Greenovation Twin

Cities are complex systems, and the amount of information required to make informed, sustainable decisions is nearly infinite. By visualizing and communicating the city’s systems through a digital twin, data and information are made accessible in a comprehensible way. In the urban planning process, many complex investigations are required. The work is streamlined through the digital twin, which becomes a powerful tool for simulating and studying future scenarios.

The project focuses on the Stockholm Green Innovation District (SGID/Greenovation), Stockholm’s new growth area for innovation and sustainability, spanning southern Stockholm from Årsta to Sickla, with the Tvärbana light rail connecting the area.

What is unique and innovative about this project is the combination of an open digital twin and collaboration between civil society actors and various private and public stakeholders. Unlike many other initiatives, the project focuses more on the usage and methodology rather than just the technology itself.

The ability to collaborate is key to achieving sustainability goals. It is important to help different societal actors manage, visualize, communicate, and collaborate on the city’s various systems.

GOAL
The project’s goal was to establish an open digital twin in collaboration, aiming to: Enhance collaboration between involved stakeholders, identify challenges and needs of the stakeholders and create a better understanding of how digital twins can contribute to more sustainable urban development.

IMPLEMENTATION
The project used a design methodology based on workshops and prototyping. Through a series of workshops and meetings, a shared understanding of the challenges and needs of the various stakeholders was developed to facilitate better collaboration. Based on the results, a prototype was created to embody these ideas and deepen understanding of the challenges in the next workshop.

RESULTS
A prototype of a digital twin has been developed that can be used by the involved stakeholders to communicate about urban development, showcase and spread good examples in the Stockholm Green Innovation District, and shape common visions. The results also include direction for how the prototype should be further developed in the future in the form of visions, specific descriptions, and a roadmap.

A major focus of the project was energy coordination and mobility issues — systems that lie in the gaps between each stakeholder’s responsibilities, where actions and measures impact all stakeholders. A general benefit identified was the twin’s ability to visualize different systems within the city, and how the 3D environment and local data facilitate understanding and communication of various initiatives and changes over time. This makes decision-making and communication easier.

The project has developed a method to gather common data and present it graphically. Challenges for further development lie in harmonizing data from various sources so it can be cross-referenced within the twin. The prototype is built in the Unity game engine, but the data structure is server-based and independent of the visualization engine. The next development step is to gather a larger volume of data for analysis and simulations. The model can be used to track how a location develops over time with links to various measurable factors, and simulate how similar initiatives can provide benefits in other districts.