Cited by 622Smart Cities and Technologies3D Modeling in Geospatial ApplicationsGeographic Information Systems Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 23 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 3 of the 10 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany

Open access

Dembski, Fabian, Wössner, Uwe, Letzgus, Mike, Ruddat, Michael, Yamu, Claudia·2020·Sustainability

DOI 10.3390/su12062307

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Abstract

Cities are complex systems connected to economic, ecological, and demographic conditions and change. They are also characterized by diverging perceptions and interests of citizens and stakeholders. Thus, in the arena of urban planning, we are in need of approaches that are able to cope not only with urban complexity but also allow for participatory and collaborative processes to empower citizens. This to create democratic cities. Connected to the field of smart cities and citizens, we present in this paper, the prototype of an urban digital twin for the 30,000-people town of Herrenberg in Germany. Urban digital twins are sophisticated data models allowing for collaborative processes. The herein presented prototype comprises (1) a 3D model of the built environment, (2) a street network model using the theory and method of space syntax, (3) an urban mobility simulation, (4) a wind flow simulation, and (5) a number of empirical quantitative and qualitative data using volunteered geographic information (VGI). In addition, the urban digital twin was implemented in a visualization platform for virtual reality and was presented to the general public during diverse public participatory processes, as well as in the framework of the “Morgenstadt Werkstatt” (Tomorrow’s Cities Workshop). The results of a survey indicated that this method and technology could significantly aid in participatory and collaborative processes. Further understanding of how urban digital twins support urban planners, urban designers, and the general public as a collaboration and communication tool and for decision support allows us to be more intentional when creating smart cities and sustainable cities with the help of digital twins. We conclude the paper with a discussion of the presented results and further research directions.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The authors built a prototype urban digital twin for the 30,000-person town of Herrenberg, Germany, combining a 3D city model, space syntax street network analysis, SUMO mobility simulation, OpenFOAM airflow and pollution simulation, sensor-network environmental data, and volunteered geographic information, all visualized in VR via COVISE/OpenCOVER. A survey of 39 participants found the model was judged very positively and that most respondents believed virtual urban models could improve local planning and participation.

Key findings

The Herrenberg digital twin prototype integrates eight components: (1) a 3D model of the built environment, (2) a space syntax street network model, (3) a SUMO urban mobility simulation, (4) an OpenFOAM air-flow simulation, (5) a pollution simulation using sensor data, (6) empirical quantitative pedestrian/cyclist route data, (7) empirical qualitative social data on place perception, and (8) photographic documentation.
In the participant survey (n = 39, ages 16–80), the model was rated positively on a −3.00 to +3.00 polarity profile: interesting (+2.54), comprehensible (+2.37), concrete (+2.14), clearly arranged (+1.92), entertaining (+1.89), and simple (+1.56).
95% of respondents stated virtual urban models could have a positive effect on local planning, and 97% on public participatory processes.
Respondents with prior participation experience (46% as citizens, 13% as official local representatives) rated the model more positively on five of six attributes; the exception was "complicated–simple," where the experienced group judged it more complicated.
Nine traffic-planning scenarios for reducing congestion and pollution in the city core were tested alongside the 2018 status quo road network.

Methods

Empirical and computational mixed-method design: a prototype urban digital twin was constructed for Herrenberg and embedded in the collaborative visualization environment COVISE, rendered through OpenCOVER for CAVE and head-mounted display VR.
Data sources: regional DEM and digital building model (Landesamt für Geoinformation und Landentwicklung Baden-Württemberg) supplemented by Faro Focus 3D S 120 laser scans of the medieval center (May 2017); BIM data for the "Seeländer Areal" building; a citizen-science sensor network measuring PM 2.5/10, temperature, and humidity via the LuftdatenInfo platform; and the "Reallabor Tracker" mobile app (based on OSM Tracker) for VGI routes, place ratings, photos, and audio.
Space syntax analysis used normalized angular choice (NACH) computed in depthmapX; mobility simulation used SUMO; wind flow and pollution simulations used OpenFOAM. Evaluation used a nine-question questionnaire with polarity profiles and open questions, yielding 39 responses.

Limitations

Stated by the authors: the survey sample was small and non-representative; only respondents' views were captured, with no knowledge of how the models perform under real-life conditions; a full end-to-end test within an actual planning process would be needed; and the links respondents drew to former participation formats were made by the research team, so results should be treated with caution.
Stated by the authors: as a model, the urban digital twin cannot include all information from the physical world, and there remains a need for additional social, economic, and environmental data (citing Batty 2018).
Evident from the text: the participatory evaluation was conducted in a single German town and the authors describe their own impression that participation "proceeded well" as subjective; obtaining comprehensive BIM data was difficult due to complex responsibilities.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3390/su12062307

