Japan is facing major challenges, including a declining and aging population. To ensure sustainability and a high quality of life, smart city initiatives are rapidly expanding across the country. At the heart of these efforts lies the concept of urban digital twins—virtual replicas of real cities that enable data-driven planning and innovation.
In this article, we introduce how SuperMap GIS is leveraging Japan’s national 3D city model project, PLATEAU, to build advanced urban digital twins and support a new era of smart, data-driven urban planning.
1. PLATEAU: A Common Platform for Smart Cities
PLATEAU is a pioneering project that develops 3D city models incorporating real-world geometries and attributes for cities across Japan, releasing them as open data. This initiative provides a shared foundation for urban innovation.
SuperMap offers a comprehensive ecosystem to maximize the value of this national data asset:
Seamless data handling: SuperMap supports PLATEAU's standard CityGML format, enabling smooth import and editing through the desktop GIS platform SuperMap iDesktopX.
Efficient distribution: With the server product SuperMap iServer, PLATEAU data can be converted into SuperMap's optimized 3D tile format, allowing high-speed web and mobile visualization.
This creates a robust foundation for utilizing PLATEAU in diverse contexts—from advanced spatial analysis to citizen-facing services.
2. Simulation Unlocks New Possibilities for Data-Driven Planning
Overlaying various datasets onto PLATEAU's high-precision 3D models makes it possible to perform sophisticated simulations, transforming how cities are planned and managed.
Traffic and People Flow Simulation
Using mobile phone location data and other mobility datasets, people flow patterns can be visualized in 3D by time of day or day of the week. These insights inform decisions such as the placement of new commercial facilities or strategies for crowd management and security at large events.
Environmental Simulation
By leveraging accurate 3D building geometries, detailed analyses can be conducted for sunlight exposure, wind patterns, and mobile signal propagation. These simulations support architectural environmental assessments and guide efficient design of 5G network coverage areas.
3. Geospatial AI Powers Interactive Citizen Services
SuperMap's geospatial AI brings predictive and interactive capabilities to urban planning and public services.
Predictive insights: By learning from historical land use data, AI can forecast future urban development patterns, supporting long-term planning.
Citizen interaction: Through SuperMap iPortal, an AI-powered assistant allows residents to easily ask practical questions—such as "Where is the nearest evacuation shelter?"—or report issues like broken playground equipment directly from their smartphones.
This transforms government services into more immediate, responsive, and citizen-centric systems.
Conclusion
PLATEAU, Japan's national 3D city model, becomes even more powerful when combined with SuperMap GIS. By integrating advanced simulation and geospatial AI, this collaboration is reshaping urban planning—from relying on intuition and experience to designing cities based on data and evidence.
The result: smarter, more sustainable, and more livable cities for the future.
Source: SuperMap Japan / https://supermap-japan.blogspot.com/2025/08/plateau.html
