Digital Twin: AI-powered simulation of New Zealand
ESR's digital twin platform is a comprehensive digital replica of New Zealand, simulating the country's population in unprecedented detail. Contact us to explore how our team can draw on this powerful resource to investigate your critical questions.
About
About ESR's digital twin
ESR's groundbreaking 'digital twin' platform enables advanced simulations of our health, environment and climate within a highly detailed, interactive 3D model of Aotearoa New Zealand.
As the first and only platform of its kind in New Zealand, the digitalt win integrates over 30 national data sources with advanced simulation technologies. This provides an unparalleled resource for innovation and evidence-based decision support, providing insights that can shape the future of New Zealand and beyond.
Our expert data scientists explore 'what-if?' scenarios through state-of-the-art AI predictive modelling techniques, enabling deep understandings of complex systems and interactions. Whether you're a policymaker, researcher, industry professional or part of the wider community, working with ESR offers the opportunity to test concepts, uncover hidden patterns, and make more informed, data-driven decisions.
What is a digital twin and what makes ESR's platform so powerful?
A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical object, system or process, using data to replicate the behaviours and characteristics of its real-world counterpart. This model can be analysed and adjusted to predict outcomes, test scenarios and optimise performance.
ESR's unique platform is built from a synthetic population model generated using over 30 different datasets provided by government agencies. This model represents anonymised individuals across the country, each with more than 80 attributes, including age, gender, ethnicity, household, workplace and more. It also incorporates aggregated datasets like regional weather data and hospitalisation rates.
By leveraging advanced multivariate time series models and causal discovery techniques, our platform can forecast scenarios and uncover causal relationships within the data, offering a powerful decision support tool.
ESR experts can work with you harness this technology to address burning questions and issues for your organisation.
What is synthetic data?
Synthetic data is created using algorithms and simulations to mimic the statistical properties of real-world data. It is used to model and analyse scenarios without compromising the privacy of individuals. In ESR's platform, synthetic data is used to provide insights and visualisations that are representative of broader trends and patterns within a suburb. However, it is important to note:
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Individual agents within the digital twin are seeded from suburb-level datasets. This means that while the data represents general trends at the suburb level, it does not correspond to and cannot identify any specific individuals.
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No individual personal data is used. The synthetic data is generated to ensure that individual privacy is maintained and that no real personal information is included.
Applications
What areas can the digital twin help with?
ESR experts can work with you to discover insights using the platform across a wide range of questions and contexts. Examples may include the following areas.
Urban planning and infrastructure management
By utilising synthetic populations and agent-based models, city planners can use AI to simulate the impact of new developments, transportation systems and policy changes in a 3D virtual environment. The platform allows for detailed analysis of traffic patterns, population density and resource allocation, enabling more informed decision-making to optimise land use and improve urban infrastructure.
Healthcare and public health management
In healthcare, our platform leverages large population modelling techniques to simulate disease spread and evaluate public health interventions. By modelling interactions among synthetic populations, health authorities can assess the impact of various response strategies, such as vaccination campaigns or social distancing measures. This detailed simulation capability supports effective planning and resource allocation.
Business resilience to economic shocks
Businesses can use our digital twin platform to enhance resilience against economic shocks by simulating market dynamics and consumer behaviour. The platform's predictive models allow companies to explore different scenarios, such as changes in demand or supply chain disruptions, helping them develop strategies to mitigate risks and maintain operational stability.
Climate change resilience
Our platform supports climate change resilience efforts by enabling the simulation of environmental impacts on communities and ecosystems. By integrating climate data with synthetic population models, users can assess vulnerabilities and develop adaptation strategies. This capability is crucial for planning sustainable development initiatives and enhancing community resilience to climate-related challenges.
Supply chain modelling
ESR's digital twin platform provides valuable insights into supply chain operations by simulating logistics networks and inventory management processes. Users can model different supply chain scenarios to identify potential disruptions, optimise routes, and improve overall efficiency. This capability helps businesses maintain continuity and adapt to changing market conditions effectively. These use cases demonstrate how the platform can serve as a comprehensive decision support tool across various sectors, enabling users to make data-driven decisions with confidence.
Try the demo
Get started!
To give you a sense of the platform ESR experts are utilising, we have created a free 'vertical slice' demo. This offers a limited example of its capability with selected populations and variables. Create an account to try it out!
To get started create an account. You can then log in to explore the platform's features and start simulating scenarios.
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Explore models: Choose between the New Zealand or Tonga digital twin models.
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Simulate scenarios: Use the intuitive interface to set up "what-if" scenarios and explore potential outcomes.
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Analyse insights: Leverage AI-driven insights from our predictive models to make informed decisions.
Team
Meet the ESR data science team
ESR's data science team are experts who can combine New Zealand's rich data sources with advanced modelling capabilities to help explore your questions.
This team developed the digital twin, drawing on their expertise in AI, data science and geospatial modelling.
As a Crown Research Institute (CRI), ESR focuses on delivering scientific solutions that benefit New Zealand society. We collaborate closely with New Zealand’s Public Health Agency and other partners to ensure our simulations are accurate and impactful.
