The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently generated the first 3D map of an administrative ward. This administrative ward refers to the G-south control, including Worli, Mahalaxmi, and Elphinstone Road. It covers an area of about 10 square kilometres.
The 3D mapping, which began on 26th January, was completed just two months back as it got delayed due to the second wave of COVID-19. Aaditya Thackeray, the state environment minister and a member of the Worli constituency assembly, has stated that 3D mapping will be carried out in other parts of the city by Genesys International Corporation Ltd.
This company specialises in advanced mapping, surveying, and geospatial services.
Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s have a look at the technicalities. What is 3D mapping, and how does it work?
The process of creating a digital map of the city’s natural areas, such as water bodies, open spaces, and trees, as well as artificial elements, such as roads, buildings, and infrastructural facilities, is known as 3D or three-dimensional mapping. It is like creating a Digital Twin, which means that it is a virtual model of a physical object that is a replica.
And so essentially, every element, such as the population, civic facilities, and dwellings in Worli, is now available in 3D and may be used to design future projects. These 3D maps will be uploaded to BMC’s private cloud, from whence they will be available through web applications to various departments inside the corporation.
The idea behind this effort is that it will aid the city with better urban governance, infrastructure upgrades, disaster management, etc.
According to the BMC, the ward’s 3D model will assist in creating development plans and master plans, detect unauthorised changes, the building plan approval system, detailed infrastructure planning of roads, bridges, and flyovers in 3D. It will also aid in the Analysis and comparison of two alternative designs and urban flooding modelling.
Currently, planning is done on two-dimensional maps, making proper modelling for infrastructure development or disaster management problematic. And so, to meet the demands of cities in the twenty-first century, urban bodies must be able to see their cities in 3D, where they can receive 360-degree views, run simulations, and conduct extensive data analysis.
These three-dimensional maps, according to experts, have the potential to help city planners achieve local climate resilience, economic development, and housing goals.
As a result, we can safely assume that this new administrative strategy can be highly advantageous for administering one of India’s largest cities. But now, when you are reading this, I’m sure you carry an image from some science fiction movies in your head when you imagine the technology. But that might be the reality.
As of now, Geospatial Technology, which is a mix of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information System (GIS), and Remote Sensing, was used for the 3D mapping (RS). Drones were also used to capture high-resolution pictures of the entire area.
Mobile street imagery vehicles equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors created the virtual model. These geospatial technologies also aid in Analysis, simulation, visualisation, and modelling.
Now let’s talk about the resources—the time and money required to implement this project. The 3D mapping project might take anywhere from a few weeks to months to complete, depending on the complexity of the urban terrain, the permissions required for performing surveys, the number of elements to be scanned, and the various tools and capabilities to be developed.
G-south ward’s 3D mapping took around two months to complete, and it was a trial study to examine the technology’s practicality and practical applications.
The BMC undertook the pilot project with the assistance of Genesys International Corporation Limited as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund. Thus, Mumbai corporation did not have to spend any money because it was sponsored through CSR.
