Digital twins, 3D city models & live data
See the place. Ask it questions.
Digital twins that join a realtime 3D model of a place to the live data that describes it, built as working prototypes first so you can find out what is worth building.
Most places already have the data. What they lack is a way to see it together, in context, while it is still current.
I'm Pete Woodbridge, a creative technologist based in Liverpool. Much of my work sits where realtime 3D meets data engineering: games engines like Unreal Engine on one side, and pipelines that gather, clean and join data from many sources on the other. A digital twin is where the two meet.
I have brought Google Maps data into Unreal Engine for realtime work in the built environment, and Liverpool's geospatial and BIM data into Twinmotion. Back in 2017 I was part of an Innovate UK-funded research team with the University of Liverpool's Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts, looking at realtime, hyper-local data in the smart city.
The data side runs at scale today. Soundings keeps a live map of around 745,000 UK creative companies across 65 regions, and Bearings, built with Dreamlab, reads over 1,100 funding sources every day. Both are twins of a kind: live pictures of something that used to be a report out of date before publication.
Who it is for
Anyone who needs to understand a place.
- Councils and combined authorities working on smart cities, regeneration and placemaking
- Architects, property, construction and built environment teams
- Venues, cultural and heritage organisations
- Universities and research teams building industry partnerships
- Film, TV and games productions using real-world locations
- Economic development and policy teams who need a live picture of a sector
Based in Liverpool, working across the Liverpool City Region, Manchester, the North West and the rest of the UK.
Services
Where I can help.
Digital twin prototypes
A working model of a place, building, venue or site, joined to the data that describes it, built quickly in a games engine so people can see whether the idea is worth the bigger investment.
Live data pipelines
The plumbing behind a twin: gathering sensor, open and business data from many sources, cleaning it, joining it up and keeping it current, with AI agents used only where they earn their place.
3D city models & geospatial data
Geospatial, mapping and BIM data brought into Unreal Engine and Twinmotion, from a single street to a whole city, for planning, regeneration, location scouting and the built environment.
Data visualisation & storytelling
Making a dataset legible to the people who need to act on it: councils, boards, partners and the public. Maps, dashboards and realtime 3D that answer a question rather than just show numbers.
Immersive & interactive twins
Twins people can step inside and explore together, in VR, AR and mixed reality, on large screens and in physical spaces, using sensors and tracking.
Digital twin R&D & funding
Shaping digital twin research projects, partnerships and funding bids. Past smart city work was funded by Innovate UK, and I review bids for national funders.
The method
Small, working, then bigger.
A twin earns its place by helping someone decide something. The quickest way to find out if it will is to build a small one.
- 01
Pick the question
Start with the decision the twin has to help someone make, not with the technology.
- 02
Find the data
Map what already exists, what is missing and how to keep it current.
- 03
Build the prototype
A working twin of one place or one problem, in weeks rather than years.
- 04
Put it in people's hands
Test it with the people who will use it, then scale what earns its place.
- Geospatial Data: Google Maps inside Unreal Engine (2023)
- Rewilding: Liverpool's geospatial and BIM data in Unreal Engine and Twinmotion (2020)
- Tech & Future High Streets: creative technology for Huyton town centre, with Knowsley Council and LJMU (2019)
- Intelligent Real Time Data in the Smart City: Innovate UK research with Spark Compass and CAVA (2017)
FAQ
Questions about digital twins.
What is a digital twin?
A digital twin is a working digital model of something real, such as a building, a site, a street or a whole city, kept up to date with data from the real thing. Because the model and the data live together, you can see what is happening, ask questions of it and test ideas before you spend money on them in the real world.
Who can help build a digital twin in Liverpool or Manchester?
Pete Woodbridge is a Liverpool-based creative technologist who builds digital twin prototypes, live data pipelines and 3D city models with Unreal Engine, Twinmotion and geospatial data. He works across the Liverpool City Region, Manchester, the North West and the rest of the UK, and his smart city research was funded by Innovate UK.
Do we need a full digital twin to get started?
Usually not. The most useful first step is a prototype that answers one question for one place, with the data you already have. It shows whether the idea is worth the bigger investment and what data you really need, before anyone commits to a city-wide platform.
What tools and data do you use?
Unreal Engine and Twinmotion for realtime 3D, geospatial, mapping and BIM data for the model, Python data pipelines and AI agents to gather and update the data, and web maps, dashboards, VR, AR and large screens to put it in front of people. The choice depends on who will use the twin and where.
Is a digital twin only for buildings and cities?
No. The same idea works for a venue, an event, a production or an economy. Soundings, which Pete built, keeps a live map of around 745,000 UK creative companies across 65 regions, updated every month, so policy questions can be answered from current data rather than an old report.
Can you help fund a digital twin project?
Yes. Pete has developed and led £12m of innovation programmes and projects, worked on the bids behind 50+ funded R&D collaborations and reviews bids for the EPSRC, CoSTAR and Digital Catapult, so he can help shape a digital twin project and the funding bid behind it.
How do I get in touch?
LinkedIn is the quickest way, or email through the contact page. Send a line or two about the place or problem, the data you have and what you would like the twin to help you decide.
What do you want to see?
Tell me about the place or the problem, the data you have and what you would like the twin to help you decide. If it is a good fit, we will find out quickly, and if it is not, I will tell you.