Cites

23 of 23 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

3 of 10 cited sources checked · 2 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“The application of the theory and method of space syntax, which utilizes a graph theoretical approach, allowed us to analyze the through movement potentials for cars and pedestrians using the measure of normalized angular choice (NACH).”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 3. Methods and Data
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [21] Yamu, C., Poplin, A., Devisch, O., and De Roo, G. (2018). Space Syntax: A method to measure urban space related to social, economic and cognitive factors. The Virtual and the Real in Planning and Urban Design: Perspectives, Practices and Applications, Routledge. source
- Partly supported
  The book’s About this book section describes space syntax as a method for urban analysis, and its chapter list includes “Analysing Linear Spatial Relationships: The Measures of Connectivity, Integration, and Choice” (pp. 35–86). The available passages do not explain normalized angular choice (NACH) or establish its use to assess through-movement potential for both cars and pedestrians; searches for those terms found no such passage. The citing authors’ statement that the method “allowed us” to conduct their analysis is their own account, not a result attributed to the book. (LLM, conf=0.77)
  cites [22] Van Nes, A., and Yamu, C. (2020). Introduction to Space Syntax in Urban Studies, Springer. sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“These technologies can enhance discussion and help build consensus among stakeholders [3].”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 1. Introduction
What the sources say
- Supported
  The Introduction states that virtual reality environments can enhance discussion and help build consensus among stakeholders. Section 4.4 also reports that virtual models may improve interaction between citizens and local representatives, while cautioning that their effects in real planning processes need further testing. (LLM, conf=0.95)
  cites [3] Dembski, F., Wössner, U., and Yamu, C. (2019, January 8–13). Digital Twin, Virtual Reality and Space Syntax: Civic engagement and decision support for smart, sustainable cities. Proceedings of the 12th International Space Syntax Conference, Beijing, China. source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes

Show all 24 claims

It may state two separate claims as one. 24
Probably not a substantial claim. 31
The quote only partly states this claim. 1

Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“Using an urban digital twin in virtual reality is not only a novel way of using smart technologies for collaborative planning processes, but also facilitates consensus-building among participants with different backgrounds [3].”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 1. Introduction
What the sources say
- Supported
  The Introduction states the claim nearly verbatim: it describes using an urban digital twin in virtual reality as novel for collaborative planning and as facilitating consensus-building among participants with different backgrounds. (LLM, conf=0.95)
  cites [3] Dembski, F., Wössner, U., and Yamu, C. (2019, January 8–13). Digital Twin, Virtual Reality and Space Syntax: Civic engagement and decision support for smart, sustainable cities. Proceedings of the 12th International Space Syntax Conference, Beijing, China. source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Hence, experienced groups can implicitly or explicitly compare these classical formats with the urban digital twin model of Herrenberg.”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 4.4. Discussion of results
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim.
- The authors state this as an assumption: Participatory processes are still mainly carried out using 2D city representations like plans and planning concepts in mainly technical and/or expert language.
- The authors state this as an assumption: Virtual, interactive models remain uncommon in the context of urban planning processes.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Furthermore, the visualization in virtual reality (“virtual twin”) not only enables broad citizen participation but also collaboration between stakeholders.”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 1. Introduction
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The advantage of using virtual reality environments is that different participants with diverging professional and personal backgrounds can be informed simultaneously.
In the paper
“Digital twins enable comprehensive data exchange and can contain models, simulations, and algorithms describing their counterpart, including its features and behavior in the real world [2].”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 1. Introduction
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [2] Kuhn, 2018, Digitaler Zwilling, Informatik Spektrum source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This is especially helpful in participatory processes to facilitate communication, to involve large heterogeneous groups of citizens, and, consequently, to build consensus.”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 5. Conclusions
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Rests on an assumption: Some complex data are difficult or impossible to understand in any other form, especially for laymen or for people unfamiliar with the subject.
In the paper
“Digital tools can support citizen participation, but must be embedded in ʺserious dialoguesʺ that are valued by policymakers [25].”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 4.2. Participatory and Collaborative Planning with Urban Digital Twins
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [25] Renn, O., Ulmer, F., and Deckert, A. (2020). Digital tools in stakeholder participation for the Germany Energy Transition. Can digital tools improve participation and its outcome?. The Role of Public Participation in Energy Transitions, Academic Press Imprint. source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“This simulation uses a microscopic, space continuous, and time discrete car-following and lane-changing model [23].”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 3. Methods and Data
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [23] 2010, Traffic Simulation with SUMO—Simulation of Urban Mobiliy, Fundamentals of Traffic Simulation source
Strength:plain· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The prototype of a digital twin for urban planning, set up in Herrenberg, has the potential to tackle urban complexity by visualizing complex processes and dependencies in urban systems, simulating possible outcomes, and impacts and taking into account the heterogeneous needs and requirements of its citizens by enabling participatory and collaborative planning.”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 2. Background: The Smart(er) City
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedSingle case
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: fails
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Conventional planning tools and methods fail to deal with the complexity of urban systems, as well as with the understanding of citizen needs and requirements.
In the paper
“Furthermore, Batty (2018) stated that there remains a strong need for additional social, economic, and environmental data [1].”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 5. Conclusions
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [1] Batty, 2018, Digital twins, Environ. Plan. B Urban Anal. City Sci. source
Load-bearingStrength:boosted· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
Probably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“In general, the Stuttgart hinterland can be characterized by a high traffic volume, mainly due to the high dependency on commuting, fragmented communities, and a lack of spatial governance [24].”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 4.1. Case Study: The Town of Herrenberg, Germany
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [24] Brenner Ingenieurgesellschaft GmbH (2014). Verkehrsvarianten zur Entlastung der Innenstadt, Stadt Herrenberg. Report.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The urban digital twin, as set up in Herrenberg, embraces both.”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 5. Conclusions
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedSingle case
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Smart city projects demand two crucial competencies: an understanding of the impact of implementing digital technologies in the context of urban systems, and integrating solutions that overcome departmental thinking.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Following this assumption, the fact that the model is judged more positively on five of the six dimensions by people with prior experience compared to people without this experience leads to the conclusion that virtual models have the potential to improve participatory processes.”
§ Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany > 4.4. Discussion of results
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibrated
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: Participatory processes are still mainly carried out using 2D city representations like plans and planning concepts in mainly technical and/or expert language.
- The authors state this as an assumption: Virtual, interactive models remain uncommon in the context of urban planning processes.

