Is digital twin technology the future of rainforest conservation?
Travel to Costa Rica to see how Hexagon’s precision technology is monitoring biodiversity and preservation efforts.
By measuring within a three-centimetre accuracy level, sensor and software technologies are unlocking industry's potential to address climate change.
Key Takeaways:
- Digital twin technology is helping scientists create digital replica of rainforests to quantify the true impact of conservation and reforestation.
- The Green Cubes initiative in Costa Rica maps 100km2 of rainforests with centimetre-level precision enabling detailed monitoring and analysis.
- This approach allows for better collaboration between researchers and local communities while providing opportunities for corporate sustainability involvement.
As a part of the Reuters VISION 2045 documentary series, Hexagon examines the critical role of accurate measurement and visualisation in monitoring biodiversity in Costa Rica. Produced ahead of the United Nations’ 100th anniversary in 2045, the VISION 2045 video series spotlights the efforts of organisations committed to addressing critical global issues, including climate change.
Flying over the lowland rainforests of Central America there is awe in the lush density of the biodiversity corridor La Gamba (COBIGA). Home to around 3,000 species of plants, the corridor serves as a vital link between two essential national parks and is home to many endangered species.
In early 2023, Hexagon’s green tech subsidiary, R-evolution partnered with La Gamba Tropenstation, an Austrian research station associated with the University of Vienna, to support the preservation and expansion of the COBIGA corridor.
Now, digital twin technology is being used to quantify the true impact of conservation and reforestation efforts in the region.
“Our mission at Hexagon is to leverage technology and data to improve productivity and quality while making processes more efficient. The result is fewer inputs and less waste – which is better for the planet and generates profit simultaneously.”
What is a digital twin?
A digital twin is a precise digital representation of the physical world that uses dynamic data to simulate, analyse, monitor, and optimise performance. This technology allows us to make data-driven decisions, leading to a more efficient and sustainable world."Today's technology allows us to create digital twins of almost anything — from the smallest objects to entire terrestrial ecosystems like the COBIGA corridor in Costa Rica. By creating virtual replicas of physical environments, companies can simulate scenarios, predict problems, and make data-driven decisions, leading to more efficient and sustainable operations.”
The Green Cubes initiative
Hexagon’s green-tech subsidiary, R-evolution developed the Green Cubes Methodology — a pioneering approach to forest monitoring and visualisation. Utilising digital twin technology, the team mapped 100 square kilometres of the corridor, generating 4.3 terabytes of precision data.
Creating the digital twin
Using Hexagon's innovative technology, including:
- Country Mapper – Airborne hybrid LiDAR/image sensors
- BLK2GO – Handheld imaging laser scanner
Hexagon's digital reality platform (HxDR) powers precision visualisation, allowing scientists to model and monitor the rainforest in stunning detail at accuracies down to three centimetres.
The result is the Green Cubes digital twin – a blueprint to help accelerate conservation and sustainable business practices. The digital twin has been divided into individual square metres, called "Green Cubes," each containing information from one of the planet's most complex ecosystems.
The benefits:
- Enhanced monitoring – scientists can track the health of tree canopies high in the air and study roots deep in the ground.
- Biodiversity tracking – the team can also measure sound decibels to monitor wildlife populations.
- Collaboration – helps researchers and local communities work together to protect the forest.
- Corporate involvement – enables companies to sponsor individual square metres of forest as part of their sustainability goals.
Companies interested in promoting biodiversity conservation can now sponsor Green Cubes as part of their ESG initiatives. Green Cubes sponsorships support local landowners who are incentivised to conserve their existing land.
“I am optimistic about our future because of projects like our Green Cubes initiative in Costa Rica. The work being done by our customers and partners shows that the world is serious about sustainability and that technology can empower creative solutions to our greatest challenges.”
Learn more about our sustainable innovation at hexagon.com/company/sustainability
For further information, please contact:
Madlen Nicolaus, CMO, Hexagon, +44 207 068 6575, media@hexagon.com
Hexagon is the global leader in digital reality solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. We are putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, public sector, and mobility applications.
Our technologies are shaping production and people related ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous – ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.
Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 24,500 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.4bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB.