To better understand, administer and evolve an institution the size and complexity of Harvard new tools, ideas, and processes are being evaluated. One such set of tools that has emerged in the last few years is the evolving concept of digital twins. An effort has been spearheaded by The Visualization Research Laboratory in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, supported by the FAS Division of Science Education, Harvard University Planning and Design, and the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning to test uses of a Harvard virtual twin to support planning, teaching, and research.
More than 130 buildings have been partially or completely scanned and more than 250 large scale 3D models have been created, including dozens of laboratories, social spaces, residences and more than a thousand classrooms. This has resulted in numerous on-line tours of Harvard museums, libraries and other spaces for the Harvard community and the public. This process has also provided detailed building management and planning capability to Harvard’s facility and planning managers.
If you would like to learn more about the project, please contact the team at: virtualharvardcampus@harvard.edu.