Dubai Launches Digital Twin Platform for Smarter Urban Planning
Dubai has launched the Digital Twin Platform, creating a virtual replica of the emirate to strengthen urban planning, sustainability, and future readiness. The announcement came during the “Partners in Building the Digital Twin” workshop organized by Dubai Municipality.
Additionally, the platform supports smart infrastructure management, data-driven decision-making, and long-term urban development. Officials also showcased its capabilities in helping Dubai prepare for future challenges through advanced digital technologies.
Platform strengthens smart city development
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “The Dubai Digital Twin Project reflects His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision of leveraging advanced technology and data to build a city that is better prepared for the future, while enhancing planning efficiency, informed decision-making, and quality of life.”
Furthermore, he added, “It marks a new strategic milestone in Dubai’s journey to strengthen its position as the world’s best city to live, work, and invest in, and as a global model for innovation and digital transformation. We continue to build an integrated digital ecosystem based on data integration, artificial intelligence, and high-impact partnerships between the public and private sectors.”
“This will accelerate the development of innovative solutions that enhance Dubai’s readiness for future changes, reinforce its global leadership in smart cities and digital transformation, and support a knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy aligned with Dubai’s ambitions for the years and decades ahead,” His Highness added.
Moreover, Sheikh Hamdan described the platform as a strategic step toward improving urban planning, enhancing government decision-making, and raising residents’ quality of life. He also emphasized continued collaboration between government entities and private-sector partners to advance AI-powered smart city initiatives.
Digital replica expands with thousands of 3D assets
During the workshop, officials reviewed the platform’s next phase, including applications for urban planning, infrastructure management, rainfall simulation, and digital planning tools. Meanwhile, they highlighted the successful completion of the project’s third phase, which converted more than 195,000 buildings into detailed 3D digital models.
In addition, Dubai Municipality signed Memoranda of Understanding with Al-Futtaim Group and Huawei to expand the Digital Twin ecosystem. The partnerships will support urban planning, infrastructure operations, asset management, research, future planning, and data-driven governance.
Officials also highlighted the platform’s growing scale. Eng. Marwan Ahmed Bin Ghalita said, “The completion of the Digital Twin project represents a strategic milestone in Dubai’s journey towards building a smarter and more sustainable city.”
“It embodies the leadership’s vision of leveraging advanced technologies and data to enhance government services, improve the efficiency of asset and infrastructure management, and elevate the quality of life. This achievement is the result of integration and collaboration among various government entities and strategic partners,” he added.
Furthermore, Eng. Maryam Al Muhairi said, “The Digital Twin provides a comprehensive digital environment that unifies spatial and operational data within a single platform, enabling the simulation and analysis of future scenarios and supporting more efficient decision-making.”
Today, the Digital Twin Platform serves as a highly accurate virtual representation of Dubai. It continuously updates information on buildings, infrastructure, public facilities, residential areas, and major landmarks. Moreover, the platform now includes more than 280,000 infrastructure assets, 330,000 public facilities and assets converted into 3D models, over 1,500 geospatial data layers, and more than 100 two-dimensional and three-dimensional applications supporting government services and urban development.
