Grant: Alliance Grants

Ryerson University researchers and FuseForward Solutions Group are collaborating to develop an cloud-hosted Digital Twin (DT) for the Ryerson University campus. This Digital Twin will serve as a simulation and visualization environment for all campus data, combining the campus buildings, supporting physical infrastructure, and mobility systems into a common interface. This will allow campus managers and other end-users to a) observe the current and historical behavior of the campus, b) identify irregular behavior or potential issues, and c) perform feasiblity and "what-if" analyses to test new campus strategies, such as emergency response, energy management, etc. Several new technologies will be required to develop this DT: 1) A comprehensive data structure that integrates a breadth of data from four domains: Smart Buildings, Smart Infrastructure, Smart Transportation, and Remote Sensing to create a scalable approach for Smart Cities 2) New technologies to identify the optimal locations of sensors for data gathering and to stitch together data from adjacent sensors to create a seamless 'view' of the campus 3) New remote sensing technologies using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), person-mounted equipment, and vehicle-mounted equipment to gather campus physical information (both indoor and outdoor) and use it to create 3D models. sensor networks to create 4) Machine learning algorithms to classify and predict events, using sensor and other campus system data in near-real-time. 5) Development of an approach to large, multidisciplinary DT development, demonstrated using the Ryerson Campus, that can serve as an intermediate step to developing DTs at the city or neighbourhood scale. Together, the knowledge generated from this project will develop a suite of applications that can be integrated into a common solution to optimize energy efficiency, maintain a safe environment for pedestrians, identify and flag potential hazards or security threats, identify equipment malfunction or building structural degradation, and other similar applications to reduce building operational costs while protecting public safety and the environment.