Scientists from the High-Performance Computing Center (HLRS) together with researchers from the University of Stuttgart developed a digital twin of the German city of Herrenberg, thanks to which tourists can visit the city’s ancient buildings and churches in VR.
Using a “Faro 3D” laser scanner, the team created a 3D visualisation of the Herrenberg city centre. Aerospace technology was used in order to make the city look as good as possible in VR. In addition, using the open platform «OpenFOAM» experts simulated a realistic movement of air flows.
The team also developed an application that allows citizens to share tips about the city districts for tourists and their own impressions. To do this, the citizens provided the research team with quality data on how they feel in a particular city location.
“The digitally copied Herrenberg is easy to use: it allows its guests to choose the routes and places they want to see in advance”, reports Nicholas Reit, Adviser to the Mayor.
The city authorities plan to develop virtual tourism in Herrenberg, which has a population of 31 thousand people.
«We have a very beautiful city centre, so tourists can explore it digitally with virtual reality glasses before coming to Herrenberg. It’s an interesting contribution to the future,» says Reit.
Source: intelligenttransport.com