Digital Twins in the Metaverse for Collaborative Discovery of Contextual Factors

In this paper we outline how digital twins of cities can create Metaverse spaces which stimulate and facilitate collaborative brainstorming on societal problems whilst helping discover relevant contextual factors. Such digital twins of places in effect constitute boundary objects bridging the spheres of interest and understanding between stakeholders from different backgrounds, allowing them to understand each other better and derive better collaborative outcomes. To illustrate our contribution, we use the example of the Manchester Digital Twin, a model of Manchester within the Data Visualisation Observatory which we use to overlay a variety of geographically relevant datasets. Switching between the sets and using the built-in capabilities of simulation, we can facilitate brainstorming between city planners, public health officials and local community leaders, for example, on how to address societal problems such as obesity prevalence and associated health outcomes. We illustrate how, in the process of working with the digital twin, the stakeholders can become aware of relevant yet previously unconsidered contextual factors such as proximity to green spaces, bike lanes and fast-food outlets.