The Digital Twin City: How Matterport is Transforming Local Government
Posted by Matt Lacey on
The Digital Twin City: How Matterport is Transforming Local Government
We recently featured a case study on how our client ANI Group has been using Matterport to help the town of Abergavenny become more accessible. There are so many benefits for local government in digitising their estates, and in this article we explore how they can make managing the built world easier and more efficient.
1. Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness
This is perhaps the most critical use case for local authorities. Digital twins provide first responders with "pre-incident" situational awareness.
-
Tactical Planning: Police and fire services can use 3D models of schools, courthouses, or stadiums to plan entry points and room-clearing strategies. In simulations, pre-planning with Matterport has been shown to reduce search times by up to 90%.
-
Fire Safety: Fire marshals can virtually inspect a building’s layout, locating mitigation methods, and hazardous material storage without being on-site.
-
Asset Tagging: Using Mattertags, officials can label AED locations, fire extinguishers, and utility shut-off valves directly within the 3D model.
2. Infrastructure & Facility Management
Municipalities often struggle with aging buildings and fragmented records. Matterport streamlines the lifecycle of these structures.
-
Remote Audits: Facility managers can conduct inspections of dozens of locations (libraries, parks, maintenance sheds) from their desks, cutting travel costs and time.
-
Precise Documentation: All dimensions are captured within the scan and immediately accessible. This is invaluable for planning renovations or verifying "as-built" conditions against original blueprints.
-
Workflows: Matterport integrates with tools like Autodesk Revit and Procore, allowing public works departments to export BIM (Building Information Modeling) files for construction projects.
3. Transparency & Public Engagement
Local government often suffers from a "black box" perception. Virtual tours can bridge this gap.
-
Public Consultations: When a city proposes a new community centre or library renovation, they can share a "Work-in-Progress" 3D scan to let citizens virtually walk through the future site.
-
Tourism & Economic Development: Historic landmarks, local museums, and even available commercial real estate can be showcased in 3D to attract visitors and investors.
-
Accessibility (ADA Compliance): Digital twins allow people with mobility issues to virtually navigate public spaces beforehand to plan their visit safely.
4. Historic Preservation
For older cities, Matterport serves as a digital time capsule.
-
Conservation Records: High-resolution 3D scans capture the exact state of heritage buildings. If damage occurs (e.g., from a flood or fire), the city has a perfect record for restoration.
-
Enrich with data: Embed investigation reports into the locations where they happen to create a timeline of inspection and greater understanding of the context of building pathology.
Want to know more? Find out more by clicking on the case studies below from across the UK:
Jersey
Abergavenny, Wales
- Accessibility Features: Identify key features such as entrances, seating arrangements, and accessible routes throughout the building.
- Event Planning: Organisers can visualise and measure spaces to better plan events and ensure everything runs smoothly.
- Digital Preservation: The 3D walkthrough preserves the Town Hall’s structure for future generations, maintaining its historic integrity while embracing modern solutions.