46 of 46

The paper relies on this without support.
Herrenberg's historical core is strongly affected by car traffic due to earlier planning decisions and implementation.
“Its historical core, however, is strongly affected by car traffic due to earlier planning decisions and implementation.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Conventional planning tools and methods fail to deal with the complexity of urban systems, as well as with the understanding of citizen needs and requirements.
“Conventional planning tools and methods fail to deal with the complexity of urban systems, as well as with the understanding of citizen needs and requirements.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The advantage of using virtual reality environments is that different participants with diverging professional and personal backgrounds can be informed simultaneously.
“The advantage of using virtual reality environments-such as stereoscopic back projection units, large 3D display respectively tiled display systems or CAVEs (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment), for example-is that different participants with diverging professional and personal backgrounds can be informed simultaneously.”
The authors state this as an assumption.
Participatory processes are still mainly carried out using 2D city representations like plans and planning concepts in mainly technical and/or expert language.
“We suspect that participatory processes are still mainly carried out using 2D city representations like plans and planning concepts in mainly technical and/or expert language.”
The authors state this as an assumption.
Virtual, interactive models remain uncommon in the context of urban planning processes.
“Virtual, interactive models remain uncommon in the context of urban planning processes.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The town of Herrenberg is affected by a high traffic load and a certain amount of air pollution.
“The town located in the peri-urban region of Stuttgart is affected by a high traffic load and, consequently, a certain amount of air pollution.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Only a few smart city projects have been singularly successful.
“it is not surprising that only a few have been singularly successful.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Smart city projects demand two crucial competencies: an understanding of the impact of implementing digital technologies in the context of urban systems, and integrating solutions that overcome departmental thinking.
“Smart city projects demand two crucial competencies: an understanding of the impact of implementing digital technologies in the context of urban systems, and integrating solutions that overcome departmental thinking.”
The paper relies on this without support.
If these competencies are not taken into account, the great potential of digital technologies and solutions remains unused.
“If these competencies are not taken into account, the great potential of digital technologies and solutions remains unused.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Some complex data are difficult or impossible to understand in any other form, especially for laymen or for people unfamiliar with the subject.
“Some complex data are difficult or impossible to understand in any other form, especially for laymen or for people unfamiliar with the subject.”

10 of 10

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Arnstein citation points to a Glaeser reference
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The text attributes the cited point to Arnstein (1969), but reference [4] lists a 2006 work by Glaeser and colleagues.

1 of 1

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“Some authors are combining the sustainable and smart city approach [16–18], and for others, the concept is considered to be a response to global climate change or a step in an e ﬀ ort to make city management more e ﬀ ective, or even to try to attract more Y and Z generations, which are often seen…”
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“…active shutter glasses [5] for the participants (photo credited to Dembski, 2019). tracking system [2], computer [3,4], a 3D-projector, and active shutter glasses [5] for the participants Citizen participation using the digital twin in VR proceeded well; at least that was our subjective opinion.”
BackgroundInfluential
A Smart City Initiative: the Case of Barcelona
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“The definition of the matter ranges from the interrelationship between the education of the urban population, local amenities and attractiveness for educated citizens [11,12], and emphasizing the importance of the creative class [13] up to theories describing cities or projects that use information and communication t…”
Background
Bohemia and economic geography
Florida, R. L. (2002) · Journal of Economic Geography · doi:10.1093/jeg/2.1.55 · Cited by 784 · cited 1×
“…of the urban population, local amenities and attractiveness for educated citizens [11,12], and emphasizing the importance of the creative class [13] up to theories describing cities or projects that use information and communication technologies in order to improve the life quality of their…”
Background
Why does democracy need education?
Glaeser, E. L., Ponzetto, G. A. M., & Shleifer, A. (2007) · Journal of Economic Growth · doi:10.1007/s10887-007-9015-1 · Cited by 723
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“Furthermore, Batty (2018) stated that there remains a strong need for additional social, economic, and environmental data [1].”
Background
Urban Resurgence and the Consumer City
Glaeser, E. L., & Gottlieb, J. D. (2006) · Urban Studies · doi:10.1080/00420980600775683 · Cited by 439
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“…and ethical implications of the development of these digital technologies, as well as the growing inﬂuence of technology giants on city economics, the freedom and privacy of its inhabitants [19] are a separate issue and not taken into account adequately within many of these deﬁnitions and concepts.”
Background

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

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Renn, O., Ulmer, F., and Deckert, A. (2020). Digital tools in stakeholder participation for the Germany Energy Transition. Can digital tools improve participation and its outcome?. The Role of Public Participation in Energy Transitions, Academic Press Imprint.

