The benefits of using Digital Twin technology for city planning

Digital twin technology plays an integral part in our modern industrial world allowing many businesses and industries to create virtual replicas of an environment or physical devices. Not only does a digital twin provide a more in-depth visualisation of its real-world counterpart but gathers high quality data which can be used to create simulations and ‘what-if’ scenarios. The benefits of such data can help reduce maintenance issues in machinery, predict deterioration on road surfaces and much more.

This innovative and cutting-edge technology has potential to help businesses across many sectors save time, cut costs and increase revenue. By increasing efficiency and improving operations it is easy to see how a digital twin can largely benefit industries such as manufacturing, but where else can it improve operations? Here, we take a look at some examples of how digital twins can benefit businesses in various ways.

Highway maintenance is an industry that requires site visits, physical labour and constant ongoing repair work in order to keep road users and pedestrians safe. It is a mammoth task for local authorities to keep on top of reported damage such as potholes, cracks in the road and damaged road surfaces. Using a digital twin in this industry could vastly improve operations by using high quality, real-time data to analyse damage, predict deterioration and monitor fading white lines or damaged signs. All of this can be achieved remotely through one source of data saving costly site visits and valuable time.

In addition, digital twins can allow for a more detailed analysis of a project. By using smart sensors to capture an environment such as a road, contractors and highway maintenance companies can accurately predict the scope of work identifying damage above and below a road surface. This enables engineering teams to identify the true cost of repair works required and exactly what is needed to carry out the maintenance.

By using the same technology to create visual replicas and gather real-time data, management teams can provide innovative and efficient training programmes for their staff. Digital twins can create synthetic scenarios to help team members prepare for emergencies, maintenance or find faults in devices such as industrial machinery. As a result of using a digital twin for training, staff members are more likely to be better prepared for ‘real life’ situations.

Similarly, digital twin technology can be deployed in city planning departments to help planning teams visualise entire towns and cities. A virtual replica and the data that it provides can greatly benefit planning teams, local authorities and policy makers by providing them with real-time data captured by smart sensors. Information on anything from footfall of pedestrians to flow of traffic can help greatly when it comes to planning the position of a new park or changing the layout of a road.

These real time visualisations that digital twins provide can positively impact many businesses and industries. Whether your business is looking to improve production, provide virtual training sessions or simply monitor operations, digital twin technology can virtually empower businesses from the inside out.