3D Digital Models (Digital Twins)

We provide digital IT services to local authorities, the public sector and businesses that help and support master planning work and the involvement of stakeholders in planning and consultation around development projects.

Our 3D models help to visualise places to support planning applications and planning decisions. They are scalable from building to high street, town, city or borough and also have exciting potential for transport operators, museums and others. We use open source data and, once completed, our models are available for everyone to utilise with the client retaining ownership of the data.

Some more information about the benefits of our service and examples of our work on 3D digital models working in partnership with local authorities are showcased below. You can also find out more about our virtual reality experiences service here.

Wirral Borough Council (Birkenhead)
Area captured 16.7 sqkm 3D model area 9 sqkm

The Wirral Digital Model is supporting the council, consolidating proposed changes from various sources. Communicating the future town and infrastructure changes to committee members, internal staff, and various stakeholders. All running and working…

The Wirral Digital Model is supporting the council, consolidating proposed changes from various sources. Communicating the future town and infrastructure changes to committee members, internal staff, and various stakeholders. All running and working remotely. The digital model is proving to be a valuable asset in planning their investment program, enabling all parties to make more informed choices for its 2040 vision.

Wirral Borough Council is delighted with their Digital Urban model for Birkenhead. It is proving to be a real asset, helping staff, senior members and councillors all to engage in the development and design of major regeneration projects and masterplans. As we continue on this path the digital model will prove its value further helping us to deliver our ambitious programme for the regeneration of Birkenhead as part of the Birkenhead 2040 vision
— Keith Keely, Programme Manager Wirral Council
Thank you to Digital Urban for providing an impressive 3D model for Wirral Council, the digital model was used to support our £45m Towns Fund application to Government. We used the digital model to create a video as part of our submission allowing us to demonstrate the scale and ambition behind our regeneration programme in Birkenhead. His team worked efficiently and produced extremely high-quality work against a demanding programme.
We look forward to continuing to work with Simon and his team, bringing our regeneration delivery areas to life for residents, stakeholders, Members and officers.
— Cathy Wignall, Regeneration Delivery Lead Wirral Council

Watford Borough Council

Area captured 34 sqkm (The entire borough) 3D model Area 7 sqkm

The Watford Digital Model is being used to support design review and capacity planning. Working collaboratively between developers and the local authority helping all involved to ensure the appropriate scale and mass for each site. Used dynamically …

The Watford Digital Model is being used to support design review and capacity planning. Working collaboratively between developers and the local authority helping all involved to ensure the appropriate scale and mass for each site. Used dynamically within design reviews, pre-application decisions, as well as capacity planning, ensuring that the local authority can achieve its housing targets.

Watford’s digital urban model is a great tool, helping us with our capacity studies, the development of our taller building policy, and supporting our remote design review sessions. It has helped us to have confidence and achieve better outcomes for all parties optimising the potential for each site.
— Sian Finney MacDonald, Urban Design and Conservation Manager Watford Borough Council

Berwick - upon - Tweed

Berwick High Street model using both satellite and terrestrial laserscan data in partnership with the Civic Society and Better Berwick


Liverpool City Model

Area captured 20 sqkm 3D model area 6 sqkm

Liverpool have been utilising the digital urban platform sharing the digital model with design teams and plotting all the latest planning applications.

Liverpool have been utilising the digital urban platform sharing the digital model with design teams and plotting all the latest planning applications.

The Liverpool City Model has a wide range of users from architects to developers. The model gives them the opportunity to view how their scheme sits in the context of the cityscape. It is also a valuable tool for planners to view applications in 3D and understand how the scheme fits into and impacts on its surroundings.
— Kris Waite, Manager, Directorate Office, Regeneration & Economy

Benefits of working with us on developing your 3D urban modeL

  • Our 3D models are scalable from building, high street, town, city or borough.

  • Our 3D models include intuitive navigation and control.

  • Our 3D models are compatible with multiple data sources such as Lidar.

  • We make our data accessible to everyone in Urban Planning and use open source date.

  • Our models can help to support the planning process through visualisation.

  • We can provide a range of value added services including videos to showcase the models and can also fully manage the models and develop and maintain them on an ongoing basis.

We are proud to be a pre-approved IT services supplier for local authorities and the public sector on G-Cloud. You can find a full description of our services on the platform or please contact us.