- WGIC partner(s): Bentley Systems
- City journey step(s): Assess Impacts and Risks, Develop Actions and Adaptation Strategy, Monitor and Report
- Geospatial data type(s): Digital twins and modeling
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is creating the first digital twin of an entire country to advance the nation-state’s efficiency and sustainability. Singapore is seeking to maximize its land use and create a comprehensive flood risk assessment as one of the world’s most densely populated countries, with nearly 8,000 people per square kilometer and over five million inhabitants.
In 2012, SLA began creating a 3D map of the entire country and later developed Virtual Singapore, a digital twin using software provided by Bentley Systems. The mapping teams used laser-scanning aircraft and car-mounted sensors to record terrain and surface information and street-level mapping at a 1cm resolution, using more than 160,000 images and 25TB of data. Bentley combined these data sets into a single platform, allowing multiple government agencies to view and verify information and help inform and improve urban planning and design. The created data set is to be leveraged by nine government agencies to support engineering and crowdsourcing activities.
Singapore is expanding its digital twin by mapping the city’s sub-surface and underground utilities. Singapore’s digital twin is an innovative digital transformation that enables the country to respond to natural disasters, monitor polluting transportation and improve pedestrian flows, enhance building efficiency and sustainability, map potential solar projects to meet its alternative energy goals (with a target to deploy at least 2 GWp of solar energy by 2030), and better plan future green and gray infrastructure projects.
