We invite your expert participation in a workshop on Developing a Digital Twin for Climate Adaptation in New York City on Friday, March 15, 2024 at the Verizon Executive Education Center at the Cornell Campus on Roosevelt Island.
The workshop is hosted by a coalition of researchers from Cornell University and Cornell Tech, Hunter College (CUNY), the New School, Barnard College, George Mason University, scientists from the USDA Forest Service, and two civil society organizations (RISE and Universe City) that have come together to advance a National Science Foundation proposal for a new Civic-Led Urban Adaptation Research Center (CIVIC-UARC or the Center).
CIVIC-UARC brings together urban experts in multiple disciplines and institutions, working closely with public sector stakeholders, civil society, and community members on climate adaptation in New York City. With an environmental justice focus, our objective is to develop a model for coproduction of new knowledge and actions to address climate change hazards and risks that can be scaled to other cities.
Central to our project is the concept of a “Digital Twin” – a sophisticated digital replica of the city, enhanced by real-time data to model urban environments accurately. This initiative aims to use a Digital Twin and new emerging urban technologies to develop equitable urban climate change adaptation responses to heat exposure and flooding.
We strive to create a computational platform that will influence the reallocation of public sector climate adaptation funding towards more effective interventions in communities. Our proposed technology will not only empower experts, but also civil society organizations, contributing to increased cross-sectoral collaboration in NYC, and potentially lead to scaling of this approach to other U.S. cities.
Your input will significantly shape the direction of this work, particularly in the areas of data inputs, visualization, interface and experience, decision-making capabilities, and urban technology development. If you have questions, please contact Ben Wilde at benjamin.wilde@cornell.edu. We ask that you please RSVP to Claire Fisher at cmf239@cornell.edu for the workshop by Friday, March 1, 2024.
Sincerely,
Sean C. Ahearn and Farzin Lotfi-Jam
