How does the mapping of socio-economic security support digital twin readiness?

Abstract

Smart city development and data-driven urban management consider urban technologies to revolutionise how cities are managed, constructed and developed. This research study considers one such urban technology, namely utilising digital twins in cities. Digital twin city (DTC) technology is investigated to identify the gap in soft infrastructure data inclusion in DTC development. Soft infrastructure data considers the social and economic systems of a city, which leads to the identification of socio-economic security (SES) as the metric of investigation. The research study investigates how GIS mapping of the SES system in the specific context of Hatfield informs a soft infrastructure understanding that contributes to DTC readiness. This research study collected desk-researched secondary data and field-researched primary data in GIS using ArcGIS PRO and the Esri Online Platform using ArcGIS software. To form conclusions, grounded theory qualitative analysis and descriptive statistics analysis of the spatial GIS data schema data sets were performed. Understanding Hatfield’s soft infrastructure found that citizen-centric social engagement with the SES systems of Hatfield and the integration of these systems in a cohesive manner create a thriving SES system. This contributed to the identification of the integration requirement of DTC development processes in its data acquisition and application processes. The integration of processes and systems is necessary to incorporate the soft infrastructure of Hatfield into relevant DTC readiness. Understanding the interrelationship between the citizen and its environment is where the success of a DTC lies and should form the focus of further research.