ABOUT DIGITAL TWINS
What is a spatial digital twin?
A spatial digital twin is a dynamic digital representation of real-world assets, systems, or environments that integrates geospatial context with live and historical data.
These twins combine spatial information like maps, satellite data, and 3D models, with analytics and sensor data to help users better understand and manage infrastructure, natural environments, cities, and communities over time.
Unlike static models, spatial digital twins evolve to reflect changes in the built and natural world over time.
From concept to capability
The concept of digital twins originated in manufacturing, but it’s now transforming industries from energy to agriculture. What sets spatial digital twins apart is their ability to anchor data to location.
By tying insights to where things are happening, decision-makers gain powerful context for planning, engagement, and operational decisions, making them ideal for smart cities, urban infrastructure, and sustainability-focused projects context for planning, engagement, and operational decisions.
According to the ANZLIC Principles for Spatially Enabled Digital Twins, the most effective twins are:
Real-time
Interoperable
Privacy-preserving and secure
User-centred and inclusive
Transparent, traceable, and trusted
What can you use a spatial digital twin for?
Whether you’re a city planner, infrastructure consultant, or sustainability leader, spatial digital twins allow you to visualise what’s happening, test scenarios, and tell better stories with data.
Infrastructure & urban planning
Overlay 3D models (e.g. BIM, FBX) with live geospatial data to simulate costs, test feasibility, and reduce planning risk for major projects, from rail networks to renewable energy zones.
Smart cities & strategic planning
Support smarter, more connected cities by visualising urban systems, traffic flows, energy infrastructure, and environmental data in a single, intuitive platform.
Community engagement & visualisation
Use web-based spatial visualisations to simplify complex data and make public consultation more inclusive and effective.
Climate risk & scenario modelling
Model flood zones, heat stress, or bushfire risk by combining real-time and predictive spatial data to support disaster resilience and mitigation planning.
Cross-agency collaboration
Break down silos and bring stakeholders together with a shared, real-time source of truth, perfect for large-scale, multi-agency infrastructure programs.
Results
Platforms like the Digital Earth Australia, NSW Digital Twin and Digital Twin Victoria exemplify Terria’s ability to address the challenge of accessing fragmented government datasets.
These initiatives highlight the transformative power of collaboration, advanced technology, and open data policies. Terria’s expertise in spatial data and digital twin technology, coupled with its commitment to open source and human centred design, has enabled the creation of platforms with government datasets that drive positive change and build stronger, more connected communities.
Take your spatial project to the next dimension
See how teams like yours are building digital twins that engage stakeholders and accelerate decisions.