Well it is more like a city than a country, but the island of Singapore is a city state and the government is working on an initiative to create and maintain a 3D model of the entire island nation. The project, started in 2014, is expected to take a total of three years and cost 8 million in Singapore dollars.
This 3D model project was one of the stars at Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2015 conference, taking home the prize in the Innovation in Government category of the Be Inspired Awards.
2D and 3D data is captured using various methods of scanning, including oblique imagery, airborne laser scanning, mobile laser scanning and terrestrial scanning. Information is to be updated after the model’s completion using satellite imagery and building information modeling (BIM).
We’ve heard of the “smart city” concept, but Singapore, a small nation that refuses to believe it is small, aspires to be the world’s first “smart nation.”
Kudos to all involved and we need to use this as a model for what can be done.
