A Swiss research consortium has started work on UrbanTwin. The project aims to create a digital twin of Aigle. According to a report from the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), it also intends to support decision makers in other cities in achieving environmental goals and the vision of climate-adapted sponge cities. Sponge cities absorb local rainwater and store it instead of channeling and draining it. This can help to avoid flooding during heavy rain.
UrbanTwin intends to accurately simulate the development of these interconnected infrastructures under different climate scenarios and to assess the effectiveness of measures related to climate change. The tool will be based on a detailed model of critical urban infrastructures such as energy, water, buildings and mobility. UrbanTwin intends to accurately simulate the development of these interconnected infrastructures under different climate scenarios and to assess the effectiveness of measures related to climate change.
"We will combine state-of-the-art sensors, climate science and algorithmic calculations in a tool set - a digital twin," commented Jan Kerschgens, Managing Director of the EPFL Center for Intelligent Systems. As a "pioneering example" of what artificial intelligence can do today, UrbanTwin will be "a living model that learns from its own accomplishments and grows over time", according to the EPFL.
The project brings together research work from five ETH institutions: the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne, the Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), the Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) and the Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG). Four EPFL centers will oversee communication and scientific project management.
