclamation works in Tung Chung East. The digital twin platform in the TCNTE has been so successful that the government extended its use to other developments, including Kwu Tung North and Fanling North. This technology is now standard practice. There are over 400 models in the platform, contributed by 14 construction contracts across 30 companies.
Ürümqi, China
At the IoT Port Platform of the China-Europe Railway Assembly Center, digital twin city technology and AI have been leveraged to improve efficiency and safety across visibility, monitoring, and management of this station. The technology allows visualization of the entire container management logistics process, creating greater planning opportunities. Introducing unmanned trucks and security patrol vehicles will greatly facilitate the station’s replacement of manual labour with robots.
Metavercities: the next evolution of urban development
Metavercities are the next evolution of digital twin cities, integrating physical, digital, and human systems to create an interconnected urban ecosystem. In a metavercity data is not just collected and analyzed but also shared and acted upon in real-time.
Seamless integration of physical and virtual spaces can reshape and optimize urban planning, governance, and service delivery. The result is more efficient and convenient living spaces and ecologically sustainable urban environments.
A metavercity extends the concept of a digital twin city by creating a more immersive and interactive virtual representation of the city. While a digital twin city serves as the foundation, a metavercity is the direct and impactful application, bridging the gap between physical and virtual spaces. The presence of cities in the metaverse can help city leaders unlock new economic opportunities and extends city services via the digital space. Through virtual reality, residents can follow distance-learning classes as if they were actually in a classroom; they can travel without leaving their homes. Metavercities preserve a city’s branding, identity, and policies while allowing extended interactions and social inclusion.
Navigating the challenges in transitioning to metavercities
Transitioning from a digital twin city to a metavercity is a complex process. Stakeholder buy-in and active participation are crucial to overcoming many significant challenges:
Governments, businesses, and citizens need a deep understanding of the digital twin city concept. This involves everything from the details of creating a virtual replica of a city and simulating urban scenarios, to managing the data generated and creating strategic direction.
Tech providers must invest in and develop metaverse-enabling technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, AI, haptics, and robotics. These are crucial for creating immersive digital spaces and diverse service delivery models. Additionally, metavercities need to be supported by unified dialogue interfaces, operating systems, and development environments.
Governing bodies must face the challenges of data governance, delicately balancing the value of data against personal privacy. Governments should pay attention to data ownership and protection, establishing graded systems and supervisions with different levels of precision and confidentiality.
Businesses can turn their attention to talent acquisition and development. Building a metavercity requires a workforce that provides not just technical skills but also has the ability to juggle the complex interplay between physical and virtual urban spaces.
The main operation of digital twin city programmes is government-enterprise cooperation, where government invests and provides public infrastructure, and enterprise builds the virtual city. This requires viable regulatory frameworks and business models that encourage and facilitate such partnerships.
Citizens, as primary users, need to be involved in all stages of the process to ensure metavercities meet their needs and improve their quality of life. Citizens should be encouraged to participate in the construction and operation of their city, and to promote inclusive and impactful projects.
Stepping into our immersive digital future
Metavercities, with their immersive digital spaces, diverse modes of service delivery, and vibrant engines of growth, hold immense potential for economic growth, tourism, education, social inclusion, and innovation. However, the path to metavercities is not without its challenges.
The development of metavercities requires the active participation of all stakeholders, including governments, businesses, tech providers, and citizens. Strategic direction, regulatory policies, infrastructure, and enabling technologies must be developed and implemented.
By fostering public-private partnerships, encouraging innovation, and ensuring inclusivity, we can pave the way for a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive urban futures. The road may be rough, but the destination makes it a journey worth embarking on.
Source: World Economic forum