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Introduction

The German municipality of Hofbieber is working with Hexagon to create an urban digital twin that will monitor the town’s progress toward reaching carbon neutrality by 2030.
The smart monitoring digital twin uses environmental data to replicate the physical municipality, with 3D simulations ranging from C02 emissions to heat disbursement and flooding risks.

In addition to reaching climate goals, Hofbieber can see higher property values, lower insurance rates and increased economic development and tourism because of environmental and urban management made possible by digital twin modelling.

Challenges

Data collection challenges were:
Sources of greenhouse gas emissions
Identification of greenhouse sinks (where can greenhouse gases be offset?)
Natural carbon reservoir
Recording natural biomass
Climate-neutral heat and power generation plants
Creating the 3D digital twin

Once data was collected, then the development of digital project model
Recording emitters
Recording sinks
Evaluation
Balancing
Visualisation of potential

Solutions

The digital twin work is being done in cooperation with KC Becker, one of Hexagon’s local partners for municipality work. Hofbieber has also been a long time user of Hexagon’s GeoMedia Smart Client solution for mapping and geographic information systems workflows. The smaller footprint of Hofbieber – 87 square kilometers -- allowed Hexagon to create a digital twin for the first time using aerial images obtained using drone flights rather than traditional aerial photography refining it using HxGN Luciad Fusion.

Results

By tracking its CO2 emissions with a digital twin, Hofbieber can monitor and compare its progress to other municipalities. The digital twin can also be programmed going forward to simulate flooding risks, heat islands, wind pathways, traffic and more for the municipality.

“The aim of the municipality of Hofbieber is to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, and the digital twin is an integral part of making the municipality ready for the future,” said Mayor Markus Röder.

Smart Digital twin
Hexagon

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