Victoria to spend $35.2 million on digital twin

The Australian state of Victoria is set to spend $35.2 million (£18.9 million) to deliver Digital Twin Victoria, a data-based digital replica of the state modelled on a successful pilot project that created a digital twin for the country’s largest urban renewal project.

The Victorian government said it would transform planning and unlock efficiencies from the start to finish of infrastructure projects, “helping to drive the state’s economic recovery”.

Planners, engineers and builders will be able to use Digital Twin Victoria to model different project scenarios, test the feasibility of proposals, troubleshoot potential issues, and share complex information across sectors and workplaces more easily.

“Digital Twin Victoria will catapult Victoria into its digital future, driving efficiencies in planning and construction to supercharge the State’s long-term growth and continued economic recovery,” said minister for planning Richard Wynne. “With the convergence of big data and advanced technology, Digital Twin Victoria will enable us to do in minutes and days things that used to take weeks, months and even years.”

The digital twin will be built on a successful pilot project that created a digital twin for Australia's largest urban renewal project, Fisherman’s Bend, and is expected to be widely accessible by late 2021.

The state government has appointed the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to build the online platform that will host the digital twin.

At the start of July, the Australian government awarded the National Archives of Australia $67.7 million in funding to help the organisation preserve its at-risk records and overhaul its cyber security systems. The funding is set to be used to preserve and digitise the organisation’s most vulnerable collections, hire additional archivists, and enhance cyber security.

Furthermore, in June the Australian government invested $8 million in new projects designed to improve the skills and availability of cyber security professionals in the country. The projects aim to introduce students to training and career pathways and also create job-ready professionals through industry traineeships and work experience programmes.