{"id":449442,"date":"2021-07-27T06:02:54","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T13:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=449442"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:38:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T23:38:33","slug":"5d-the-new-frontier-for-digital-twins","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/5d-the-new-frontier-for-digital-twins","title":{"rendered":"5D: The New Frontier for Digital Twins"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","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":[474712,369792,1021],"tags":[471802,1661,23372,160952,475352],"department":[488812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-449442","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digital-twins","category-location-intelligence","category-transportation","tag-aec","tag-asset-management","tag-bim","tag-infrastructure","tag-project-management","department-emerging-technologies"],"acf":{"short_description":"A digital twin helped stakeholders visualize a complex New York transportation project, revealing its timeline and budget in 5D.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"When the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) began the latest phase of renovations on Jamaica Station\u2014the fourth-busiest rail station in North America\u2014designers knew they needed to take a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/aec\/gis-foundation-for-digital-twins\/\">digital twin<\/a> approach to project management."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Article snapshot:<\/strong> Imagine watching a 3D animation of a construction project progress through each phase. Now add a timeline so designers see which structures will be built week by week, and include an estimator that calculates cost every step of the way. 5D project management is shaking up an industry.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"A virtual 3D model of the rail line would help the interdisciplinary project team visualize the complex choreography of construction stages unfolding in a dense urban environment. The latest phase of the $1 billion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amodernli.com\/project\/jamaica-capacity-improvement-project\/\">Jamaica Capacity Improvements<\/a> (JCI) project would involve large-scale repairs including replacing critical power and signal systems, extending station platforms, and building two new tracks, all aimed at increasing capacity and expanding ridership through the bustling Long Island transit hub.\r\n\r\nThe infrastructure firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hntb.com\/\">HNTB Corporation<\/a> won the LIRR design contract in part because it put forth an innovative solution that went beyond a three-dimensional digital twin. Using geographic information system (GIS) technology, HNTB pioneered a 5D project management strategy that integrated interactive 3D models with the additional dimensions of time and cost.\r\n\r\nThis 5D approach empowers project leaders to track and predict how design changes might affect scheduling or construction costs, and adjust their decisions accordingly. It\u2019s a strategy that illustrates the direction many firms across industries are beginning to take, in fields from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/digital-twin-for-supply-chain-management\/\">supply chain management<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/vail-ski-resort-snowmaking-expansion\/\">ski resorts<\/a>. Pairing the insights of GIS\u2014known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/location-intelligence\">location intelligence<\/a>\u2014with digital twin models, business leaders can combine easy-to-understand visuals with a powerful geospatial engine for data analysis."},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":449402,"text":"For an interdisciplinary project involving design and construction teams, budget experts, and project planners, HNTB needed an interdisciplinary technology to govern it all, and GIS served as the cornerstone.","author_name":"","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Push Play to View Your Project in 5D <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWith HNTB now nearing the finish of the design submittal stage, the design team is using the 5D digital twin model as it prepares for the construction phase. While looking at a virtual replica of Jamaica Station tracks, project planners can pull a slider along the bottom of the screen and scroll through 36 months of forecast progress, seeing how far a new section of rail will extend by March 2022, for example."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>The Digital Twin in Action at Cisco and BNSF<\/strong>\r\n\r\nTo learn how Cisco and BNSF use GIS-based digital twins to improve maintenance, emergency response, and customer delivery, view <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/lg\/publications\/finding-business-value-in-the-digital-twin\">this <em>WhereNext<\/em> webcast on demand<\/a>.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Alternately, an executive can hit Play on a three-month period of construction and watch a split screen that pairs an animation of a pier being built with a graph that charts the costs tied to that portion of the project.\r\n\r\nThe ability of GIS to integrate different types of data and software <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/insurance-and-location-intelligence\/\">in a cloud-native environment<\/a> made it possible for anyone associated with the LIRR project to access the visualizations via a web browser.\r\n\r\n\u201cA solution like this was critical because trying to convey these complex designs and this complex phase of construction is always a challenge for all the stakeholders,\u201d says Jeff Siegel, a vice president and the Technology Solutions Center director at HNTB. \u201cNow, because of the way we\u2019ve done this, they can pull up and play what the actual construction phasing will be and what the outlay of cash will be based on estimates down to the unit level.