South East Queensland (SEQ) is a region of unmatched potential, with the ability to combine its natural assets, people, economic opportunity and liveability to deliver a significant contribution to the state and national economy. It is a region that is expected to see a lot of investment over the next few years and there are critical infrastructure projects that are currently ongoing in the region, from the NSW border to the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
The SEQ region’s idea to develop a City Deal was the first of its kind in Australia and contributed to the Australian Government including the concept in its Smart Cities Plan in 2016.
The City Deal aims to benefit more than three million residents and paves the way for a prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come.
At the core of this deal is a vision to transform regional connectivity to address congestion, ignite future employment potential and build lifestyle destinations.
There are high-impact infrastructure projects in the SEQ region including the Gold Coast-Brisbane Transport Upgrade, Cross River Rail, and the new airport in the Sunshine Coast region, among others.
3D assets shaping digital twins
These infrastructure projects are being supported by vast amounts of 3D data that has been captured and processed for the region, with the support of government departments at different levels.
The region is a combination of extremely important commercial and tourism centres, and these 3D assets will help shape a larger digital twin for the region, which the State and Federal Governments are working on as part of a SEQ City Deal.
One of the critical aspects for the region’s development is transport infrastructure, and these 3D models will underpin the planning involved in upgrading multiple road, rail and airport links across the region, mainly connecting the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions to the commercial hub of Brisbane.
Instead of numerous development projects commissioning 3D data, the government’s foresight makes sure that all critical projects can utilise the information and make proactive decisions, minimising delays and costly rework.
“The street level 3D data is awesome. We appreciate the partnership between Sunshine Coast Council, DNRME and Aerometrex to deliver such a great set of industry-leading products to the government and the community. Our internal stakeholders consisting of senior management are really impressed with the quality” – Mike Symonds, Project Manager, SCC
One of the largest continuous 3D datasets
Aerometrex has worked closely with numerous members of ANZLIC – the peak government body in Australia and New Zealand for spatial information – as well as critical stakeholders in the Queensland State Government and local councils in the region to capture 3D data at multiple resolutions using various platforms (fixed wing airplanes, helicopter, and street level capture).
Spanning most of the SEQ region, this forms one of the largest continuous 3D datasets in Australia after the one produced for the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Digital Twin project.
These projects have been great examples of collaboration between the state government, local government and private industry, and offered an ideal platform to test what was possible.
“The collaboration and transparency across the different organisations was crucial to the success of projects of such scale, and credit goes to each government department involved in being open to such dialogue with us,” Rob Clout, 3D Sales Manager, Aerometrex, said.
Aerometrex delivered the 3D data for some of these projects in up to 30 different formats, allowing the information to be accessible for future projects and varying applications.
These formats ensure that the data can be used, not just on its own, but also integrated with different technology and accessible through any other application that is out there – whether it is for engineering design, CAD design, architects’ models, or other GIS data.
Street level 3D modelling
The street level captures undertaken across the Sunshine Coast area, enable viewers to walk along a digital version of the near-natural streets and experience the shops, cafes, buildings, complex street furniture, trees, etc.
The Sunshine Coast projects are a great example of the future of street level 3D modelling that can be integrated with aerial 3D models seamlessly.
We are now in an environment where the evolution of gaming engines is enabling large infrastructure projects to be showcased in real time.
Matthew Walker, 3D Product Manager, Aerometrex, said, “Digitised 3D data is great at providing the perfect backdrop to represent infrastructure designs and communicate plans to decision makers.
They form the basis for digital twins and create changing scenarios for corridors, precincts, etc. These scenarios can help visualise impact on pedestrian movement and business accessibility, among other key things.”
These vast datasets across South East Queensland will support infrastructure, engineering, construction and urban design projects – where users can not only see what a particular design would look like, but also assess its impact on surrounding assets.
These evaluations can be made early in the design cycle, saving companies both time and money. So, while the data looks amazing, its real value is in its detail and accuracy.
That is what this 3D digital replica offers many – the ability to accurately represent the real world and your development projects within it.
This partner content is brought to you by Aerometrex. For more information, visit aerometrex.com.au.
