With over 26 million residents, Shanghai has the highest population of any city in China, and is the third most populous in the world. And Beijing-based digital twin specialists 51World have succeeded in creating a complete virtual clone of the city in Unreal Engine—all 3,750 square kilometers of it.
The company individually modeled over 20 landmark structures including the Oriental Pearl and Shanghai Tower, and used data from satellites, drones, and sensors to generate digital versions of countless other buildings, roads, waterways, and green spaces using an algorithm. Ultimately, the plan is to turn this model into a true digital twin that will be continuously updated in near real time.
