Mapped synthetic domains: A comprehensive digital map of the world

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• November 29, 2022

Insight summary

Digital twins, or 3D mapping, are virtual reality (VR) versions of real-life places and objects, which have proven valuable in assessing infrastructures. These simulated environments can help stakeholders identify and evaluate potential sites and safely perform various scenarios digitally. The long-term implications of this technology could include smart cities testing out new policies and services virtually and the military simulating warfare scenarios.

Mapped synthetic domains context

A digital twin uses data from the real world to build virtual simulations that can emulate and forecast a product, process, or environment and how it functions under different variables. These twins have become increasingly sophisticated and accurate by integrating features like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and software analytics. Furthermore, digital twins have become essential in modern engineering as these twins can often replace the need to build physical prototypes and elaborate testing facilities, thereby reducing the cost and accelerating the speed of design iteration.

The main difference between digital twins and simulations is that simulations replicate what could happen to a product, whereas a digital twin replicates what is happening to an actual specific product in the real world. Both simulations and digital twins use digital models to replicate a system’s processes. However, while simulations typically focus on one operation at a time, digital twins can run multiple simulations simultaneously to observe different methods.
 
Because of the industry adoption that digital twins have experienced around engineered products and building construction, several companies are now focusing on offering digital twins that map out or mimic real-world terrains and locations. In particular, the military has taken a keen interest in creating realistic environments where soldiers can safely train (using VR headsets). 

An example of a company offering mapped synthetic domains or environments is Maxar, which utilizes satellite images to build its digital twins. According to the company’s site, as of 2022, it can create lifelike flight simulations and specific training exercises anywhere in the world. The firm uses AI/ML to extract features, vectors, and attributes from high-quality geospatial data. Their visualization solutions closely resemble conditions on the ground, helping military clients make decisions more quickly and confidently. 

Disruptive impact

In 2019, the US Army Research Laboratory started building One World Terrain, an accurate high-resolution 3D map of the world that can pinpoint locations and be used for navigation in areas where GPS (global positioning system) isn’t accessible. The nearly USD $1-billion project, contracted to Maxar, is central to the Army’s Synthetic Training Environment. The platform is a hybrid physical-digital interface for soldiers to run training missions in virtual settings that mirror the real world. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.

Meanwhile, in 2019, Amazon utilized synthetic simulations of roads, buildings, and traffic in Snohomish County, Washington, to train its delivery robot, Scout. The company’s digital copy was accurate to within centimeters for the position of curbstones and driveways, and textures like the grain of asphalt were accurate to within millimeters. By testing Scout in a synthetic suburb, Amazon could observe it many times under different weather conditions without frustrating real-life neighborhoods by unleashing blue rovers everywhere.

Amazon utilized data from a cart similar in size to Scout, towed by a bicycle with cameras and lidar (a 3D laser scanner often used for autonomous car projects) to build its virtual suburb. The company used footage from aircraft surveys to fill out the rest of the map. Amazon’s mapping and simulation technology help with research and aid in deploying robots to new neighborhoods. This technique is done by testing them out in simulations so that they are ready for general use when the time comes. 

Implications of mapped synthetic domains

Wider implications of mapped synthetic domains may include: 

• Digital twins of the Earth being used for conservation efforts and implementing climate change scenarios.
• Smart cities using digital twins to test out new technologies, including autonomous vehicles, as well as for more thorough urban planning studies
• Cities recovering faster from natural disasters and military conflicts through emergency workers and urban planners being able to plan reconstruction efforts.
• Military organizations contracting 3D mapping companies to create digital twins of real-life landscapes to simulate various battle conditions as well as to test military robots and drones.
• The gaming industry using mapped synthetic domains to create more realistic and immersive experiences, especially those designed to mimic real-world locations.
• More startups offering 3D and projection mapping for construction firms that want to test different building designs and materials.

Questions to consider

• What are the other potential benefits of mapped synthetic environments?
• How can immersive digital twins change how people live and interact?