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3D Point Cloud and GIS Approach to Assess Street Physical Attributes
Carpio, P. R. O., Blasco, M. J. V., & González, C. L. (2024) · Smart Cities · doi:10.3390/smartcities7030042 · Cited by 6
“…and applications have been developed in the field of digital tools and 3D models to address the study of various properties and characteristics [26–30], such as 3D modelling, satellite images, point clouds, and even gamification, allowing users to evaluate physical attributes, such as ground…”
Background
Extraction of the essential elements for urban systems modelling – A word-to-vector approach
Katsumbe, T. H., Telukdarie, A., Munsamy, M., & Tshukudu, C. (2024) · City and Environment Interactions · doi:10.1016/j.cacint.2024.100166 · Cited by 8
Participation matters: The social construction of digital twins for cities
Nochta, T., & Oti‐Sarpong, K. (2024) · Environment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science · doi:10.1177/23998083241305695 · Cited by 6
“UDTs are seen by many as the latest wave of smart city innovation, integrating smart technologies and techniques such as ICTs, sensors, IoT, big data, data science, AI, Building and City Information Modelling and automation (Calzati and Van Loenen, 2023; Dembski et al., 2020).”
Implementation of Digital Twins for Industry 4.0 in the Engineering Study Program
Arras, P., & Tabunshchyk, G. (2021) · Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-91327-4_65 · Cited by 6
Urban Digital Twins for Intelligent Road Inspection
Fan, R., Zhang, Y., Guo, S., Li, J., Feng, Y., Su, S., Zhang, Y., Wang, W., Jiang, Y. L., Bocus, M. J., et al. (2022) · IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData) · doi:10.1109/bigdata55660.2022.10021042 · Cited by 6
““CN_PS”, “CN_SD”, “CN_VS”, “CN_PD”, “CN_PV”, and “CN_VD” represent communication connections. data and software tools [5].”
Identification of Indoor Radio Environment Properties from Channel Impulse Response with Machine Learning Models
Kocevska, T., Javornik, T., Švigelj, A., Rashkovska, A., & Hrovat, A. (2023) · Electronics · doi:10.3390/electronics12122746 · Cited by 6
Transforming Large-Scale Participation Data Through Topic Modelling in Urban Design Processes
Ataman, C., Tunçer, B., & Perrault, S. T. (2023) · Communications in computer and information science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-37189-9_18 · Cited by 6
People-Centric and Inclusive Approach to Planning of Smart Cities
Jakonen, O. (2023) · CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development · doi:10.7454/jid.v6.i1.1087 · Cited by 6
Впровадження технологій доповненої реальності у навчальному процесі з конструювання авіаційної техніки
Karatanov, O., Биков, А. М., Сергієнко, М. В., et al. (2021) · RADIOELECTRONIC AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS · doi:10.32620/reks.2021.1.10 · Cited by 6
Improving the Urban Accessibility of Older Pedestrians using Multi-objective Optimization
Delgado-Enales, I., Molina-Costa, P., Osaba, E., Urra-Uriarte, S., & Ser, J. D. (2022) · IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC) · doi:10.1109/cec55065.2022.9870432 · Cited by 6
“Modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) such as the Internet of Things (IoT) have progressively permeated into the design, management and optimization of the so-called Smart City paradigm [23], [24].”
Background
Integrated framework for sustainable urban development: bridging morphology, sustainability, and design
Chakraborty, S., Fukuda, T., & Ji, S. (2025) · International Journal of Innovation Science · doi:10.1108/ijis-06-2024-0161 · Cited by 5
The role of metaverse in urban planning: A geospatial framework for simulating sustainable and resilient cities
Ziari, K., & Dorostkar, E. (2025) · Sustainable Futures · doi:10.1016/j.sftr.2025.100859 · Cited by 5
A socio-technical framework for urban digital twins: Tehran in a global comparison
Shariatpour, F., Behzadfar, M., & Jalilisadrabad, S. (2025) · Sustainable Cities and Society · doi:10.1016/j.scs.2025.106905 · Cited by 5
Systematic review of air quality modeling in digital twins for sustainable green cities
Saheer, L. B., Garbagna, L., & Sasidharan, M. (2025) · Discover Environment · doi:10.1007/s44274-025-00412-6 · Cited by 5
“Dembski et al. [13] demonstrated the use of VrI to support urban planning.”
Urban innovation dilemmas: Tackling the challenges for urban growth in smart city
Agarwal, V., Benmamoun, Z., Anjum, M., Mathiyazhagan, K., Akim, M., & Pironti, M. (2025) · Technology in Society · doi:10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103194 · Cited by 8
Digital Twin: A Step Towards Smart Cities in Urban Planning, Design and Management
Shariatpour, F., & Behzadfar, M. (2022) · Soffeh · doi:10.52547/sofeh.32.4.93 · Cited by 6
From Smart and Sustainable Cities to Urban Planning: A Conceptual Cluster Analysis
Benini, S. M., da Silva, A. L. C., & de Godoy, J. A. R. (2024) · International Journal of Business and Management · doi:10.5539/ijbm.v19n5p152 · Cited by 5
“For example, Dembski et al. (2020) explored artificial intelligence to support participatory urban planning processes, showing how simulation can improve decision-making (Dembski et al., 2020).”
Background
A Data-Driven Multi-scale Digital Twin Framework for Optimizing Energy Efficiency in Public Pedestrian Infrastructure
Adibhesami, M. A., Karimi, H., Sepehri, B., Pajani, F., Makaremi, S., Ghahremani, S., & Hassanzadeh, A. (2024) · Urban sustainability · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-8483-7_7 · Cited by 5
Optimizing building performance with Digital Twins: Pathways to energy efficiency and decarbonization
Tanase, A., & Croitoru, C. V. (2025) · E3S Web of Conferences · doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202560801004 · Cited by 7
Usage of GAMS-Based Digital Twins and Clustering to Improve Energetic Systems Control
Gronier, T., Maréchal, W., Geissler, C., & Gibout, S. (2022) · Energies · doi:10.3390/en16010123 · Cited by 6
Built environment data modelling: a review of current approaches and standards supporting Asset Management
Moretti, N., Xie, X., García, J. M., et al. (2022) · IFAC-PapersOnLine · doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2022.09.212 · Cited by 5
