Hexagon Delivers Reality Technology For Smart Cities With A Data-Rich Digital Twin Of The Qutub Shahi Tombs

-       More than 10.7 billion data points captured to represent 10,000 square metres in the digital twin

-       Award-winning devices, including Leica BLK2FLY and BLK2GO PULSE, used to capture detail and precision, in minutes 

-       AI-led software solutions in cloud-based HxDR platform accelerate the creation of the digital twin

-       Data-driven decision-making, visualisation and advanced simulations to help restoration efforts

Hexagon, the global leader in reality technology, today presented a data-rich digital twin of the Qutub Shahi Tombs to the government of Telangana. This digital twin of the 16th-century heritage site is a proof-of-concept of Hexagon's Reality Technology for Smart Cities capabilities. Hexagon is committed to advancing smart city technologies and supporting the preservation of historic landmarks through advanced digital innovation.

During a ceremony at the Tombs’ lawns, Paolo Guglielmini, President and CEO of Hexagon, presented the data-rich digital twin of the historical site to the Principal Secretary of I&C & IT Departments, Shri Jayesh Ranjan. The event was attended by dignitaries from the departments of IT, Industries & Commerce, Urban Development, and Culture & Heritage and members of the media.

Paolo Guglielmini, President & CEO, Hexagon commented “The creation of this digital twin of the iconic Qutub Shahi Tombs is a step towards our vision of digitally safeguarding cultural heritage sites across the globe. Our work in Hyderabad demonstrates how forward-looking innovation and reality technologies can be used to protect our most valued connections to the past while advancing smart cities for our future.”

Hexagon brought together its suite of cutting-edge software and hardware technologies, including 3D scanning, geospatial mapping, and reality capture to generate 10.7 billion data points for the creation of the digital representation of the landmark. The team utilized award-winning devices including Leica BLK2FLY, an autonomous flying drone equipped with a LiDAR scanner, along with the BLK2GO, and RTC 360, capable of capturing an astounding 2 million points per second. The GS18i complemented these devices for geo-referencing the point cloud.

In the final stage, Hexagon’s digital-reality platform HxDR applied advanced AI solutions to stitch together a point-cloud mesh and data-rich actionable digital twin. The new digital version of the historic site enables data-driven decision-making, real-time analytics, visualisations and simulations.

Hon'ble IT Minister D Sridhar Babu, Govt. of Telangana said “Telangana believes in making Hyderabad a city of the future. To do that, we also need to be a responsible custodian of the rich heritage of the state. We are delighted that Hexagon India R&D, based in our very own city and being the largest R&D centre of the company, has developed a data-rich digital twin of the Qutub Shahi tombs. I am confident that using smart technologies to preserve, maintain and restore our rich heritage is the right way forward for a smart city."

Commenting on the initiative, Navaneet Mishra, Senior Vice President and Head, Hexagon R&D India, said, "The Qutub Shahi Tombs Digital Twin project is a fully functional proof-of-concept of Hexagon’s Digital Heritage for Smart Cities, demonstrating how we can help preserve the rich heritage of our country. The data-richness of Hexagon’s digital reality will make it easy for governments, planners, and conservationists of smart-cities to make data-driven decisions. We are excited to have developed this for Telangana and look forward to more such possibilities across India.”

Global Smart Cities market

- The global Smart Cities market size is estimated at USD 1.36 trillion in 2024

- It is expected to reach USD 3.84 trillion by 2029 (CAGR of 23.21%)

India Smart Cities market

India is expected to see a significant growth in revenue within the Smart Cities market. 

Projections indicate that by 2024, the revenue in this market segment is estimated to reach US$2.33bn.

Further anticipated that this revenue will demonstrate a steady annual growth rate of 14.89% from 2024 to 2028.

India is witnessing a surge in the implementation of smart city initiatives, leveraging advanced technologies to improve urban infrastructure and enhance the quality of life for its citizens.

The Smart City Mission launched by PM Modi in 2015 encourages the drive towards Smart Cities in India.

Hexagon and Smart Cities

Hexagon's Digital Reality and Autonomous Technologies are proven to be critical to Smart Cities around the world, delivering smart solutions for public safety and administration; manage transportation, utilities and communication infrastructure; digitally map geography and physical property; and integrate resiliency into industrial and commercial assets to ensure our cities and nations remain sustainable.

Hexagon’s R&D Centre in India

Hexagon’s R&D Centre in India is the single largest R&D centre for the company globally. More than 2,000 talented engineers and developers create innovation from this centre that powers Hexagon's products and solutions. Hexagon’s R&D Centre delivers innovations and creative solutions for all business lines of Hexagon, including Asset Lifecycle Intelligence, Autonomous Solutions, Geosystems, Manufacturing Intelligence, and Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial. It also hosts dedicated service teams for the global implementation of Hexagon’s products.