Digital Vision Sverige - Nationell hubb för digitala tvillingar

Digitalization is a great enabler for future societal development and sustainable growth. Both the existing and emerging built environment need to adapt, not only to achieve climate goals but also with to adress the development goals set within Agenda 2030.

For decision-makers, as well as planners, designers, investigators, and other stakeholders in the urban planning sector, it is challenging today to make use of the vast amount of information and data available about our cities. In order to benefit from all the data collected, ranging from stormwater investigations to project logistics, we need to make the data accessible and translate the information into knowledge. An approach that is gaining traction today, both in municipalities and the commercial market, is to create a digital twin where 3D maps are combined with data and dialogue tools.

With the recent advancements in digitalization within the industry, more and more organizations are now ready for the next big step in the digitized society. However, in order to fully utilize digital twins and their potential, national coordination and strategic collaboration among all stakeholders in the urban planning process are required.

In 2022, the report "Further Investigation of Digital Twins in the Urban Planning Sector" was developed by Smart Built Environment. The report was based on two strategic projects previously carried out within SBE,  "Digital Supply Chain" and "Feasibility Study of Digital Twins in the Urban Planning Sector." These projects resulted in a clear description of the current state and proposals for continued work in the field of digital twins. In both cases, a need for increased coordination of various initiatives and improved access to data and common standards was identified. The purpose of the 2022 report was to investigate conditions under which one or more organizations could sustainably drive the sector's common issues related to digital twins through a national coordination hub. The results were based on several qualitative interviews and pointed to RISE as the actor with the greatest potential to undertake such a mission.

The main driving forces for the hub will be:

• Establishing and managing an information framework for digital twins in the Swedish urban planning sector.

• Driving internationalization in the field.

• Building networks and promoting collaboration among stakeholders to homogenize the landscape for digital twins in Sweden.

• Contributing to technical, economic, social, and ecological sustainability using digital twins as tools