With the digital twin, Wiesbaden is launching an innovative planning tool that will benefit politicians, administrators, and the urban community alike.

However, the version now available is not final. Wiesbaden is deliberately focusing on transparency and participation – rather than a "black box." Citizens, scientists, and businesses now have the opportunity to actively provide feedback, contribute their own ideas, or even contribute their own data and applications for further development. This strengthens digital participation and allows the project to be further developed together with citizens in their interests.   

Suggestions, criticism, and ideas can be submitted directly and will be incorporated into the further process.

The project initiators are confident that the diversity of perspectives from urban society will help to ensure that the digital twin is designed in a practical and needs-oriented manner.

The digital twin will be developed step by step: Currently, it includes 2D and 3D views, oblique aerial images, 360° view analyses, and simulations of shadow casting and flooding. In the future, additional data and models from the areas of climate, mobility, and energy supply will follow.

Those responsible for the project anticipate an initial development period of at least five years, while strategic use and further development are planned for a period of 20 to 30 years.

The digital twin of the state capital of Wiesbaden serves a different and more comprehensive purpose: map and navigation services such as Google Maps help users find exact locations, orient themselves, plan routes, and obtain information about places, businesses, and attractions. The digital twin pursues other goals: the digital image of our city is to be developed as a dynamic, intelligent planning tool that supports fact-based decision-making in Wiesbaden. In addition to a map-based representation of important locations for citizens, analysis data, models, and simulation tools are to be gradually integrated and optimized in order to better predict complex urban developments. The internal development team examines on a case-by-case basis which data and information are useful for this purpose and in what form they need to be integrated. With the twin, the city of Wiesbaden is developing a powerful tool that, for these reasons, is not necessarily designed to fit in your pocket. 

Future-oriented topics—such as sustainable and social urban development, climate protection and climate adaptation, or future-oriented mobility—can be addressed in the best possible way with the digital twin. Virtual representation makes it possible to better assess the impact of changes on future implementation projects. The better the data basis, the better reality can be represented and the more accurate the simulations can be calculated. On this basis, concrete improvements can be reviewed more quickly, evidence-based decisions can be made in the administration, in the city council or in the local advisory board, and then implemented for the urban community.

A digital twin promotes citizen participation, improves access to information, and helps make the city more livable and sustainable. Citizens gain transparent access to up-to-date information about infrastructure, mobility services, as well as contact and advice centers or cultural institutions.

The digital twin also opens up new opportunities for the local economy. Companies can use the platform to carry out location analyses, forecast infrastructure requirements and develop innovative smart city solutions. This technology can be a catalyst for economic growth and innovation in our city.