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":449432,"text":"Location is central to everything we do.","author_name":"Jeff Siegel, VP and Technology Solutions Center director, HNTB","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>A Web-First Philosophy of GIS Fuels 5D Interactivity <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nJamaica Station is part of a heavily trafficked transit corridor that transports over 200,000 passengers a day. The redesign project was important to many stakeholders, including partner agencies, local politicians, and transit officials. A 5D digital twin that was opaque or designed only for those with engineering backgrounds wouldn\u2019t do\u2014city council members might not be versant in AutoCAD.\r\n\r\nAfter Siegel and the HNTB team surveyed the options, they concluded that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/what-is-gis\/overview\">GIS<\/a> was the best foundation for executing a 5D digital twin plan of the JCI project."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":449372,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cGIS is really the only platform that can truly provide that sophisticated integration or convergence of both the location of something as well as the attributes,\u201d Siegel told <em>WhereNext<\/em>. \u201cThat enables such a strong coupling of the analytics when you want to pull all of that together.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe importance of communication and collaboration on JCI led Siegel and Darin Welch, the project lead and associate vice president of geospatial and virtual engagement solutions, to prioritize a cloud-based, web-first approach. In the past, shareable maps were sometimes among the last things to be produced as a project was wrapping up. That set the stage for a new era, with GIS a key part of digital innovation delivery.\r\n\r\nWelch, Siegel, and their team of technologists established a web-based GIS strategy to drive the 5D project from the start, acting as a centralized, authoritative data source where information would be updated continuously and open to any team member\u2014internal or external\u2014who needed access. With that model in place, workers who went into the field to perform inspections of the track and take photos were able to upload such data directly into the GIS platform, making it available within a 5D view.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s really changed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/gis-mistakes-and-lessons-learned\/\">the way many people in our organization think of GIS<\/a>, because location is such a critical dimension of the data we leverage within the AEC space, and it\u2019s an approach we continued perfecting on Jamaica Station,\u201d Welch says. \u201cWe see much more openness and willingness to leverage the power of GIS because we can take, with confidence, design information overlaid with other rich GIS datasets and tapestry, then allow that to influence our decision-makers, who are sometimes public.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":449412,"text":"This type of solution pattern would be something I'm sure executives are highly interested in: how to be more efficient; how to be more effective; how to communicate better to all levels of stakeholders, even internally.","author_name":"Siegel, HNTB","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Geospatial Problem-Solvers<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nIt was this proclivity to pursue new ideas that landed Siegel and Welch the assignment to actualize the 5D digital twin approach. The original idea for the 5D digital twin had come from HNTB\u2019s New York-based design team as a way to help LIRR manage the complex schedule and budget of the Jamaica Station project. The 3D animators on the HNTB marketing team created an animation for the company\u2019s pitch to LIRR decision-makers. Once HNTB won the project, it was up to Siegel, Welch, and their colleagues to turn the concept into reality.\r\n\r\nBoth men are part of the Technology Solutions Center, an HNTB center of excellence aimed at seeding digital infrastructure solutions throughout the company. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/think-tank-on-centers-of-excellence\/\">Centers of excellence<\/a> are an increasingly common unit at forward-thinking organizations.\r\n\r\nCreated by Siegel, a 27-year veteran of the company, the center provides consulting, advisory services, and implementation on a number of cutting-edge fronts across the company. Its members help other departments think through questions like how to streamline an asset management solution or govern data better.\r\n\r\nIn a company of 5,000, the center employs 45 individuals who focus on specific \u201cpatterns,\u201d including infrastructure solutions, civil integrated solutions, asset management and resiliency, and geospatial and virtual engagement\u2014the group Welch runs. As opposed to a skunkworks group, they\u2019re a profit-making center, meaning their innovations must produce bottom-line value.\r\n\r\nBecause of that profit drive\u2014and because so much of HNTB\u2019s work is grounded in location\u2014GIS and geospatial intelligence are often the lens through which the team views challenges and solutions.\r\n\r\n\u201cDarin coined the term \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/grooming-spatial-business-transformers\/\">geospatial problem-solvers<\/a>,\u2019 and that\u2019s the common thread we\u2019re looking for, whether it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/lg\/publications\/20\/the-new-business-analyst-emerges-a-wherenext-webcast\">a new GIS analyst<\/a> that we just hired or a senior developer we recruited,\u201d Siegel says. \u201cWe\u2019re constantly looking for somebody who has that mindset of, \u2018OK, here\u2019s the problem. How do we solve it using the latest, greatest tools that are proven?\u2019\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":449422,"text":"It quickly became a no-brainer for us that GIS was the best way to help visualize this.","author_name":"Darin Welch, Associate VP of Geospatial and Virtual Engagement Solutions, HNTB","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Capitalizing on the Wisdom of the Crowd for Tech Integration <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nDue in part to client demand, HNTB was already using digital twins on projects including airports and wastewater facilities. A coastal resiliency program for New York City had even employed some 5D visualization. But Jamaica Station would be one of the company\u2019s most comprehensive applications of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/aec\/gis-foundation-for-digital-twins\/\">digital twin technology<\/a> and 5D elements, incorporating both horizontal and vertical infrastructure.