From concrete to community: How synthetic data can make urban digital twins more humane

By: Wei Zhai, University of Texas at Arlington, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 25, 2025

Words: 950

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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By Wei Zhai, University of Texas at Arlington

When city leaders talk about making a town “smart,” they’re usually talking about urban digital twins. These are essentially high-tech, 3D computer models of cities. They are filled with data about buildings, roads and utilities. Built using precision tools like cameras and LiDAR – light detection and ranging – scanners, these twins are great at showing what a city looks like physically.

But in their rush to …

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