Dijital ikiz üzerine yapılan araştırmaların dergi yayınlarındaki eğilimlerinin görselleştirilmesi
ALPTEKİN, G., & TÜRKMEN, D. (2023) · Açıköğretim Uygulamaları ve Araştırmaları Dergisi · doi:10.51948/auad.1309385 · Cited by 5
Planning and building digital twins for smart cities
Channi, H. K., Kumar, P., & Safdarian, F. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-28884-5.00010-5 · Cited by 7
Digital Twin based built environment asset management services development
Moretti, N., Xie, X., García, J. M., et al. (2022) · IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science · doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1101/9/092023 · Cited by 5
“The Vivacité platform [17], the Herrenberg city level digital twin [18] and the Singapore Smart Nation [19] are some examples.”
Method
Integration of Movement Data into 3D GIS
Lim, J., Biljecki, F., & Stouffs, R. M. F. A. (2024) · ISPRS annals of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences · doi:10.5194/isprs-annals-x-4-w5-2024-219-2024 · Cited by 5
“…are based on 3D models with geometric and semantic information, and are able to incorporate real-time (dynamic) data to enable analysis, simulation and prediction to inform intervention decisions in the real world, in the areas of urban design, planning and systems operation (Dembski et al., 2020).”
Background
A model-driven approach for engineering Mobility Digital Twins: The Bologna case study
Somma, A., Amalfitano, D., Bucaioni, A., et al. (2025) · Information and Software Technology · doi:10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107863 · Cited by 4
FlowsDT: A geospatial digital twin for navigating urban flood dynamics
Mandal, D., Zou, L., Wadhwa, A., Wilkho, R. S., Cai, Z., Zhou, B., Ye, X., Newman, G., Gharaibeh, N. G., & Güneralp, B. (2026) · Computers Environment and Urban Systems · doi:10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2026.102414 · Cited by 6
“The Herrenberg initiative in Germany uses geospatial digital twins with real-time data from sensors and IoT devices to improve traffic flow and urban infrastructure management (Dembski et al., 2020).”
Innovating Urban Environments: The Impact of Smart City Technologies on Employee Performance, Quality of Life, and Service
Alakoum, A., & Nica, E. (2024) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-83608-292-720241003 · Cited by 4
Critical urban informatics for urban digital twin models
Ahn, C., Lotfi-Jam, F., Graham, C., et al. (2025) · Nature Cities · doi:10.1038/s44284-024-00171-0 · Cited by 4
Leveraging digital enabling technologies for integrating climate adaptation and mitigation in urban design
Ricciardi, G., Callegari, G., & Leone, M. F. (2025) · Automation in Construction · doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106504 · Cited by 4
Towards a critical understanding of digital twins: The politics of digitalizing rivers in China
Xu, Q. Z. L., Rogers, S., Veldwisch, G. J., Melsen, L. A., Han, X. Z., & Boelens, R. (2025) · Environment and Planning E Nature and Space · doi:10.1177/25148486251386256 · Cited by 4
Foregrounding collaboration in CAVE systems: A survey across domains, interaction, and system design
Chen, F. X. Y., Xu, S., & Zhang, S. (2025) · Computers & Graphics · doi:10.1016/j.cag.2025.104469 · Cited by 4
VOXEL-BASED POINT CLOUD LOCALIZATION FOR SMART SPACES MANAGEMENT
Mortazavi, F. S., Shkedova, O., Feuerhake, U., et al. (2023) · The international archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences/International archives of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences · doi:10.5194/isprs-archives-xlviii-1-w1-2023-325-2023 · Cited by 4
“The aim of the project is to install a data management system, which is capable of large-sized BIM objects and 3D reality meshes processing (Yang, Seungho and Kim, 2021).”
MethodInfluential
Digital Twins in Industry: Real-World Applications and Innovations
Tiwari, S., & Shukla, A. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-58523-4_1 · Cited by 5
[DC] The Application of Digital Twins in Sustainable Urban Planning: From Data Acquisition to 3D Virtualization
Bazzaz, S. A. (2024) · IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW) · doi:10.1109/vrw62533.2024.00349 · Cited by 4
“[2] To identify the key challenges facing climate-resilient regions in adapting to climate change and mitigating environmental risks.”
Background
Application Research of 6G-Based Digital Twins in Smart Cities
Wang, W., Li, C., Li, S., et al. (2024) · doi:10.1109/icmiii62623.2024.00012 · Cited by 4
“As an emerging technological means, digital twins provide a new perspective on urban management and decision-making by creating virtual copies of physical entities [1].”
Background
Developing an Immersive Virtual Reality Interface for Urban Digital Twins: Integrating CAVE and HMD Systems for Enhanced Urban Analysis
Bunea, A.-A., & Dobre, C. (2024) · RoEduNet Conference: Networking in Education and Research (RoEduNet) · doi:10.1109/roedunet64292.2024.10722061 · Cited by 4
“The project’s setup is a stationary five-sided cube with rear-projection technology, allowing the users to experience the digital twin from multiple angles [33].”
Background
Digital Twin and Services: A Theoretical Development Framework
Galera‐Zarco, C. (2024) · IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Conference - Latin America (TEMSCON LATAM) · doi:10.1109/temsconlatam61834.2024.10717667 · Cited by 5
“By creating digital replicas of buildings, civil infrastructures, and entire cities, it is possible to simulate scenarios and evaluate the impacts of various factors before they are implemented [23].”
Background
Scientometric review and visualisation of City Information Modeling (CIM) trends and future directions
Okonta, E. D., Israel, G. C., & Okeke, F. O. (2025) · Discover Cities · doi:10.1007/s44327-025-00072-4 · Cited by 4
“Dembski et al. [110] bolstered that cities are complex systems connected to economic, ecological, and demographic conditions and change.”
Influential
Designing Guidelines for Smart City Collaboration Tools
van Twist, A., Melenhorst, M., Veenstra, M., et al. (2022) · Proceedings of the ... Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences/Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences · doi:10.24251/hicss.2022.334 · Cited by 4
