Building a bridge between digital & physical India

VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY OFFERS REAL-TIME INSIGHTS FOR BETTER DECISIONS

- SUDHIR CHOWDHARY

DIGITAL TWINS ARE no longer futuristic concepts—they are becoming the foundation of how cities and industries plan, build and operate. With India’s big infrastructure push, there’s an urgent need for smarter tools that ensure long-term impact and efficiency. Enter digital twins—virtual replicas of physical infrastructure that simulate, test, and optimise every stage of a project. Fuelled by advances in Al, cloud computing and internet of things (IoT), they are seen as the “Google Maps” for infrastructure planning—offering visibility, scenario modeling and predictive insights to help avoid cost overruns and accelerate development.

Cities like Singapore have created citywide digital twins to simulate traffic flow, energy usage and urban development. Closer home, Jaipur has adopted has adopted Dassault Systemes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform to create a digital twin of the city, enabling better urban planning, infrastructure management and citizen services by breaking down departmental silos and fostering collaboration. This initiative allows administrators to simulate development projects, predict impacts and engage residents in urban planning.