Journal article
City-scale digital twin framework for flood impact analysis: Integrating urban infrastructure and real-time data analytics
Urban climate, Vol.64, 102640
12/2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102640
Abstract
Urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to flooding due to climate change and rapid urbanization. Traditional mapping and decision-support tools lack the capability to integrate real-time data or analyze cascading disruptions across interconnected urban systems. Digital twins offer a promising solution by enabling real-time monitoring, simulation, and optimization of urban environments. This study presents a comprehensive city-scale digital twin framework that integrates flood forecasting, transportation networks, and critical infrastructure systems into a unified, real-time cyberinfrastructure. By leveraging data from sensors, hydrological models, and geographic information systems (GIS), the framework enables interactive, three-dimensional simulations to assess flood impacts and their cascading effects on urban mobility and infrastructure. Using Waterloo, Iowa, as a case study, we demonstrate the framework's ability to simulate flood scenarios, assess transportation disruptions, and generate actionable insights for disaster preparedness. The results highlight the framework's potential to enhance urban resilience by providing a holistic understanding of interdependent urban systems, supporting data-driven decision-making, and advancing flood risk management strategies.
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•Integrates multiple urban data sources (hydrological, transportation, and infrastructure) for comprehensive flood analysis.•Incorporates real-time data, urban systems, and geospatial modeling to enhance flood impact assessment.•Optimizes emergency response planning through real-time traffic rerouting and facility accessibility analysis.•Provides faster and more scalable flood damage estimation compared to traditional models.•Delivers actionable insights to improve urban resilience and disaster preparedness.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- City-scale digital twin framework for flood impact analysis: Integrating urban infrastructure and real-time data analytics
- Creators
- Sümeyye Kaynak - IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USABaran Kaynak - University of IowaOmer Mermer - IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USAIbrahim Demir - University of New Orleans
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Urban climate, Vol.64, 102640
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102640
- ISSN
- 2212-0955
- eISSN
- 2212-0955
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Grant note
- European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme: 101070125
This research was supported by European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant No. 101070125. The funder had no role in study design; in data collection, analysis, or interpretation; in writing the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/2025
- Academic Unit
- Electrical and Computer Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; Injury Prevention Research Center
- Record Identifier
- 9985015823102771
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