Scholarly record
URBAN DIGITAL TWINS AS A LEARNING PLATFORM FOR GEOSCIENCE STUDENTS
Abstract
Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) are emerging as one of the most transformative technologies in contemporary urban planning, environmental monitoring, and smart city governance. By creating dynamic virtual replicas of physical urban environments through the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), real-time sensor networks, and big spatial data, Urban Digital Twins enable advanced simulation, predictive analysis, and evidence-based decision-making. In the context of higher education, particularly within geosciences, UDTs offer significant opportunities for experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and applied problem-solving. They provide students with interactive environments where complex urban, environmental, and socio-spatial processes can be observed, modeled, and evaluated in real time. This study explores Urban Digital Twins as a learning platform for GeoScience students, focusing on their pedagogical potential for improving spatial thinking, analytical skills, sustainability competencies, and professional readiness for smart city environments. The research examines how UDTs can support teaching in geography, geology, urban planning, environmental science, disaster risk management, climate adaptation, and regional development. Particular attention is given to the use of simulation-based learning, scenario modeling, hazard prediction, urban resilience assessment, and geospatial decision support systems within academic curricula. Using an interdisciplinary methodological framework that combines systematic literature review, comparative analysis of university smart lab initiatives, case studies of digital twin implementation in European and global cities, and curriculum assessment, the study identifies best practices for integrating UDTs into geoscience education. The analysis also investigates the technological, institutional, and pedagogical challenges associated with implementation, including data interoperability, access to digital infrastructure, faculty training, ethical concerns, and the need for cross-sector collaboration between universities, municipalities, and private technology providers.
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References12
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