Project overview
This project covers the design and development of a 3D city model and digital twin for a megalopolis, supporting advanced geospatial planning and near real-time urban management. As geospatial advisory consultant, Synectic defines business requirements, levels of survey detail, and system requirements for the digital twin so that terrain, buildings, utilities, and administrative data can be experienced and analysed in a single 3D GIS context.
Strategic context
A unified digital twin closes the gap between field survey, BIM where used, legacy databases, and operational dashboards—enabling authorities to plan capital works, monitor assets, and coordinate agencies without fragmenting truth across silos. The programme is structured for incremental capability: authoritative basemaps first, then application integration and operational workflows.
Technical scope, data & integration
The engagement spans technical architecture design; survey and model level-of-detail standards; data quality validation and field verification; integration of disparate applications and databases; real-time operational visibility; process re-engineering support; fit-gap analysis and closure planning; and preparation of RFP/RFQ packs for long-term build-and-operate partners. Deliverables emphasise repeatable governance of spatial updates, versioning, and access control appropriate to a municipal-scale estate.
Improved planning and operations through fused 3D visualisation, analytics on unified layers, and workflows that tie survey refresh to decision support.
Stronger governance of spatial data lineage, auditability of changes, and scenario capability for infrastructure and emergency use cases.
Implementation timeline
Phase 1 — Requirements & architecture: Business study, survey level-of-detail, digital twin system specifications, and solution architecture sign-off.
Phase 2 — Data & integration: Quality checks, field verification, integration of line systems, and operational visibility layers.
Phase 3 — Process & procurement: Process re-engineering support, fit-gap remediation, and RFP/RFQ documentation for scale-up.
Outcomes & impact
- Inter-department coordination on a shared 3D geospatial foundation with transparent updates
- Better targeting of capex and O&M through integrated views of assets and encumbrances
- A scalable path from pilot zones to citywide digital twin operations