Development and use of Digital Twins for campuses in Dortmund and Bến Cát for climate adaptation measures

Abstract

Climate Change is the leading cause for the warming of the atmosphere, land, and oceans. As a result, urban areas are particularly affected by the urban heat island phenomenon, which has a significant negative impact on human health, energy consumption and everyday life. To mitigate the effects on the environment and residents, researching new technologies such as Digital Twins in Smart Cities can be crucial. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the usage of Digital Twins for developing climate adaptation measures to mitigate urban heat island effects. A key element of this evaluation is analyzing the potentials and limitations of the Digital Twin technology, emphasizing the creation process of a Digital Twin as well as the application and its usage. A Digital Twin is created for a building on the campus of the TU Dortmund University and the Vietnamese- German University. The methods of laser scanning and 3D modeling serve as a foundation for the creation process of the Digital Twins. To analyze the effect of climate adaptation measures on built environment, microclimatic simulations are conducted. The results of the research including the 3D model and the microclimatic simulations are visualized in a geoinformation map. The evaluation process revealed multiple challenges in the development process and the usage of the Digital Twin technology. The main areas for improvement were identified in terms of data availability, data interoperability, and mesh creation. However, it is important to note that Digital Twin appears to have a significant potential for future urban development.