Use Case Smart City – EDF has developed a 3D platform helping urban planning

The IGO role in the development of EDF urban systemic modeling platform

After consulting several international companies specialize in 3D, EDF has chosen to work with IGO to accompany the development of its 3D collaborative platform.

The platform is accesible by Intranet from a web interface, equipped with a 3D visualization engine modeling scenarios of setting features and reporting tools.

The aime of the service provided by IGO is to develop and maintain this HMI with the expected criteria for a particular industrial quality tool for:

  • Maintainability,
  • Usability: ability to deploy multiple instances,
  • Usability: regardless of the location of users,
  • Ergonomics: favoring a fluid and easy interaction,
  • Internet safety.

The skills implemented to carry out this mission relate to the design, development, testing and maintenance of software. EDF especially enjoyed the IGO expertise on the following technologies:

  1. The standard CityGML
  2. The use of web services and mapping standards,
  3. The HMI web development and underlying technologies,
  4. A high-performance 3D engine without plug-in in a web browser

API performance and technological innovation link page:http://www.igo.fr/index-famille-1706-lng-fr-ID_MS-776.html;name:IGOWEB3D as well as 3D expertise and IGO commitment made the difference on this project. 

EDF has chosen IGOWEB3D as 3D mapping engine for its urban modeling platform

Metropolises are 1st among greenhouse gas emitters and should adapt to the faster development in the fight against global warming. 

To support their approach, EDF has developed an urban modeling platform to assess the impact of different territorial actions in the short, medium, and long term. Simulations incorporate scenarios acting on the type of construction, the vegetation, the integration of renewable energy, the choice of public lighting, human behavior, mobility, air quality,…

This plateform is based on IGOWEB3D, the real-time 3D web mapping API without plugin edited by IGO. 

The strenghs of IGO appreciated by EDF that made the difference:

  • Web navigation performance without plugin in complex 3D urban models
  • Agnostics solutions that EDF can instantiate unconstrained
  • Agility of the company IGO (team availability, 3D Web expertise and CityGML and adaptability required)

EDF offers to cities its expertise to fight against climate change

If Metropolises are at the forefront of greenhouse gas emitters in the world (70% of global emissions) they are also at the heart of the fight against climate change. 

Their long-term adaptation is a major challenge for their economies and their environment. The future cities plays into every urban planning decision, every policy implemented at all levels and with all the actors within it.

In this context, policy makers have a responsability to anticipate the impacts of urban policies and projects, taking into account the complex interactions between areas as diverse as mobility, energy production, housing, or the air quality. 

To support their approach, EDF is deploying since 4 years an innovative approach. The group offers the world’s major metropolises its expertise and knowledge in low carbon technologies, but also the latest innovations in terms of digital simulation platform and help with the decision. 

The testimony of Pascal Terrien, Sustainable Cities internationally for EDF and R&D Program Director

Testimony following the deployment of the platform in Singapore, near city-state of the equator which already has 5 millions inhabitants and will still grow in the coming years, despite a constrained territory.

Pascal Terrien, Sustainable Cities internationally for EDF and R&D, explains:

“In Singapore, 83% of houses are designed and managed by the Housing and Development Board (Public Housing Agency) whose priority is to improve the quality of life. This powerful institution already had a plan for sustainable development with a variety of indicators and a list of possible actions extremely important. So it was not easy to write a report with recommendations. In fact, the authorities have asked us a real tool to support decision.

C’est ainsi que nous avons conçu une plateforme de modélisation systémique applicable à Singapour, mais aussi à d’autres grandes villes.
Thus, we deisgned a systemic modeling platform applicable in Singapore but also in other major cities. 

EDF has integrated its expertise in energy and transport, Veolia was asked to expertise on water and waste collection. The unit is integrated in the platform of EDF and this toll shows the impact of different actions on short, medium and long-term since our models are up until 2030 or 2040. The type pf construction, the vegetation, the integration of renewable energy, the choice of public lighting, human behavior, mobility, tropical rains… all overlaps and integrations of different elements are taken into account and can be studied at teh scale of a building or an entire city.”

Beyond innovative tools delivered to the Agency Singaporean Housing is a true co-construction method that has been tested, allowing all actors (architects, planners, engineers, political) to share ideas and test virtuality and live on a simulation platform.

The concept is transferable. For Pascal Terrien, these modeling techniques are used to guide cities towards an ambitious choice in terms of energy performance, air quality and above all quality of life.

To learn more, read the article du Monde du 29/10/2015

News’s category

Share the article on