About the Project
NEXTCITY: Smart Sustainable Cities Moving forward with Digital Twins
The NexTCity project addresses the challenge of enhancing the research and innovation capacity of institutions in widening countries, focusing on the digital twin concept as applied to smart and sustainable cities. Digital twins offer the potential to transform urban management and planning by creating virtual models that integrate real-time data for better decision-making. Despite its promise, the adoption of city digital twins faces significant obstacles, including gaps in technical expertise, limited collaboration among academic and industry stakeholders, and a lack of robust frameworks for their implementation in urban contexts.
The main objective of NexTCity is to position NOVA IMS as a center of excellence in city digital twin research and application. By leveraging expertise from leading institutions, the project aims to strengthen NOVA IMS’s capacities in urban data management, geospatial analysis, and artificial intelligence, fostering an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to smart city challenges.
To achieve its objectives, NexTCity includes a comprehensive set of activities, such as capacity-building workshops, staff exchanges, and the establishment of a Research Management Office at NOVA IMS. A key initiative is the development of a pilot digital twin for Lisbon's Low Emission Zone, showcasing practical applications of the technology. The project also involves exploratory research efforts, summer schools, and dissemination events to promote knowledge exchange and international collaboration.
