{"id":27431,"date":"2018-04-23T15:05:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T22:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=27431"},"modified":"2025-05-08T19:48:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T02:48:07","slug":"3d-gis-boston-digital-twin","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/3d-gis-boston-digital-twin","title":{"rendered":"Meet Boston\u2019s Digital Twin"},"author":1141,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[331,81],"tags":[1831,21622,1841,1851,237681],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[492452,478452],"esri_blog_department":[492402],"class_list":["post-27431","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3d","category-capability","tag-boston","tag-digital-twin","tag-impact-analysis","tag-project-evaluation","tag-urban-planning","esri-blog-category-economic-development","esri-blog-category-smart-planning","esri_blog_department-urban-planning"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"Boston\u2019s digital twin, a 3D GIS model of the city, helps city planners, developers, and citizens to evaluate proposed development.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<em>3D GIS City Model Guides Development Near Boston Common and Beyond<\/em>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Key Takeaways\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Digital twin helps city visualize development near beloved park.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>City planners analyze in 3D to understand impact.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Design review process faster, more agile with digital model.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"In the 1980s, long before computer software could generate a digital city, the Boston Planning &amp; Development Agency (BPDA) carved a wooden model of its downtown. The replica helped planners and developers design the city\u2019s future.\r\n\r\nHistorically, modeling efforts focused on Boston Common, the nation\u2019s oldest city park. Activists in the 1970s successfully rallied against development that could darken the open space. By the early 1990s, Massachusetts passed the Boston Common Shadow Law to limit the amount of time any new building could cast shadows on the beloved park.\r\n\r\nA recent building boom, coupled with the sale of a city-owned parking garage next to the park, prompted BPDA to once again examine shadows cast on Boston Common. This time, instead of a wooden view, BPDA decided to create a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/digital-twin\/overview\">digital twin<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe wanted to make an in-house digital model rather than rely on private developers for analysis,\u201d said Corey Zehngebot, senior architect and urban designer at BPDA. \u201cWe are trying to spatially understand environmental impacts using cutting-edge technology with data-driven workflows.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":28571,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Twinning the City<\/strong>\r\n\r\nWhile the wooden Boston model provides a compelling tangible twin of the city, its utility ends with what viewers can see. Physical models are limited in scale and not easy to manipulate. They often do not reveal details about building materials or realistic environmental elements such as trees and water. Tangible twins cannot undergo simulation of sun and wind impacts. They are labor-intensive to make and costly to update as the city changes.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe continue to make additions to the wood model, but we have finite constraints due to the limits of the room that it\u2019s in,\u201d said Carolyn Bennett, geospatial data manager at BPDA. \u201cHaving a digital 3D model allows us to capture the entire city and determine real-world impacts to make timely decisions.\u201d\r\n\r\nBPDA enlisted the 3D modeling capabilities of geographic information system (GIS) software and the expertise of Esri professional services. Together they created an accurate 3D model of the city complete with tools for analyzing shadows and evaluating the impact of new zoning and development."},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":28531,"text":"We wanted to develop workflows that used metrics and a standardized process and procedure to evaluate projects moving forward.","author_name":"Corey Zehngebot","author_profession_organization":"senior architect and urban designer at the Boston Planning & Development Agency"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Shadows Examined<\/strong>\r\n\r\nDevelopers for the parking garage site first presented BPDA with plans in November of 2016. They proposed a 775-foot project, dubbed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bostonplans.org\/projects\/development-projects\/115-winthrop-square\">Winthrop Square Tower<\/a>, that exceeded Boston Common Shadow Law height restrictions. Debates at City Hall and the Massachusetts State House centered on the project\u2019s height and shadow impact.\r\n\r\nBoston Mayor Marty Walsh lobbied to relax the Shadow Law given the proposed development\u2019s financial benefits. Eventually the city reduced shadow constraints, pledging to dedicate developer dollars to much-needed park maintenance and public housing.