DUET Project Helps Cities Address Local Problems With A Digital Twin Technology

The explosion of data along with enabling technologies (artificial intelligence, machine learning, cognitive computing etc.) is already driving a paradigm shift in the way cities and regions are governed. However, many public administrations are still at the start of the transformation journey and progress in general has been slow. Past studies found that only 12% of city data is analysed and used for decision making and management, leaving the vast majority of the corpus untouched. Why are cities not taking advantage of the data-rich environment that surrounds them? Assuming cities find a way to harness most of this data, how can we ensure they make the most of it to inform agile, forward looking policy making? These are the sort of questions that DUET aims to answer.

DUET is a brand new innovation project which leverages the advanced capabilities of cloud and high-performance computing, in the form of Digital Twins, to help public sector decision-making become more democratic and effective. By creating digital replicas of a city, people, no matter their background, can use the Digital Twins 3D and 2D interfaces for easy policy impact exploration and experimentation across entire cities and regions.

DUET's use of Digital Twins truly changes the policy game, disrupting the field of Smart Cities and transitioning to a new age of Responsive Cities. With responsive cities, solutions are not designed around citizens, they are designed with the citizen placed firmly at the center of the action. Where Smart Cities are technology driven and produce large amounts of data from fixed or centrally controlled sensors, Responsive Cities recognise that citizens are also a major player in data generation which helps to shape real-time city decisions.

Initially, DUET will be developed and tested in Flanders, Pilsen and Athens. These pilots start from different positions on the digital twin journey. Some Flemish cities (e.g. Antwerp) have a working prototype. Pilsen has the tools but not an integrated solution. Athens is in the early stages of its Digital Transformation Roadmap and is practically starting from scratch. However, all three believe in the concept, sharing a conviction that digital twin technology is key to effective, future-proof policy making. By the end of the project, each pilot will receive a solution commensurate with their city's digital maturity, smart city strategy, political buy-in and budget.

During the project, DUET will be tested in the smart city environment, with local administrations as its main users. However, a fully developed solution has no restrictions when it comes to potential adopters. City halls, companies (big and small), universities, emergency services all are using DUET because it is cheaper, more advanced and user-friendly than competitor solutions. Thanks to DUET, organisations become more responsive, reacting rapidly to real-time events; policy decisions are faster and more effective, and relationships with citizens are improved.

At DUET's launch in Antwerp, Project Coordinator Lieven Raes of Agency Informatie Vlanderen said "What is clear now is that the project has an ambitious vision and a correspondingly high potential to realise it while delivering multiple benefits to a variety of stakeholders. Any city regardless of size can use DUET to realise the full potential of city data, and drive an era of informed, smart and co-created policy making."

To find out more about DUET and keep abreast of its developments, visit digitalurbantwins.com or follow the project on Twitter (@DuetH2020)

Notes to Editors:
Project website is available at www.digitalurbantwins.com
DUET is a 36-months project that launched in December 2019
DUET has received funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 870697

For more information, please contact Susie Ruston McAleer - susie@21cconsultancy.com

21c Consultancy Ltd.
Acorn House
33 Churchfield Road
London W3 6A

21c is an SME with an established track record in designing, delivering and promoting successful ICT innovation initiatives that generate multi-stakeholder engagement across multiple communication channels.

This release was published on openPR.