Jaipur to build 3D model of city for better management, civic planning

The city of Jaipur is cloning itself. Not a brick and mortar clone, but a virtual one  — built to scale and faithfully representing all the urban and architectural features of the real city. It’s a first for the country, and if successful, it is likely to become the norm for every smart city project.  

You might ask why Jaipur needs a virtual clone. Well, it’s because it is much easier to plan utilities and infrastructure upgrades virtually than it is with two-dimensional (2D) drawings. The civic authorities of Jaipur, which is one of the cities selected under the Centre’s Smart Cities Project, want to use its three-dimensional (3D) map as a blueprint for better urban planning in the physical world.

To illustrate, let’s say the government wants to build a flyover. Typically, it would send a team to the proposed site to carry out a preliminary study, which often leads to project delays. On the other hand, a visualisation using a 2D drawing will never be wholly accurate. However, with a 3D visualisation, one can simply use the model to make the relevant changes in the virtual environment. The traffic data can be fed into this 3D model to simulate the real life conditions and determine whether the proposed flyover can solve the traffic woes. 

A 3D model can similarly be used for disaster management. Using 3D maps, the authorities can swiftly check if ambulances or fire engines can reach the affected area within a short time. For VIP movements, too, instead of physically checking the entire area, the virtual platform can be used to determine security loopholes and blind spots.

“The virtual model is like a ubiquitous thread connecting all government departments on a single platform, facilitating planning, monitoring, and security of the city without actually going out into the field,” says a senior Rajasthan government official who is working on the project.  

A mapper inside an aircraft collects 3D images of the city from the air

Experts point to the manifold benefits of using a 3D model for urban planning. “In order to pursue a smart city project, you need an accurate set of data. But most data are flat and 2D, which are obsolete. All smart cities need sharper 3D data sets to get accurate results,” says Om Hemrajani, director of Genesys International, a Mumbai-based mapping and geo-spatial engineering services company which has been tasked with creating the 3D model of Jaipur. 

The overall contract for the Rs 2-billion Jaipur 3D city solution project has, however, gone to Aurionpro Solutions, another company based in Mumbai. The project has been designed on the lines of the Virtual Singapore initiative, a dynamic 3D city model and collaborative data platform built by the government of Singapore. 

The Jaipur 3D mapping project will cover the whole of Greater Jaipur that has around one million buildings and structures — three times more than those in Mumbai, because unlike the latter, Jaipur has grown horizontally. Needless to say, the task isn’t as simple as it seems. First of all, 3D images of the entire area of over 3,000 sqkm need to be collected from air and land. This data has to be fed onto a single platform to connect with all the government departments for better planning of urban resource management, traffic decongestion and so on. 

In the first phase of the project, which began around 11 months ago, a chartered P-68 aircraft is collecting 3D images of the city from the air. For the past five weeks, the aircraft has been hovering over the Pink City for at least two hours every day between 9.30 am and 3.30 pm. The 140-kg camera mounted on it captures the 3D image of every structure in the city. So far, it has managed to collect about 20 per cent of the requisite aerial data.

For the Jaipur 3D project, Genesys is using a hybrid of three image-sensing technologies: LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), Nadir sensors (which take aerial images of the city from an aircraft) and Oblique sensors that do a 360-degree terrestrial and aerial survey. LOD 3 (level of detail 3) computer graphics scale is also being used to reflect the architectural façade of the city. Since it is a congested city, the detailing of all structures cannot be captured from air. Hence, LOD 3 are being used to capture images of the detailing of doors, windows, and carvings on the buildings.

In addition, LiDAR backpack sensors are being employed to map the narrow lanes through which vehicles cannot pass. About 40 per cent of the street data has already been collected using this technology.

The data collection process is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The raw data will then be processed using software to generate 3D models of all the structures. This will take around six to eight months more, and the entire project is likely to be finished by August-September next year, says Hemrajani. Around 350 experienced engineers are working on it to keep the deadline. 

Although this is the first time that the 3D modelling of an entire city is being done in India, the technology is slowly creeping into other specific uses. For example, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has already undertaken a 3D mapping project with Genesys International to build an effective platform for property tax administration. The map is expected to help the civic body catch realtors flouting building norms. “The project is helping the MCGM check deviations in building construction and trace those who are avoiding property tax,” says Arvind Chavan, deputation collector, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Konkan Railways has also begun a pilot under which railway tracks are being 3D-mapped to accurately check for wear and tear and thereby avoid mishaps. Even in the Kumbh Mela authorities are looking at using a 3D-mapping platform for smooth crowd management and provision of security and emergency services.

That said, 3D mapping in India is still taking baby steps and it remains to be seen how smart cities use the technology for better and more effective civic management. 

The 3D view
 

• Helps in infrastructure development 
• Effective disaster management, enforcing law and order   
• Monitoring and tracking violation of building norms 
• Effective property tax collection
• Better traffic simulation and monitoring