\r\n\r\nWhile BPDA continues to evaluate plans for Winthrop Square Tower, it does so using Boston\u2019s digital twin. The 3D model gives everyone involved a way to visualize the proposed project, iterate on its design, and analyze impact on downtown Boston.\r\n\r\n\u201cProject review is a collaborative effort between partners, a give and take,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cWe work with the proponent to achieve the best outcome for both the city and the developer.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince the original design, the Winthrop Square Tower height has come down more than 80 feet given the shadow impacts and Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. The revised building meets new shadow requirements and includes a public lobby that developers are calling the Great Hall."},{"acf_fc_layout":"youtube","youtube_video_url":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Ha025XKSPdU"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Projects Evaluated<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe BPDA\u2019s Development Review Department makes sure projects adhere to Boston\u2019s Zoning Code height, density, and usage requirements. They coordinate the project review process with BPDA planning and urban design staff, city agencies, elected officials, and the community.\r\n\r\nWhile the BPDA does not require digital models from developers, they have maintained a computer-aided design (CAD) model for many years to track development projects. However, BPDA didn\u2019t have the ability to import the CAD models into a smart digital city model with the capabilities to study design scenarios.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe wanted to develop workflows that used metrics and a standardized process and procedure to evaluate projects moving forward,\u201d Zehngebot said.\r\n\r\nThe GIS-based 3D twin includes both quantitative and qualitative analysis workflows. The qualitative analysis provides a quick visual to see shadows cast by any new building, including views that BPDA can share with stakeholders. Quantitative assessments provide more in-depth measurements, such as the extent and duration of shadows through the seasons.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s extremely powerful for people to be able to zoom around and look at shadows impacting not just Boston Common and Public Gardens, but any other area of the city,\u201d Bennett said.\r\n\r\nThe City of Boston <a href=\"http:\/\/bostonopendata-boston.opendata.arcgis.com\/datasets?sort_by=relevance\">opens<\/a> much of its geographic data for public consumption, and BPDA takes full advantage for its evaluations. Open data includes parcel ownership, zoning districts, historic landmarks, and open space. Analytical data products include projections on the extent of sea-level rise, an important consideration for all coastal cities.\r\n\r\n\u201cIntegrating the digital 3D model with all of the other data about the city has really been the focus of our efforts,\u201d Zehngebot said."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":28541,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/www.arcgis.com\/home\/webscene\/viewer.html?webscene=0589b97cb4e7481d892381fd0d2c8a21"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<strong>Future Plans<\/strong>\r\n\r\nBoston has experienced three major periods of development in its history. One of the greatest growth periods is now underway. So, Boston\u2019s digital twin comes at a ripe time when the city is re-envisioning itself.\r\n\r\nBPDA uses planning and shadow tools to create real-world visualizations for a wide variety of decision-making tasks including planning and development, flood modeling, shadow studies, and line-of-sight evaluation.\r\n\r\nConcurrent with growth, Boston officials are contemplating the effects of ridesharing and autonomous vehicles. They are looking into the idea of connecting sensor feeds to maps and models for a real-time awareness of city services. BPDA isn\u2019t directly involved in each of these efforts, but the digital twin they created will provide realistic perspectives.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe want to make the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2yyJBIH\">smart 3D model<\/a> user friendly and widely available to whomever for whatever,\u201d Zehngebot said. \u201cThe sky\u2019s the limit in terms of what we might be able to use it for in the future.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFind out how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/overview\">3D GIS<\/a> provides visualization and analysis capabilities. Explore tailored <a href=\"http:\/\/solutions.arcgis.com\/local-government\/help\/shadow-assessment\/\">shadow impact analysis<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/solutions.arcgis.com\/local-government\/planning-and-development\/review-proposed-development\/\">planning review<\/a> solutions."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3D GIS Helped Boston Create a Digital Twin<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Boston\u2019s digital twin, a 3D GIS model of the city, helps the city, developers, and citizens to evaluate proposed development.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/3d-gis-boston-digital-twin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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