Virtual twins in urban ecosystems

The following article is excerpted from Building a Better and Sustainable Life, a whitepaper developed by Dassault Systèmes.

Track project execution and manage governance

Governance today requires software platforms that do more than reproduce traditional workflows digitally. They have to integrate a wide range of data digitally, organize it and distribute it. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform facilitates project execution and also governance.

“This intelligent digital model, once integrated into the 3DEXPERIENCE platform becomes a foundation that all stakeholders of the city, both internal and external can access to simulate, plan and manage the city in a transversal and collaborative way.” – Christelle GIBON, Head of General and 3D Data, Geographic Information Service, Rennes Métropole

“Dassault Systèmes and Arup recently completed a project for the city of Hong Kong called the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure Built Environment Application Platform, in order to make use of innovation and technology in improving the efficiency of the city’s operations and quality of life. The test case showed that this would be a very useful tool for the government, private sector and academics to collaborate in implementing the city of Hong Kong as a smart city in terms of operations and management.” – Wilfred Lau, Arup fellow and Director

Overcoming the complexity of urban ecosystems

Cities could be way more agile than they are. One of the biggest barriers is that information does not flow easily. Main functions of the city are managed independently and some responsibilities are shared with other administrative layers like region or state. From roads to mobility, to water, energy, waste, health and security, systems are disconnected and collaboration is not fluid.

“Agility means that you have to find local solutions and design in rethinking the global system. For example, mobility system is about the experience of the traveller: planning, booking, trips modalities… An agile system will be centered on the uses. Yet the regulator will have to take decisions in the innovative offers for transportation.” – Henri Beringer, Transport & Mobility Consulting Director, Dassault Systèmes

A virtual twin created in 3DEXPERIENCE platform tackles silos and allows a common place to share data, work collaboratively and monitor the implementation of all projects in one place. This is how cities can better plan in the virtual world to more efficiently transform the real world.

Extending the ecosystem of suppliers

The value chain around cities continues to evolve fast.

Emerging new online services challenge how cities have traditionally regulated. To resolve this, virtual twins could become either compulsory or must-have to deliver best-in-class city planning.

On the one hand, cities can help suppliers by providing a common tool and platform to enhance planning. On the other, the supplier ecosystem needs to be innovative in their product offerings, and in how they engage with cities and their partner networks.

Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twins can support urban ecosystems by allowing cities to plan and execute multiple scenarios, to extend the ecosystem to new partners and to foster innovative solutions.

Take back control

Recently, cities have been undermined by the complexity of their ecosystems. How they connect multiple stakeholders, how they leverage the speed of innovations, how they access and share reliable and timely data has proved a challenge.

For example, in the past decade, new mobility services were introduced with more or less involvement of local authorities. Creating traffic where there was no jamming sidewalks with bicycles. It is critical for cities to retain the ability to reconcile citizen’s needs with the best available solutions, in the mobility arena but across the full spectrum of services.

By taking back control, cities provide the whole ecosystem with fair and inclusive services.

Sustainable urban development has entered a new era, impacted by demographic & regulatory pressures, climate change and a new scale of difficult-to-predict short and long-term challenges.