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Cities - machines for living

Editorial Type: Technology Focus     Date: 05-2014    Views: 3530   







Frederic Dot, Global Industry Development Director, Dassault Systèmes, looks at the effects of digitally modelling cities to improve efficiency, security and public services

By 2020, 70% of the world's population will be city dwellers. Existing cities will grow and many new ones will be built. China has seen a rise in city living from 13% in 1950 to more than 40% today. That figure is expected to rise to 60% in another 15 years.

At home, by 2020 the UK's city dwellers will account for more than 92% of the population, up from an already high 79% in 1950. In 2009, for the first time, Africa saw more than 40% of its population living in cities. Botswana holds the record for that continent's growth from 2.7% in 1950 to 61% today. Worldwide around 125,000 people move to cities every day.

Cities need to plan for the future and Dassault Systèmes is working with many of them to deploy technology to create and evolve 3D digital city models. These are used as a central reference point for local government, urban planners, architects and citizens. 3D models help them define the future of cites based on 'what-if' scenarios that the technology simulates. These can cover for example, heath provision, mobility and security.

Simulating cities and their services means they can can become decompartmentalised and considered as whole, interrelated entities. This new perspective integrates formerly disparate departments making them better informed, more efficient and able to visualise potential futures with greater accuracy.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
With political, financial and security consequences at stake there is a growing information disjunction within and between city administrators. Access to information via a 3D city model efficiently solves this problem by keeping people in synch with one another through a single source of information about their city.

In the past a great deal of technology has been used to help run city departments, but unfortunately this has often led to making complex situations incompressible. The problem lies in the separate information stores, or silos, of data that inevitably arise when more than one computer system is deployed by an organisation. Diverse systems cannot access or read each other's data, so security and other planning is often based on out of date, incomplete and disjointed information that effectively misinforms stakeholders and the public. This can lead to wrong choices being made and security being compromised.

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
If aeroplanes were built and operated like cites no one would fly in one. Now cities are deploying technology from aerospace and other highly efficient industries including F1 motor racing, in a drive to improve services, promote universal access to information and accurately envision future performance.

Starting with a blank page, new cities can plan and operate using the same software that fosters industrial and commercial innovation through simulation. Existing cities can incorporate this technology on new projects. For example, Dassault Systèmes is currently working with the Italian government to help enable that country’s Ministry of Commerce and Finance to streamline its internal and external information services. Using 3DEXPERIENCE technology as a platform other projects, and any type of information, can be added over time to build a big 3D picture that is comprehensible and usable by all.

SECURE IN KNOWLEDGE
It is possible to make the mass of data that cities generate more useful and effective for security purposes through 3D visualisation. Managing data and using it to service city needs is possible by building layers of information around a digital 3D city model that can be accessed by stakeholders to make better informed decisions.

A project undertaken with an airport authority in France makes use of a 3D digital model of the facility and its transport, utility and logistics services. Security plays a big part in this project. The authority's model includes CCTV cameras, GPS information and other feeds that can be built up into a complete picture. This allows them to operate 'what-if' scenarios and isolate gaps in services or security provision. Incorporating building services, aircraft movements, foot traffic and much more, helps planners see the whole system and work towards improving its security and overall efficiency.



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