125 In Lithuania’s Capital, Drones, Maps, and AI Unite City Functions Digital twins are an increasingly common tool for city governments to understand and manage city assets. The twins act as 3D aids for city planners, providing responsive models that show the likely effects of proposed changes. Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, has taken the model a step further. In addition to its utility as a planning tool, Vilnius’s digital twin also provides a way to strengthen and streamline city services. Snow removal, a perennial necessity in one of Europe’s more blizzard-prone cities, is a key example. In January 2024, the first major blizzard of the year battered Vilnius, but the city had most streets cleared within four hours. They did it using a combination of AI, location technology, and aerial imagery. Moments after the storm ended, drone aircraft flew overhead, gathering images of the streets. An AI model trained to recognize snowy streets did a quick analysis. The result was displayed on a map of the city that formed part of a digital twin, built and maintained using a GIS. Stasys Savilionis, head of the data management group at the Vilnius Data Center, the office that manages the digital twin, displayed a post-blizzard map. Streets were color-coded, based on the AI model’s measurements. “If a street is red, it hasn’t been cleaned,” Savilionis explained. “If it’s yellow, that means it still needs to be inspected by a person. And if it’s green, that means the AI identifies that it’s been completely cleaned.” Building and Operating Modern Infrastructure
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