City of Surprise Digital Twin
WESTMARC and the City of Surprise partnered with ASU Next Lab to create the first digital twin of the City of Surprise, targeting both investors and residents. The digital twin includes two key features: City Data View, a 3D map with real-time ArcGIS/Esri data, and Street & Ground Views, allowing users to navigate Elm Street from top-down or first-person perspectives. Over ten months, the Next Lab team collaborated with city officials to design and build these experiences, aimed at visualizing future developments and engaging the community. ASU Next Lab will also train city staff to manage and improve the digital twin.
The City of Surprise and Westmarc—a public-private partnership focusing on the economic growth of 15 communities, industry and the educational sector in the West Valley of the Greater Phoenix region—partnered with Arizona State University (ASU) Next Lab to develop the first digital twin of the City of Surprise. Although the primary audience for the digital twin is potential investors, city officials also prioritized resident engagement.
The team at Next Lab developed solutions for the following design challenges:
- How can we help investors better visualize, understand, and feel confident about creating value in Elm Street?
- How might current and potential residents interact with a digital twin of downtown Surprise, so they can imagine and experience the future of the city?
For a period of ten months, ASU Next Lab staff and Studio Associates engaged with City of Surprise officials via biweekly meetings, starting with ideation workshops that led them to create two digital twin experiences:
- City Data View: A 3D map of the entire City of Surprise with live connections to ArcGIS/Esri data sets (collections of geographic and spatial data used for mapping, analysis, and decision-making).
- Street & Ground Views: A view of the Elm Street area that allows users to navigate from a traditional top-down view or a first-person point of view.
The Next Lab team will be upskilling City of Surprise staff to maintain and continuously improve their new digital twin experiences.
Key components:
1. Ideation: Workshops with city officials and stakeholders were held to define user personas, challenges, and aspirations. The main goals were to attract investors and demonstrate the future vision of Elm Street to residents. User experience (UX) elements, including user journeys, storyboards, and concept UI, were created.
2. Data Collection: Westmarc and the City of Surprise provided key data such as CAD files, 3D models, brochures, and Esri demographic data relevant to investors.
3. Development: The project was built using Unity and GitHub for version control. Core game systems were developed, including camera controls, UI functionality, and building placement tools. The 3D data and demographic information from ArcGIS/Esri were integrated into the platform.
4. Optimization: Efforts focused on optimizing the digital twin for WebGL performance, simplifying 3D models, and applying Level of Detail (LOD) techniques to balance performance and visual quality.
5. Implementation and Handover: The digital twin will be integrated into the city’s systems, with the Next Lab team upskilling city staff for its effective use.
6. Monitoring and Optimization: After deployment, the city will continue to monitor and improve the digital twin.
Project showcase:
Lauch date:
- January 2024
Creators:
- Ashlynn Dang
- Cami Keck
- Harshini Kandagaddala
- Jesus Franco Yescas
- Joey Orta
- Lakshya Dharwal
- Meredith Woodward
- Sahil Garg
- Tushar Tyagi
- Viresh Bhurke