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As communities , businesses , and governments cope with these events , we need to acknowledge the infrastructure that we build plays a big part in addressing our relationship with our planet . Infrastructure provides economic and social advancements in communities , but it has historically driven carbon emissions and other unwanted environmental impacts . By advancing how infrastructure is designed , built , and operated , we can aspire to meet both our economic and sustainability goals as we future-proof our physical environment from climate change .

Today , immersive technology , as a precursor to the metaverse , lets software developers create virtual , interactive worlds for any kind of purpose in any kind of setting . We can use this technology to make our infrastructure more sustainable and resilient in the real world .

Case in point , the infrastructure digital twin .

An infrastructure digital twin is a 3D digital representation of something in the physical world that is continuously updated with real-time data , making the digital twin a “ live ” interactive digital representation of an object or system .

Whether a water pipe buried beneath a city street or a wind turbine three miles offshore , infrastructure digital twins incorporate model data from concept through to construction . They also gather data through devices connected to the Internet of Things ( IoT ), such as fixed or mobile sensors that capture detailed , engineering-rich information - including temperature fluctuations , wind speeds , and carbon emissions .

As the infrastructure engineering software company , Bentley Systems is advancing infrastructure digital twins . By pairing infrastructure digital twins with advanced visualization and simulation technology , such as Epic Games ’ Unreal Engine that powers the ever-popular online interactive game , Fortnite , as well as leading platforms from NVIDIA ( Omniverse ) and Unity , we can leverage that data into immersive virtual experiences to analyze the harmful effects of flash flooding , monitor pollution in cities , and even manage the health of trees in an urban landscape .

Who would have thought that designing , building , and operating infrastructure in interactive digital worlds could help us track carbon emissions and conserve resources to positively impact climate change ?

Intelligent modeling

The key to harnessing the value for the planet related to infrastructure is a physically accurate digital twin complete with rich engineering data to model not only the built infrastructure , but also its surroundings . Imagine being able to model the real world that is affected by climate change and then generate rich metaverse experiences and simulations to find solutions . Whether it is capturing changing flood plains and ocean level rise in the natural world or analyzing the resiliency of critical infrastructure like an electrical grid , infrastructure digital twins hold the key .

However , a point in time view is not enough . By recording and modeling processes in our built and natural environments , and tracking those changes over time , we can use infrastructure digital twins like a time machine to look at where we have been , where we are now , and where we are going . This is a powerful tool to assess , change , and even reverse our carbon footprint .

Technology is only of value if it is usable and accessible . Digital twin technology , with the evolving metaverse , provides accessibility across any platform to match the desired

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