Mapping the Nation: Creating the World We Want to See

159 Huber referenced one of the earliest aspern Seestadt maps, depicting the comprehensive plan for the development. “It’s been with us from the very beginning,” she said. “It shows all the usages and open spaces. It’s the most used map in the whole company.” Over time, the map has been augmented by dashboards that show aspern Seestadt’s progress. These help all project stakeholders understand whether the project is meeting its goals. For example, it can provide information about total emissions of proposed buildings based on the building function and expected construction standard. It also helps everyone involved understand the schedule for completing various phases of the development. “We can combine 2D information with the 3D model we now have,” she said. “We can picture an already constructed building block, and we can load in contracts and PDFs.” A Digital Twin Keeps Pace with Development As aspern Seestadt has progressed, GIS technology has advanced along with it. The result is a realistic vision of the town that would have been impossible when the project was first conceived. As Bocharnikov wrote in a 2022 project update, “We’re transforming traditional GIS into a project information model and, ultimately, a digital twin.” Smart Planning This geospatial digital twin, built using ArcGIS Urban, serves an important purpose in documenting the present and the past. But the twin also holds enormous importance as a way to understand the future and tweak the comprehensive plan accordingly. The town has always had goals related to climate change—both in terms of building the development with a minimum carbon footprint and ensuring heat mitigation strategies. The twin guides the planners in making data-driven decisions to reach these objectives. The twin also provides a record that lets planners change tactics in new parts of the development based on lessons learned from earlier phases. Stricter energy efficiency standards were applied in 2023 to the next phase of development. The digital twin provides visual communication of the change as well as quantifying gains in efficiency. It keeps aspern Seestadt focused on its goal of being a new sustainable and forward-thinking energy-efficient development in Europe. “This gives every member of Wien 3420 the possibility of seeing a complete picture, including completed buildings, the master plan, modifications of the master plan, and architectural projects that are being refined,” Bocharnikov said. “Our goal is for every member of the organization to directly access it in their work. That’s very valuable for collaboration within the agency.” From the 3D interface, users can choose to view projects, plans, and indicators. Screenshot courtesy of Wien3420. The lake provides a natural focal point and fuels a healthy lifestyle to relax, play, and swim. Image courtesy of Wien3420, © Luiza Puiu.

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