4th BlueGreen Dialogue on the BMBF project Leipzig BlueGreen

Digital Twins for blue-green urban development

19.06.2024 09:00 - 10:30 a.m. | Online

In the 4th BlueGreen Dialogue, which took place on 19 June 2024 from 09:00 - 10:30 as part of the BMBF joint project Leipziger BlauGrün, the forward-looking concept of "Digital Twins for blue-green urban development" was presented. The online event was attended by 80 interested parties, particularly from municipal practice, city administrations and science.

The event began with a welcome and introduction by Prof. Dr Roland Müller from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), who is in charge of the BMBF's Leipzig BlueGreen project. This was followed by three specialist presentations, the key points of which are summarised below:

Anja Eimer, Siemens General Manager Global Water Business and on the board of the German Water Partnership e.V., presented the possibilities and advantages of digital twins in the water industry in her lecture "Digital Twins for an efficient, sustainable & resilient water infrastructure". She explained how digital twins can contribute to improving wastewater treatment, water treatment, sewer network optimisation, water distribution and desalination. These technologies enable comprehensive modelling and management of water infrastructures and offer significant potential for sustainable improvements. Ms Eimer emphasised the need for greater collaboration between public institutions and technology providers in order to fully exploit the potential of digital twins.

Anne-Marie Kilpert, Head of the Smart City Design Department at Fraunhofer IESE, presented "Digital Twins - Potentials in Urban Development". Kilpert explained that digital twins are dynamic digital images of cities that integrate physical buildings, infrastructure, urban processes and data. These technologies enable comprehensive simulation and analysis of urban systems in order to optimise planning processes and improve decision-making. She emphasised that digital twins are particularly valuable when a lot of data from different sources needs to be considered quickly, and that they can transform the understanding and practice of urban planning in the long term.

In his presentation, Dr. Uwe Winkler from Leipziger Wasserwerke presented the "Investment potential map in municipal infrastructure planning - digital twin". He explained how digital twins are used to determine the optimal scope and timing for the realisation of extensive, cross-media measures. These measures include areas such as district heating networks, water supply, wastewater disposal and road construction. Digital twins enable a holistic view and optimisation of urban infrastructures by integrating existing data and forecasting future condition developments. In doing so, they help to identify conflicting objectives and find efficient, sustainable solutions.

Each presentation was followed by short discussions and questions.

Here you can download the presentations of the event:


Digital Twins for an efficient, sustainable & resilient water infrastructure

    Anja Eimer, Siemens General Manager Global Water Business und Vertreterin des GWP e.V.
     2024_06_19_Eimer.pdf


Digitale Zwillinge – Potenziale in der Stadtentwicklung

    Anne-Marie Kilpert, Leiterin des Bereichs Smart City Design am Fraunhofer IESE
     2024_06_19_Kilpert.pdf (1.3 MB)