“without data, we cannot make decisions – we would just be guessing”
The ability to conduct “what-if scenario” analyses is one of the many useful functions that an accurate and reliable 3D city model can perform. At a recent 3D Experience Forum in Indonesia, Alexandre Parilusyan, Vice President of Worldwide Smart Cities (Dassault Systemes) demonstrated some of the what-if scenario analyses that the Singaporean Government were able to conduct through the use of Virtual Singapore.
As the world’s third most densely populated country, Singapore is renowned for maximising its use of limited space. One recent initiative involves using the roofs of building to house either solar panels (resulting in increased renewable energy targets) or rooftop gardens (equalling a higher proportion of green areas). Given that the roof of a building can only be used for one of these purposes, the accurate 3D building models in Virtual Singapore give the government capability to analyse Singapore’s 160,000 buildings to determine which buildings are the most suitable for each application. This information can then be used to make informed decisions on which areas to target.
All successful what-if scenario analyses such as this requires a solid base of accurate and reliable data. During one of the panel sessions in the forum on ‘Building a Data-driven city,’ a panelist highlighted that “without data, we cannot make decisions – we would just be guessing”.
The accuracy and reliability of Virtual Singapore is based upon one of the most comprehensive 3D model datasets in the world – which was proudly compiled by AAM. This was produced from a combination of airborne surveys along with vehicle-based and handheld mapping systems. The dataset consists of 3D models covering terrain, buildings, the road transportation network and city furniture. Using OGC’s CityGML standard ensures this dataset is futureproof and can be utilized by a number of applications. Dubbed as ‘Singapore’s National 3D Map,’ this content has been one of the core datasets loaded into the Virtual Singapore platform.
AAM continues to conduct regular survey work in Singapore, ensuring that its national 3D city map maintains its accuracy and reliability.
