Building the future
Phil Marsh, UK Sales Manager – Reality Capture, and Shane Gwilt MCInstCES, Mobile Mapping and Utility Survey Manager, Leica Geosystems part of Hexagon
WHEN you think of a ‘digital twin’, you might imagine a static 3D model of a city or building. But it’s time to rethink that idea. Smart digital reality (SDR) utilises advanced digital technologies to create a virtual representation of the physical world. At the core of SDR are digital twins, which are virtual representations of physical objects, systems, or environments that include real-time information and enable real-time monitoring, analysis and simulation.
Digital twins have transformed from static 3D models to dynamic replicas of physical objects and environments and, when current and up to date, create an SDR. With the help of complex data integration, they can map out entire cities with unprecedented accuracy. Technology, such as HxDR (Hexagon Digital Realities), a cloud-based storage, visualisation, and collaboration platform for reality capture data, is revolutionising the geospatial industry, enhancing resource management, streamlining decision-making, and potentially becoming the sector’s backbone.
With growing urbanisation and complex infrastructure projects, SDR has become crucial for sustainable, efficient, and data-driven planning. However, challenges such as data silos and complex system integration have slowed their widespread adoption.
The increasing urban density and innovations in autonomous reality capture are driving the leap from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a necessity in SDR. But how close are we to this digitally smart future?
The increasing urban density and innovations in autonomous reality capture are driving the leap from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a necessity in SDR. But how close are we to this digitally smart future?
The current landscape
The widespread use of SDR technologies already benefits the geospatial and construction industries. These technologies provide accurate, real-time maps that adapt to changes in landscapes and intelligent building monitoring systems that predict and prevent maintenance issues. With every byte of data, SDR is proving value in enhancing these industries.
The power of SDR and extended reality (XR) can provide users with immersive experiences that blend the digital and physical realms. XR solutions encompass virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) to visualise complete data in 3D, enhancing decision-making processes and improving overall understanding. Practical platforms such as Reality Cloud Studio and LocLab Cloud, powered by HxDR, create such experiences.
Extended reality (XR) solutions encompass virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) to visualise complete data in 3D, enhancing decision-making processes and improving overall understanding.Reality Cloud Studio combines and processes geospatial data captured in the field to produce advanced visualisation and immediate collaboration. LocLab Cloud, on the other hand, is designed for infrastructure providers and offers comprehensive data to assist with predictive maintenance, scenario planning, sustainability analysis and improved decision-making.
Users can interact with 3D models and receive live updates from on-site sensors, providing immediate and actionable insights and helping users make informed choices.
In the construction industry, platforms such as these are invaluable in project planning and execution as stakeholders can visualise entire construction sites, identify potential challenges, and streamline workflows, resulting in improved collaboration, reduced errors, and cost savings.
On Crossrail, a significant project in London, engineers have employed SDR to create a visual representation of what the end result will look like. Additionally, they can monitor the project’s progress and identify any potential issues. By using SDR, the engineers were able to simulate and optimise the construction process, which improved workflow efficiency. Furthermore, they optimised their resource usage, minimising any wastage.
Smart digital reality in utilities and subsurface mapping, and asset management
Implementing an accessible SDR makes it easy for authorities and administrative agencies, including transportation, utilities, and public works, to quickly access accurate and semantically rich models and keep current regarding their assets. With SDR, cities can combine data across various applications and systems, data repositories and file formats.
In the construction industry, platforms such as these are invaluable in project planning and execution as stakeholders can visualise entire construction sites, identify potential challenges, and streamline workflows, resulting in improved collaboration, reduced errors, and cost savings. In utilities and subsurface mapping, SDR representations and dynamic, interactive models provide deep insights into underground infrastructures.
This technology revolutionises how we approach utilities management and subsurface exploration by offering real-time, accurate representations of underground assets, including pipes, cables, and utility networks.
Integrating SDR in these areas dramatically increases operational efficiency, reduces risks associated with underground work, and enhances safety. As we look to the future, including advanced sensors and AI with digital twin technology promises even more significant strides in utility management and subsurface mapping.
Real-world applications
Imagine smart buildings that adjust temperature and lighting based on realtime occupancy. By leveraging an extensive network of IoT sensors and AI to map occupancy, lighting, air conditioning, and even elevator usage can be automatically optimised for energy consumption.
Singapore, Los Angeles, Newcastle, and Stockholm are pioneering digital urban cities which can simulate ‘what-if’ scenarios without risk. They test the impact of planning decisions, track assets across their lifetime, simulate disaster response, and optimise transport, infrastructure, and energy efficiency.
Moving to the mainstream
This technology revolutionises how we approach utilities management and subsurface exploration by offering real-time, accurate representations of underground assets, including pipes, cables, and utility networks.
It can be a tough road when organisations embark on a transformation journey.
However, those who successfully navigate these challenges can enjoy significant rewards, such as enhanced efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Luckily, new methods of autonomous reality capture are making it easier to overcome these challenges.
These methods include airborne mobile mapping, sensor technology advancements, and 5G connectivity, enabling real-time data flows. Additionally, the urgency of environmental sustainability and urban resilience due to population growth and climate change pushes technology development even further.
In time, buildings will be easily retrofitted with SDR capabilities, survey-grade 3D city models will be dynamically updated, and urban planners will use virtual recreations of entire cities.
As these capabilities improve, mainstream adoption will be a no-brainer, and organisations, governments, and residents will recognise the immense value they bring.
From novelty to necessity
This transformation is not a far-off vision; it has its roots in today’s world. In the future, cities and infrastructure will use smart digital twins as a standard feature. To make this possible, we need a digital framework that gathers surveying data, building models, and real-time sensor feeds in one place.
This transformation is not a far-off vision; it has its roots in today’s world. In the future, cities and infrastructure will use smart digital twins as a standard feature.This digital framework will be the backbone of our future cities, allowing us to analyse and make decisions based on data. We need a unified digital framework that acts as a central point for all information to achieve this. This will enable us to have comprehensive analysis, predictive modelling and data-driven decision-making at all levels.
The SDR revolution will significantly change the surveying, geospatial and construction industries. It will help plan smart cities, create adaptable infrastructure, operate safe buildings and construct faster and in an eco-friendly manner.
Using virtual project planning, construction projects can avoid costly overruns and delays. Surveyors can keep intelligent 3D maps up to date to guide decisions and track conditions. Digital replicas, powered by data and AI, will soon become the foundation of how we envision, plan, build and manage our shared built environment. This will make it easier to understand and work with all the information needed for cities and buildings.
Phil Marsh, UK Sales Manager – Reality Capture, and Shane Gwilt MCInstCES, Mobile Mapping and Utility Survey Manager, Leica Geosystems part of Hexagon
phil.marsh@leica-geosystems.com
shane.gwilt@leica-geosystems.com