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A digital twin for Victoria

The Digital Twin Victoria (DTV) platform is the most comprehensive digital model ever assembled for Victoria. It brings together masses of 2D, 3D and live data in a single online place open for everyone to use.

The DTV platform gives government, industry, research groups and the community more power to compare, analyse and share information about our built and natural environment than ever before.

It will help leave behind manual, labour-intensive and paper-based ways of doing things, building the digital foundations and skills needed to support a liveable and sustainable Victoria.

There are already more than 4,000 datasets in the platform to discover, and this is just the beginning. The digital twin will continue to grow over time, evolving as we get more data and user feedback, opening new applications across the digital economy.

The DTV platform is one part of the $37.4 million Digital Twin Victoria. Read more.

Explore Victoria’s statewide digital twin, now open for everyone to use.

What is a digital twin?

Digital twins are like virtual building blocks. They help to organise and visualise data in one virtual place, creating a 3D, digital version of the world.

They bring together 2D, 3D and 4D spatial data, with building models and sensor data, to support advanced visualisation, analytics, modelling and simulation.

This makes it easy for governments, industries, businesses and community members to see a full picture of accurate, up to date datasets in a user-friendly format, all in one place and at the same time.

Digital twins can be used to:

  • plan and model digitally before investments hit the ground
  • better understand policy and development issues
  • support faster, more robust regulatory assessments and compliance monitoring
  • test simulations and monitor the impacts
  • improve decision-making for better social, economic and environmental outcomes
  • support more community-focussed design and engagement
  • create opportunities for new innovative products, services, jobs and industries.

How can the DTV platform help me?

The DTV platform is a browser-based tool open to all Victorians.

You do not need specialist capabilities to use the platform. It is designed to be accessible to users with no experience using spatial data. However, there is also more advanced functionality available for specialists who want to analyse, investigate or connect to datasets.

Examples of some early applications include:

Smarter building and infrastructure delivery

Planners, engineers, developers and builders can use the DTV platform to visualise data, investigate the feasibility of proposals, troubleshoot issues and support the sharing of complex information across workplaces and with decision-makers.

Fast-tracking smart cities and regions

The platform will help fast-track smarter cities and regions. Councils will be able to bring together data visualisations with 3D building models, vegetation records, population statistics and local sensor data, making it easier to plan and manage towns and cities.

Supporting environmental and disaster management

The DTV platform also gives you easier access to historic data, helping to better prepare for future events and track changes over time. Digitally traverse delicate habitats or places you can’t get to on foot.

What data can I find?

The DTV platform provides a collaborative, digital workbench that connects local, state and national data owners with users. The extensive shared data catalogue provides access to more than 4,000 datasets including 2D, 3D and live data visualisations.

This includes cutting edge new 3D data acquired as part of the broader Digital Twin Victoria program. In most cases, you will be accessing data directly from the owner of that data. This is because the DTV Platform uses what is called a data federation and a distributed data model.

Highlights include:

  • 3D buildings data of Melbourne and regional locations
  • detailed 3D photomeshes of Melbourne and regional towns and locations such as the Great Ocean Road
  • live statewide data feed for energy production
  • Phillip Island penguin habitat comparison between 1997 and 2019.

The platform also features a suite of tools to make it easy to visualise, compare and analyse spatial data, including the ability to:

  • measure objects in the virtual world
  • explore at street level using pedestrian mode
  • use the timeline to see shadows moving through the day
  • save 3D data using our clipping tool
  • share views you’ve created with other users
  • use a slider to compare datasets

Explore the twin

We’ve selected a range of experiences to help you jump in and start discovering Victoria’s digital twin.

See all platform experiences
Go straight to the twin

Learn more about using the DTV Platform:

There are more than 25 tutorial videos available as well as FAQs covering key topics. Find out more on our dedicated webpages.

Page last updated: 01/05/24