TOPPAN announced that it has launched a service that uses digital twins of cities to visualize disaster risks. The service will support local governments in disaster prevention measures, training, and disaster prevention education. The company will develop disaster prevention solutions such as digital twins and virtual reality (VR) images for local governments, aiming for sales of 500 million yen including related orders in fiscal 2025. The service recreates real cities in 3D digital space and registers local information such as disaster prevention facilities and resident distribution. It then virtually recreates damage and evacuation behavior in the event of a disaster and visualizes the situation. It is said that various conditions can be considered in digital space and reflected in disaster prevention and mitigation activities.
In addition, based on the situation at the time of the disaster, information to support the work of local governments is automatically created, such as AI generation of training scenarios and CG output of reproductions that can be used for disaster prevention education. Regional information such as population, evacuation centers, and hospitals can be reflected in the digital twin, and the damage situation can be visualized on a 3D map. Reports on the number of damage cases and the number of evacuees can be output, making it possible to compare and consider various conditions. Training scenarios can be automatically generated by AI based on the local disaster prevention plan and disaster situation, and damage assumption images synchronized with the scenario can also be created. In addition, training can be conducted in a situation similar to a real disaster, and it can be used in mountainous and urban areas nationwide.
According to TOPPAN, traditional disaster prevention and mitigation plans were largely based on imagination based on past experience. However, as disasters become more severe and complex, traditional methods have their limitations. The company has been developing disaster prevention awareness services using VR technology. In recent years, as the demand for simulation functions has increased, the company has decided to use digital twin technology to improve the sophistication and efficiency of local government disaster prevention.
In the future, in addition to tsunamis, river flooding, and high tides, the company will also work to respond to earthquakes, landslides, fires, and other disasters. The company will also support the construction of digital twins using 3D city models from “PLATEAU,” led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. PLATEAU is a project to develop and open-source 3D city models for all of Japan. When local governments use disaster simulation data, the initial cost starts at 5.6 million yen, and the annual fee is 1.4 million yen (including maintenance). Additional costs for map data and simulation calculations will be incurred.
SOURCE: Yahoo
