Establishing the utility charges spatial database using digital twin technology

Abstract

Digital twin technology is getting more attention when it comes to smart city management. Digital twins or 3D models of cities are created by utilizing 3D laser scanning, unmanned airborne vehicles (UAV) and mobile mapping systems. Photogrammetry based UAVs are increasingly used for land surveying and infrastructure mapping. In comparison to other techniques, photogrammetry can be used to collect large amount of geospatial data in relatively short time. Current techniques used to maintain and manage utility charges database often relies on long lasting field measurements and manual data collection. Such approach may result in incorrect, unreliable and outdated information about building area and floor count, which significantly affect the utility charge amount. This paper presents a methodology of establishing geospatial database by utilizing digital twin technology, photogrammetry and a fixed wing UAV with precise GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) also called GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. Mentioned UAV has the ability of taking oblique images of terrain, buildings and infrastructure, which are then used to reconstruct 3D model (digital twin) of the city. It is presented how data extracted from 3D model is used to establish digital geospatial database containing building layouts, floor count and area. These information were compared to official data, which showed all the benefits of digital twin technology, but also all the issues of current utility charge system. Finally, the focus is turned to other applications of digital twin technology and its involvement in Industry 4.0, together with autonomous vehicles, 5G networks and IoT.