Hyderabad's 16th Century Historical Site Now Has A Digital Twin

In an exemplary move to use technology to preserve heritage, a reality tech firm has developed a digital twin of Hyderabad's iconic Quli Qutb Shah Tombs. The digital twin of the 16th century historical tombs, awaiting a UNESCO World Heritage tag, is aimed at enhancing visitor experience and conserving the landmark.

Hexagon, a global reality technology firm, developed the 10.7 billion data-points rich twin of the site over 10,000 square metres. The firm has used high-end technology, including 3D scanning, geospatial mapping, and reality capture to generate the digital representation of the landmark.

In the final stage, the firm used advanced AI solutions to stitch together a point-could mesh and data-rich actionable digital twin, which enables real-time analytics, data-driven decision-making, visualisations and simulations.

The digital twin of the heritage site is just a small example of what this tech can do. According to Navneet Mishra, Senior Vice President and Head of Hexagon R&D India, the tech is not limited to just sites or cities, a digital twin can be generated for even an entire country.

"The data-richness of Hexagon's digital reality will make it easy for governments, planners, and conservationists of smart-cities to make data-driven decisions. Every data-point is stored with geo-reference details and is very precise. You can simulate many things, how it will behave when it rains, when there is wind blowing, under sun, when there is traffic, or 10 houses in the street. It lets you work with data, whether you are solving city problem, heritage challenge or utility issue," Mr Mishra told NDTV.

Paolo Guglielmini, President and CEO of Hexagon, said the digital twin of the iconic tombs was part of an effort to digitally safeguard cultural heritage sites across the globe. "Our work in Hyderabad demonstrates how forward-looking innovation and reality technologies can be used to protect our most valued connections to the past while advancing smart cities for our future," he said.

Hexagon's reality technology also enables development of cities is an efficient way. According to Telangana's IT Minister D Sridhar Babu, the digital twin of Quli Qutb Shah Tombs is proof-of-concept of the capabilities of the firm's tech to create a smart city. "I am confident that using smart technologies to preserve, maintain and restore our rich heritage is the right way forward for a smart city," he said.

Quli Qutub Shah Tombs is a one-of-its-kind necropolis in the world, spread over 106 acres. It is among the some 50 historic sites in the country on the waiting list to earn a world heritage site tag.