The Regional Digital Twin as support for innovative multi-risk planning

The Digital Twin (DT) is a tool intended as a digital copy of a real object. It differs from the 3D digital model of an object as it uses a bidirectional data connection with its physical counterpart and thus allows interaction with a real system1 (1). In this context, the DT can generate real-time information as well as analysis, simulations, and interactions through the use and interaction of technologies for predictive models (such as IoT, Big Data, 5G, Cloud, AI, AR/VR). From the literature analysis, DT can be considered as a general tool that can be used in any field of application such as DTP (DT Prototype), DTI (DT Instance), DTA (DT Aggregate), DTE (DT Environment). As for DT used specifically in the study of the urban context, the definitions of - CS-DT (City-State DT), PDT (Participatory DT), UDT (Urban DT), CDT (City DT), LDT (Local DT) may be common, although they are still illdefined. Further categorization can be provided depending on the type of participants and implementers in data creation and management, such as the government, public agencies, private entities, and the population itself2 (2). The interaction between the above emerging technologies and geospatial information models (BIM, CIM, GIS), can respectively feed and generate “dynamic data” and “static data”. In addition, static data information can be represented by CityGML, at multiple levels of detail (LOD), and will be able to support dynamic data provided by sensors and simulations. The reciprocity of these data provides the tool with the ability to interact with the physical model in real time and enables operations of collection, monitoring, management, analysis, control, visualization, planning, simulation, forecasting, and decision-making. In this context, we focus on the concept of DT related to urban planning as a support tool for planners and all the actors involved in the planning process. A DT tool can help structuring smart, sustainable, participatory, and supportive city governance, simplifying and flexibilizing planning methods/models thus helping urban planners, urban designers and citizens, and becoming a tool for collaboration, communication, and decision support. It is useful to define the possible relationships between DT, traditional planning, and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) planning3 (3). The aim is to accelerate analysis timelines, prevent potential risks and damages, optimize operations, and increase the efficiency and performance of planning/design at a spatial scale. In this regard, this research attempts to realize a prototype of RDT (Regional Digital Twin), intended as a tool to support new planning models related to multi-hazard in the spatial sphere. After analysing and defining the general characteristics of the Digital Twin tool (the interaction with the real object, the level of scale relative to the scope, “traditional” technologies and technologies for predictive models), the specific characteristics related to the RDT prototype needed for the development of the research were identified. Thus, our prototype RDT must be a digital object bidirectionally connected with its physical counterpart, which in this context will cover a regional framework. For its definition, the (R)DTI, (R)DTA, (R)DTE, and (R)PDT will be kept in mind. The scale levels considered will be the Sub-Area scale and the regional scale. The application fields that will constitute the layers that make up the land will be infrastructure, smart city/smart land, rural areas, settlements, environment, and risk. The RDT will be composed of and fed by static data with multi-scale LOD 0-1 modelling, and dynamic data that can be defined using IoT and its complementary technologies, including the management tools that comprise it. In addition to these two types of information, a third branch of data will be added from the collaboration with the Civil Protection Agency of the Abruzzo Region (CPA of Abruzzo Region). Future developments will concern the methodological definition of the digital tool and the analysis of traditional and innovative planning models based on the potential of the RDT with a specific focus on the concept of multi-risk. In addition to the collaboration with the CPA of the Abruzzo Region, for the study of Risk Planning And Management, there will be a collaboration with the chair of Computer Science, for the algorithmic definition of RDT technologies. These phases will be concluded by testing and applying methods and models studied to an Italian case study and a foreign one to validate them.