\r\n\r\nTo sketch out possible approaches, Siegel convened an ideation lunch meeting at HNTB\u2019s Chicago office that ended up stretching across four hours. With boxes of deep-dish pizza on the conference table, the diverse team pulled up potential apps on a projector and filled dry-erase boards with scribbled ideas. They brainstormed what the best toolsets would be, how to enable them to work together, and how to make it all accessible via the web."},{"acf_fc_layout":"form","form_type":"aside","form_position":"Right","form_title":"THE ESRI BRIEF","form_desc":"A biweekly email connecting senior executives and business leaders with thought-provoking articles on location intelligence and critical technology trends.","form_button_label":"Sign up now","form_content":"https:\/\/go.pardot.com\/l\/82202\/2017-10-12\/jw1bmb","form_tag":"low-commitment-form\/sign-up-form"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Welch\u2019s management philosophy\u2014one that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of GIS\u2014is to bring together multiple points of view, and the meeting included specialists in a number of digital technologies. His team of 10 includes urban planners, transportation engineers, developers, senior analysts, and a geotech engineer.\r\n\r\n\u201cDiversity has always been important to me\u2014bringing insights from lots of different backgrounds and interests to see how we can leverage these technologies to make our processes and deliverables more efficient,\u201d Welch says.\r\n\r\nBy the lunch\u2019s end, they knew GIS would be the hub of the wheel, fed by a number of software spokes responsible for replicating the surfaces, objects, and streets in the digital twin visualization. While much of the design data was provided directly from the project team, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/arcgis-cityengine\/overview\">GIS-based \u201cworld building\u201d tool<\/a> gave the 5D immersive experience more real-world context by adding surrounding buildings and features.\r\n\r\nAn interdisciplinary team brought the vision to life. Senior GIS developer Ian Grasshoff became the visionary behind the web-based viewer; senior GIS architect Bill Cozzens helped design the realistic environment and city blocks around the rail\u2019s digital twin; and Scott Lecher, lead BrIM specialist from HNTB\u2019s civil integrated solutions team, helped align the visual elements into a smooth, scripted process.\r\n\r\nTo create the 5D view, the team built cost and calendar estimates from the ground up, taking advantage of the fact that each infrastructure element on the project had a cost and activity ID assigned to it. As the digital twin moves through time and a piece of a bridge pier or a track tie is set into place, that unit is added to the cumulative cost and tied to that section of timeline, synchronizing the three main elements of project management.\r\n\r\nWith the digital model available to all stakeholders, planners can rally around a holistic view of the project, with communication grounded in a shared understanding of the plan.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve often referred to GIS as a natural integrator,\u201d Welch says. \u201cWe\u2019re using it as a way to visualize multiple components from nearly every discipline in a meaningful way. We\u2019re taking data, which these projects have vast amounts of, then turning it into information. But more important is turning that information into knowledge that supports decision-making.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":449472,"text":"GIS makes it easy in a web setting to quickly understand and ascertain what you're seeing. Everybody's used to looking at maps these days.","author_name":"Welch, HNTB","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>A 5D Digital Twin Strategy Sets a New Standard<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSiegel anticipates that projects such as this will raise the expectations for consultants like HNTB. \u201cI have calls every week about a client asking, \u2018I heard about this digital twin strategy. Should I be doing it?\u2019\u201d Siegel says. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing this concept really get a lot of interest.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe expects that in the future, elements like 5D and digital twins will become part of other firms\u2019 offerings, even in fields beyond <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/architecture-engineering-construction\/overview\">architecture, engineering, and construction<\/a>. For example, with executives paying more attention to workforce development gaps, visual, interactive twins could be key to transferring knowledge from retiring workers to new hires who need to become productive quickly.\r\n\r\nAnytime visual, location-based projects need to be shared with stakeholders, a GIS-based digital twin can be ideal for translating data into clear, digestible 3D\u2014or 5D\u2014formats.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt really is a big difference maker,\u201d Siegel says. \u201cIt\u2019s not a prettied-up rendering. This is real data coming from the design . . . in an effective manner that\u2019s still visually pleasing and readable, but navigable as well.\u201d"}],"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>A 5D Digital Twin Revolutionizes Project Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With GIS technology and modeling tools, an AEC firm created a 5D digital twin\u2014and a shareable view of an important transportation project.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5D: The New Frontier for Digital Twins\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With GIS technology and modeling tools, an AEC firm created a 5D digital twin\u2014and a shareable view of an important 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