To foster innovative urban development and infrastructure planning, the telecom department joins hands with ITU for AI-driven digital twin tech.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the Government of India and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have recently partnered for AI-driven digital twin technologies to transform infrastructure planning.
This collaboration was formalised by signing a Letter of Intent (LoI) on Monday, during DoT Secretary Dr Neeraj Mittal’s visit to Geneva, Switzerland.
One major goal of this collaboration is the sharing of knowledge and capacity building, which will involve exchanging insights from the DoT’s ‘Sangam’ initiative and the ITU’s ‘Citiverse’ platform.
These efforts will improve cross-sectoral data integration and facilitate more effective planning between different industries, which could result in better-informed decision-making for infrastructure projects.
Another key aspect of the partnership is the development of global standards for emerging technologies such as digital twins and the Internet of Things (IoT). The two organisations will contribute to a ITU-T Study Group 20, which is focused on creating standards, application programming interfaces (APIs), and methodologies that ensure scalable, AI-driven solutions can be implemented across smart cities.
The collaboration will also work towards establishing sandbox environments, allowing for testing digital twin technologies and related pilot projects. This will provide the opportunity to evaluate how these technologies can be incorporated into existing infrastructure systems, focusing on adapting regulatory frameworks to support their deployment.
It will further use AI-powered platforms to enhance citizen involvement in urban planning, aiming to make the process more inclusive and improve governance by aligning development projects with community needs.
Data privacy is also an important consideration in this collaboration. As part of their efforts, the DoT and ITU will explore privacy-enhancing techniques (PETs) to address concerns surrounding the use of mobile phone data in ICT measurement.
Finally, the integration of AI models will be used to deliver context-sensitive solutions tailored to the specific needs of different regions. Using local datasets, the aim is to address challenges in urban mobility and infrastructure development that are unique to each area.
According to DoT, these AI-driven solutions could help to create more adaptable and sustainable infrastructure plans that are better aligned with local needs and conditions.
At Geneva, Mittal discussed how India could contribute to international efforts in digital transformation, highlighting the importance of 5G and 6G technologies, AI applications for digital growth, and the creation of robust cybersecurity frameworks.
He also raised India’s interest in hosting the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030, which was met with positive initial responses.
Launched on February 15, 2024, DoT’s ‘Sangam’ initiative seeks to transform infrastructure planning and design through digital twin technology, which allows for the creation of accurate, dynamic models of physical environments.
The Citiverse platform, beginning from June 14, 2024, is a global initiative by ITU, UNICC, and Digital Dubai to promote AI-powered virtual worlds. It aims to create frameworks for using these technologies in cities, offer training and events, and provide a sandbox for testing metaverse scenarios.