“Digital Twin [50] Urban digital twins to facilitate citizen engagement in the smart city.”
The General View of Virtual Reality Technology in the Education Sector
ALFarsi, G. M., Yusof, A. B. M., Tawafak, R. M., Malik, S. I., AlSideiri, A., Mathew, R., & Alsinani, M. (2023) · Algorithms for intelligent systems · doi:10.1007/978-981-99-1435-7_25 · Cited by 4
Digital—Twin for an Innovative Waterfront Management Strategy. Pilot Project DSH2030
Pacifico, M. G., Pinto, M. R., & Novellino, A. (2023) · The urban book series · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-29515-7_20 · Cited by 4
Sustainability Indicators and Ten Smart Cities Review
Sao, A., & Gupta, J. (2023) · IEEE International Conference on Contemporary Computing and Communications (InC4) · doi:10.1109/inc457730.2023.10263236 · Cited by 6
The Role of Historical City Centers in the Climate-Neutral Transition of Cities: The Digital Twin as a Tool for Dynamic and Participatory Planning
Boeri, A., Longo, D., Massari, M., Sabatini, F., & Turillazzi, B. (2024) · Designing environments · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-50121-0_2 · Cited by 5
AI-Driven Decision Support System for Green and Sustainable Urban Planning in Smart Cities
Xu, C. (2024) · Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences · doi:10.2478/amns-2024-0736 · Cited by 4
Navigating the Digital Public Sphere: An AI-Driven Analysis of Interaction Dynamics across Societal Domains
Schmank, J., & Buchkremer, R. (2024) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc14100195 · Cited by 4
Landscape Visualization by Integrating Augmented Reality and Drones with Occlusion Handling to Link Real and Virtual Worlds - Towards city digital twin realization
Kikuchi, N., Fukuda, T., & Yabuki, N. (2021) · eCAADe proceedings · doi:10.52842/conf.ecaade.2021.2.521 · Cited by 4
Digital Twins of Sustainable City
Lv, Z., Gander, A. J., & Lv, H. (2022) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-90386-8.00024-3 · Cited by 5
Exploring the Convergence of Metaverse, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Twin for Pioneering the Digitization in the Envision Smart Grid 3.0Preprint
Adnan, M., Ahmed, I., Iqbal, M. S., Fazal, M. R., Siddiqi, S. J., & Tariq, M. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4894641 · Cited by 4
Digital twinning for ports : from characterization to operations’ modelling
Klar, R. (2024) · Linköping studies in science and technology. Thesis · doi:10.3384/9789180755726 · Cited by 3
A low-code assessment platform for urban digital twins
Sanctis, M. D., Iovino, L., Rossi, M. T., et al. (2025) · Information and Software Technology · doi:10.1016/j.infsof.2025.107726 · Cited by 3
SYNTHUA-DT: A Methodological Framework for Synthetic Dataset Generation and Automatic Annotation from Digital Twins in Urban Accessibility Applications
Romero, S. F. L., de Souza, M. A., & Serpa-Andrade, L. J. (2025) · Technologies · doi:10.3390/technologies13080359 · Cited by 3
“A digital twin is a high-fidelity virtual replica of a real-world environment—in this context, a 3D model of a city or district, geometrically and visually matching the actual urban space [11,12].”
An Architecture and Realisation of a Smart City Digital Twin With eHealth Case Studies
Jayachandran, N., Abdrabou, A., Bataineh, M. A., et al. (2025) · IET Smart Cities · doi:10.1049/smc2.70006 · Cited by 3
Integration of Digital Twin Technologies in Urban Regeneration of a Small Historic Town in Europe
Blagonić, B., Markovinović, D., Matijević, H., et al. (2025) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su172310740 · Cited by 3
A socio-technical perspective on digital twins as GovTech solutions: the case of WiseTown
Mortati, M., Mariani, I., & Rizzo, F. (2025) · Data & Policy · doi:10.1017/dap.2025.10045 · Cited by 3
“Furthermore, CDTs facilitate the simulation of future urban scenarios, such as traffic patterns under various conditions (Dembski et al., 2020), and aid in integrating different city aspects into a cohesive platform, although this integration remains a challenging endeavor (Shahat et al., 2021).”
How Extended Reality Is Shaping Smart Cities: A Systematic Literature Review
Ricci, M., Mosca, N., Rafik, M., et al. (2026) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app16020679 · Cited by 3
Wireless and Emerging Technologies to Meet E-Government Demands: Applications, Benefits, and Challenges
Barakat, H. M., Ali, S. H. M., Xu, Z., Murad, S. S., Soltani, M. D., Yussof, S., & Oraibi, B.-A. M. (2026) · Information · doi:10.3390/info17030225 · Cited by 7
A review on integration of digital twins within industry 4.0
Tabet, W., Benfriha, K., & Bounab, B. (2026) · Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing · doi:10.1007/s10845-026-02851-1 · Cited by 7
Managing green supply chain performance through digital twin technology – insights from SMEs and large firms
Phonthanukitithaworn, C., & Ketkaew, C. (2026) · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity · doi:10.1016/j.joitmc.2026.100762 · Cited by 5
Big Data Analytics for Geospatial Decision-Making in Smart Cities: A Review of Spatial Data, GeoAI and Urban Digital Twins
Theodorakopoulos, L., & Theodoropoulou, A. (2026) · ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information · doi:10.3390/ijgi15070278 · Cited by 4
The Applicability of the Urban Digital Twin in the Detailed Choices of the Urban Plan
Cicalese, F., Grimaldi, M., & Fasolino, I. (2024) · Lecture notes in civil engineering · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-54118-6_20 · Cited by 4
BIM-GIS in Catalyzing 3D Environmental Simulation
Rahman, S. A. F. S. A., Maulud, K. N. A., & Jaafar, W. S. W. M. (2024) · Earth and environmental sciences library · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-50848-6_10 · Cited by 3
A Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Metaverse for Smart Cities: The Dimensions of Technology, People, and Institutions
Zhou, L., & Suh, W. (2024) · Systems · doi:10.3390/systems12100412 · Cited by 3
GT-Craft: A Framework for Fast Prototyping Geospatial-Based Digital Twins in Unity 3D
Heo, J., Novlan, T. D., Akoum, S., & Gavrilovska, A. (2024) · IEEE/ACM Symposium on Edge Computing (SEC) · doi:10.1109/sec62691.2024.00043 · Cited by 3
