EcoTwin

Two global megatrends—increasing urbanization and climate change—are creating a mutually reinforcing stress scenario. Both the increase in heat waves and extreme drought and the dangers posed by heavy and prolonged rainfall cannot be averted without sustainable land management. Green spaces and unsealed soils not only provide cooling and water storage functions but also play a crucial in supporting biodiversity and enhancing human well-being. To what extent the functions of urban green spaces (ecosystem services) can be provided depends largely on the site characteristics of the areas. In addition to a large number of freely accessible environmental databases, low-cost and high-performance environmental sensors have been developed in recent years that record site-specific and daily updated data. Consequently, there is no lack of data or techniques for collecting relevant environmental data, but rather a lack of data processing, interpretation and visualisation in order to implement concrete climate adaptation measures on site.

The aim of the project is therefore to link available environmental data and make it available to the responsible decision-makers in the form of a ‘digital twin’ of urban green spaces, so that climate and disaster prevention measures can be effectively implemented on a site-specific basis.

Project partners: Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (H-BRS) - International Center for Sustainable Development (IZNE), RF-Frontend GmbH, GIQS

Funding provider: ERDF/JTF program NRW 2021-2027

Duration: 01.02.2024 - 31.01.2026