Varanasi Smart City is conducting a 3D survey using low-flying aircraft and ground vehicles equipped with LiDAR technology to create a digital twin map covering 160 square kilometres. Led by Genesis International Corporation, this initiative integrates more than 50 thematic layers detailing infrastructure elements like drains, water pipelines, and ward boundaries. The twin map will enhance the operational efficiency of various institutions through the Kashi Integrated Command and Control Centre, facilitating coordinated management of solid waste, fire, traffic, water distribution, and sewerage systems. Varanasi aims to become the first Indian city with a comprehensive digital twin, fostering harmonised civic agency collaboration.
Varanasi is currently undergoing an extensive 3D survey utilising low-flying aircraft and ground vehicles equipped with advanced LiDAR technology. Spearheaded by Varanasi Smart City, this initiative aims to create a digital twin map for the city's integrated command centre, thereby revolutionising city management through modern mapping technology.
Residents have been intrigued by the presence of low-flying aircraft in certain parts of Varanasi, which are engaged in conducting the 3D survey to create the urban spatial digital twin. Additionally, ground vehicles, including four-wheelers and pedestrian backpackers, are surveying the narrow streets of the city to achieve the same objective.
The survey has already covered over 70 square kilometres of the area, with the aerial survey being carried out at an altitude of 3,800 feet using a dual-engine aircraft, the Partenavia P-68-C. Equipped with a Leica CityMapper 2S sensor and a camera capable of LiDAR and photogrammetry acquisition technology, this aircraft ensures precise and high-resolution mapping of Varanasi.
LiDAR surveys have been completed to cover a 360-degree view of the city's 600 kilometres of roads, wards, and ghats, utilising both four-wheeled vehicles and backpacks.
The project aims to produce a digital 3D urban spatial twin map encompassing all the wards of Varanasi, covering a total area of 160 square kilometres. This digital twin will be seamlessly integrated into the Kashi Integrated Command and Control Centre (KICCC), enhancing the operational efficiency of various institutions, including Jal Kal, Varanasi Municipal Corporation, Varanasi Development Authority, and Jal Nigam. This integration will facilitate coordinated management of solid waste, fire, traffic, water distribution, and sewerage systems.
Expected to conclude within the next nine months, the project is being executed by the Mumbai-based agency Genesis International Corporation. Once completed, Varanasi will become the first city in the country to possess a digital twin of all its wards, building upon earlier pilot studies conducted in Jaipur.
The digital twin map will integrate more than 50 thematic layers of maps, detailing various infrastructure elements such as drains, water pipelines, street lights, toilets, drinking water facilities, and ward boundaries. Akshat Varma, municipal commissioner and CEO of Varanasi Smart City, highlighted that this project will provide facilities to the municipal corporation and other departments for project implementation, resource development, and testing of tax collection systems.
Kaushal Raj Sharma, divisional commissioner and chairman of Varanasi Smart City, emphasised the inconvenience caused by the availability of only a 2D map covering an area of 84 square kilometres of the municipal corporation. Now, Varanasi Smart City aims to create a modern digital twin map covering a 160 square kilometre area, enabling all civic agencies involved in city management and administration to work in harmony.
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