Citizens' lives are affected every day based on factors such as weather and air pollution. Problems that occur because of climate change such as air pollution, CO2 emissions etc., have to be eliminated. During COP26 Summit in 2021 was discussed what actions need to be taken to achieve climate change targets aiming for the improvement of people's lives – a greener planet. Therefore, we are looking for more sustainable cities where citizens can live and work better. Recently, according to the sustainable living guide, among 17 cities worldwide, Copenhagen was listed as number 1 because its target to become carbon neutral by 2025 seems to be feasible and thus has been recognised as the model eco-friendly city! This has been achieved among other reasons also due to its digital transformation. So how could our cities be transferred to digital cities?? ?

Create a Digital Infrastructure towards Digital Cities

Synonymous to eco-friendly cities is digitalisation. On this basis, to have digital building platforms to process valuable data that are collected from sensors through IoT in real time and provide concrete information to the end-users add value to both governments and their citizens. This data-driven approach over the utilisation of the right technological infrastructure (figure 1) gives the capacity to decision-makers but also citizens to avoid waste and unnecessary over/underuse of our planet's resources. Therefore, the right digital infrastructure as can be seen in Figure 1 is required to be applicable to help decision-makers and end-users to collect data in real time and convert them to valuable information that helps them to expand their knowledge and understanding of any factor that affects a city's operation. This smart approach is not derived because of technology's existence, but because of peoples' capacity to increase their knowledge and understanding on learning how to utilise certain digital tools to deliver and operate a greener planet.

Figure 1: Digital Infrastructure of CIM Platform

By applying the digital infrastructure in a hypothetical scenario in Glodon's Research & Development Department, the lessons learnt were:

? More accurate cost projections (OPex): By having a full 3D comprehensive integrated visualised model of the city in a panoramic viewpoint, it is easier to highlight key operational data; for example, a city zone that is consists of buildings, roads, water supply, sewage and drainage, gas, municipal components, equipment, and other facilities (figure 2). Based on these data, the government could make better projections of costs and thus utility charges to citizens could be fairer and more affordable.?

? Manage Energy Consumption during occupation process: The key operational objects (assets) collect data and transfer those in real time (IoT) to the back office giving the benefit to experts to understand and manage utilities consumption in a more comprehensive way by moderating OPex. Consequently, this impacts residents' energy bills but also could affect property's value.?

? Improve Work and Life Wellbeing: The decentralised key operational data management and its control alongside the visualised 3D City Information Model with the support of AI were able to control and optimise urban operation, support data-driven decision-making and improve collaboration between stakeholders. Consequently, this collaborative culture also allows citizens input from crowdsources that lead towards a better living and working sustainable city.

Consequently, this holistic and integrated approach helped decision-makers to create data-driven prevention and control techniques to support better data-based decision-making and also enhance collaboration among stakeholders.

Figure 2: CIM Platform (Hypothetical scenario)

How to utilise Digital Technologies in Cities?

Our lessons learnt by applying scenarios to reality, Smart Industrial Park, Qingdao - China, were impressive. Due to the application of 5G network and High and New-tech Video (figure 3) was able to demonstrate different types of technologies over a digital building platform that helped in fact to improve the operational management of the Park in a more efficient way. Moreover, the 3 lessons we learnt are:?

? Increase Park's operation through real-time interconnection (over a secure network with high bandwidth 5G fast and reliable) and centralised management of the industrial park and real-time control gave the operators a much better and comprehensive understanding of the Park's operations. Based on the collected data relevant amendments occurred by improving residents' working environment.?

? Increase accuracy level of Capital Expenditures (CAPex) calculations through AI: End-users were able to receive reliable, valuable, and interoperable data and based on AI algorithms were able to offer useful, meaningful and valuable information that was visualised in a 3D environment. This 3D geometrical representation of the Park gave them the opportunity to improve traffic conditions, parking availability, lighting and energy consumption. Hence, OPex calculations were more accurate and bills to its residents became more affordable.?

? Develop a sustainable park with reduced OPex. End-users were able to use visualisation technologies such as VR/AR/MR etc. and have a panoramic view of the city model. This gamificative type of (easy to use) environment and the live stream simulation based on hypothetical scenarios gave the capacity to decision-makers to understand the impact of additional factors e.g. impact of potential investment attraction policy, view CO2 emissions etc., impact of energy consumption or even OPex for energy consumption (figure 3).

Consequently, by being able to foresee and understand the Industrial Park operation, the owner can see benefits to a) its profit – reduced CAPex and OPex b) contribution to government's actions in relation to climate changes and c) having happy citizens because they pay more reasonable, affordable, and fair utilities bills. In other words, digital building platforms create a sustainable city that satisfies citizens' needs.

Figure 3: Case Study: Case: Qingdao 5G High and New-tech Video Smart Industrial Park

Is Glodon right for your cities?

To satisfy citizens' needs, digital cities platforms help you to visualise and simulate different scenarios based on the right digital infrastructure being applied in the city. It proposes the development of a more collaborative culture that enables a new digital ecosystem that empowers the fulfilment of citizens' requirements. Governments with their stakeholders establish a more interactive, synchronous and stimulus hybrid environment that allows citizens to become more inclusive and less stressed. This well being driven approach highlights the development of more inclusive strategies that allow continued support of the local community.