A proof-of-concept study towards developing digital twins for operational excellence in large-scale water distribution networks
Singh, A., Singh, S., & Maheshwari, A. (2025) · Urban Water Journal · doi:10.1080/1573062x.2025.2480632 · Cited by 4
“And, recently, DT has found a use for achieving smart cities, touching almost all sectors including transportation and automobile, infrastructure, retail, energy and water and healthcare (Dembski et al. 2020; Deren, Wenbo, and Zhenfeng 2021; Pereira et al. 2018).”
Unveiling the Ethical Dimension of Urban Digital Twins: A Framework for Responsible and Sustainable Urban Planning
Chen, F., Alhamadani, A., Sarkar, S., Alkulaib, L., Khatri, A., & Lu, C. (2025) · Journal of Planning Education and Research · doi:10.1177/0739456x251333376 · Cited by 3
Digital twin development of a wind farm: problem statement and construction
Massel, L., Massel, A. G., Shchukin, N. I., et al. (2022) · Информационные и математические технологии в науке и управлении · doi:10.38028/esi.2022.25.1.007 · Cited by 3
An Insight into Federated Learning Based Digital Twin Applications in Smart City
Saranya, M., & Amutha, B. (2023) · International Conference on Inventive Research in Computing Applications (ICIRCA) · doi:10.1109/icirca57980.2023.10220792 · Cited by 3
Towards a Digital Twin Implementation of Eastern Crete: An Educational Approach
Logothetis, I., Mari, I., & Vidakis, N. (2023) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-43401-3_17 · Cited by 3
Sustainable, inclusive city-making through smart, playable environments: developing and testing the CO2rdinates pervasive mobile game
Chian, Y. X. (2023) · International Academic Mindtrek Conference (Mindtrek) · doi:10.1145/3616961.3617803 · Cited by 5
“…[23] ( P ), discussion boards and voting/polling systems on engagement platforms ( A ), the use of building information modelling (BIM) (see [21]) and blockchain smart contracts (see [5]) ( T ), various funding structures (public/private) ( E ), and health, safety, and wellbeing…”
Background
Exploring the Potential of Digital Twins at the District Scale: a Framework for Investigation
Odeh, K., & de Wilde, P. (2023) · Building Simulation Conference proceedings · doi:10.26868/25222708.2023.1201 · Cited by 3
“In the context of urban energy modelling, DT technology can tackle complex challenges faced by energy analysts and city planners, but it has been only discussed recently (Dembski et al., 2020).”
Background
Footprints of Travel: AIoT and AR Enhanced Tourist Gaming Experience in Unmanned Cultural Sites
Lai, S.-Y., Liu, D.-E., Yeh, Z.-F., et al. (2024) · Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3613905.3648626 · Cited by 3
“These games utilize digital twins [6], which are virtual replicas of real-world objects [7], to provide immersive experiences [8].”
Background
The commoditization of civil nuclear power
Patterson, E. A., & Taylor, R. J. (2024) · Royal Society Open Science · doi:10.1098/rsos.240021 · Cited by 3
Advances in the Application of Digital Twins in Smart Cities
Zhang, A., Yu, Z., Zhang, X., & Han, L. (2024) · International Conference on Educational Digitalization and Computer Science in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area · doi:10.1145/3686424.3686467 · Cited by 3
“Without taking these capabilities into account, the huge potential of digital technologies and solutions will not be utilized [ 33 ] .”
Insights on the obstacles, challenges, and complexities of engaging youth in urban planning in Jordan: assessment and recommendations
Zeadat, Z. F., & Haddad, N. A. (2024) · International Journal of Architectural Research Archnet-IJAR · doi:10.1108/arch-05-2024-0213 · Cited by 3
Digital Twins Facing the Complexity of the City: Some Critical Remarks
Melone, M. R. S., Stefano Borgo, A., & Camarda, D. (2025) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su17073189 · Cited by 3
“This approach certainly allows an increase in the memory of the options and available data, but the lack of dynamic structuring drastically reduces the urban similarity (and effectiveness) of the twin model [24,25].”
Digital Twin or Digital Kin: Misunderstandings and Myths about Urban Simulation, and Directions for Change
Payne, W. B., Fraser, E., & Wilmott, C. (2025) · Journal of Planning Education and Research · doi:10.1177/0739456x251360632 · Cited by 6
“2023) to algorithmic forms of local governance (Dembski et al. 2020) and bureaucracy (Eom 2022).”
Research on the Development of Digital Twins in Construction Industry
Li, J. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-16-3587-8_102 · Cited by 3
Serious Game Design For Playful Exploratory Urban Simulation
hong, L. V., & Wang, S.-M. (2021) · doi:10.22323/1.378.0014 · Cited by 3
Digital Twin Models: BIM Meets NetLogo
Kořínek, M., Tázlar, O., & Štekerová, K. (2021) · Hradec Economic Days ... · doi:10.36689/uhk/hed/2021-01-040 · Cited by 3
“This approach was successfully doi: 10.36689/uhk/hed/2021-01-040 applied in urban digital twins, a novel method in urban planning, see e.g. (Dembski et al., 2020) for a prototype of an urban digital twin for the town of Herrenberg in Germany.”
MethodInfluential
Advanced technological solutions in the sphere of establishing neuro-digital public administration
Kosorukov, A. A. (2021) · Социодинамика · doi:10.25136/2409-7144.2021.6.35675 · Cited by 3
Urban scale climate change adaptation through smart technologies
Bazazzadeh, H., Pourahmadi, B., Pilechiha, P., Safaei, S. S. H., & Berardi, U. (2023) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-85552-5.00011-7 · Cited by 4
Digital City Modeling and Emerging Directions in Public Participation in Planning
Gower, A., Hotker, M., & Grodach, C. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-87745-3_292 · Cited by 3
Virtual Reality for Home-Based Citizen Participation in Urban Planning – An Exploratory User Study
Guler, M., Bekiri, V., Baldauf, M., et al. (2024) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-61318-0_4 · Cited by 2
Concept of a demand-response model for smart community construction: a case study in Ningbo, China
Gao, C., & Zhao, X. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-91241-3 · Cited by 2

