Visual City

In the new lab and learning environment Visual City, you can explore how AI and urban development are connected.

Meet Norrköping’s digital twin

Norrköping’s digital twin can now be experienced and explored at the Visualization Center C through a three-dimensional map in several different ways—inside the dome theater, on a touchscreen, or as a physical 3D model. This creates opportunities to discover the city in entirely new ways.

On the ground floor, you can explore the large city model, where information on everything from extreme rainfall to public transport and emergency preparedness is projected onto the 3D-printed model.

A result of a research project

What you can experience today in the Visual City exhibition began as a research project. The aim of the project was to develop a platform and methodology for creating digital twins of cities, with Norrköping as the first city. Using AI and the latest research in visualization and image analysis, we can automate the currently very labor-intensive process of creating maps and classifying map content.

With AI support

With the help of AI and deep learning, cities can largely be mapped automatically. Municipalities will not have to spend time on the labor-intensive work of manually mapping their entire land use map, but can leave the heavy lifting to the AI model, which generates everything from trees to building models or roundabouts. The establishment of digital twins of cities enables the use of digital testbeds as a methodology. The ability to analyze, simulate, and optimize scenarios digitally before they are built or implemented in physical reality is resource-efficient, both ecologically and economically.

– The methods we have developed have shown great potential when it comes to streamlining mapping work, enabling significant efficiency in the work process for all municipalities in Sweden. It also unlocks opportunities to conduct data analyses that were previously impossible due to resource constraints. Here we can also add value to a wide range of research areas, says project manager Erik Telldén, Linköping University.

A place for dialogue about the city

In this lab environment, visitors can engage with the city’s history in a fun and interesting way, exploring today’s and tomorrow’s opportunities and challenges. Visitors can also try creating their own city images with generative AI. Norrköping strengthens its position as a leading player in innovative processes for urban planning and citizen dialogue. With this leap in development, we gain an innovative meeting place at the forefront of research for dialogue, participation, and engagement between the public and decision-makers, says Lisa Lindgren, CEO of Norrköping Visualization AB. The exhibition is produced by Visualiseringscenter C with support from the Norrköping Research Fund, Visual Sweden, and the Wadström Foundation.

Our lab and learning environments are always free to enter! Welcome!