Authors: Dembski, F., Wössner, U., Letzgus, M., Ruddat, M., & Yamu, C.
Affiliations: High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS), Nobelstraße 19, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (DE)
University of Stuttgart (DE)
University of Groningen (NL)
Corresponding author: Yamu, Claudia
ORCID: Dembski, Fabian
Wössner, Uwe
Ruddat, Michael
Yamu, Claudia
Venue: Sustainability
Publisher: MDPI AG
Published: 2020-03-16
Volume: 12
Issue: 6
Pages: 2307
ISSN: 2071-1050 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.3390/su12062307
OpenAlex: W3011950450
Semantic Scholar: 12620db190497050f70e1d1a29cf6e1a18898992
Cited by: 622
References: 29
Citations by year: 2026: 111 · 2025: 136 · 2024: 145 · 2023: 99 · 2022: 74 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 12
FWCI: 29.57
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: gold
doi.org
Licence: cc-by
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor)
Locations: Sustainability (publishedVersion, cc-by)
University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
OPUS Publication Server of the University of Stuttgart (University of Stuttgart) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Fraunhofer-Publica (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Fraunhofer-Publica (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Universitätsbibliothek Stuttgart (cc-by)
Funders: Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg (Living Labs: City Districts 4.0)
Topics: Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Smart Cities and Technologies
Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › 3D Modeling in Geospatial Applications
Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Geographic Information Systems Studies
Keywords: urban digital twins, smart cities, citizen participation, participatory urban planning, Herrenberg, space syntax, street network analysis, urban mobility simulation, wind field simulation, volunteered geographic information, virtual reality visualization, public workshops, decision support, democratic city

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-11, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-11 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Cited sources are checked with a language model’s help (gpt-6-sol).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

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Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany

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