Holistic urban mobility assessment in urban centers: Developing an integrated digital twin tool for Tec District

Urban mobility, air pollution, and climate change are critical concerns in contemporary city planning. This study presents the development and application of MAITEC®, a digital twin model designed to assess and enhance mobility and air quality within urban centers. The digital twin is designed to transform collected data into actionable insights, enabling informed decision-making by visualizing relevant consolidated data and identifying areas for intervention. By integrating data from the SUMO, MOVES, and AERMODE software, MAITEC® accurately simulates traffic flow, vehicular emissions, and pollutant ground concentration, including CO , CO 2 , HC , NO x , PM 2.5 , and PM 10 . The application of MAITEC® to the Tec District (Monterrey, Mexico) revealed significant emissions contributions from commercial trucks and passenger vehicles, with the highest levels of CO 2 emissions attributed to public buses and commercial trucks. By calibrating emission factors based on real-world RSD emission measurements and traffic with real vehicle operating conditions obtained via OBD, we ensured the model's accuracy and relevance to the study area. The results indicate areas of opportunity for improving urban mobility, such as promoting intermodality, reducing vehicle infrastructure, and enhancing pedestrian accessibility. This research underscores the importance of up-to-date, high-quality data for effective simulation and offers actionable insights for policymakers aiming to foster sustainable urban development. The findings of this study validate the efficacy of the MAITEC® tool and highlight its potential for broader applications in urban mobility and environmental impact assessments. • MAITEC® is a digital twin that integrates simulation models to analyze urban mobility in Monterrey's Tec District. • MAITEC® offers spatial and temporal maps of vehicular emissions to help policymakers reduce air pollution and health risks. • MAITEC® is a multidisciplinary framework that connects mobility, environment, and health.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Urban Management
Published
2026-05-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2026.04.010
Primary Topic
Vehicle emissions and performance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Holistic urban mobility assessment in urban centers: Developing an integrated digital twin tool for Tec District

Jenny Díaz Ramírez, Alfredo Alan Flores Saldívar, Hugo Terashima Marin, Luisa Fernanda Chaparro Sierra et al.
Journal of Urban Management
Vehicle emissions and performance
article

Holistic urban mobility assessment in urban centers: Developing an integrated digital twin tool for Tec District

Jenny Díaz Ramírez, Alfredo Alan Flores Saldívar, Hugo Terashima Marin, Luisa Fernanda Chaparro Sierra, José Carlos Ortiz Bayliss, José Ignacio Huertas
article en

Abstract

Urban mobility, air pollution, and climate change are critical concerns in contemporary city planning. This study presents the development and application of MAITEC®, a digital twin model designed to assess and enhance mobility and air quality within urban centers. The digital twin is designed to transform collected data into actionable insights, enabling informed decision-making by visualizing relevant consolidated data and identifying areas for intervention. By integrating data from the SUMO, MOVES, and AERMODE software, MAITEC® accurately simulates traffic flow, vehicular emissions, and pollutant ground concentration, including CO , CO 2 , HC , NO x , PM 2.5 , and PM 10 . The application of MAITEC® to the Tec District (Monterrey, Mexico) revealed significant emissions contributions from commercial trucks and passenger vehicles, with the highest levels of CO 2 emissions attributed to public buses and commercial trucks. By calibrating emission factors based on real-world RSD emission measurements and traffic with real vehicle operating conditions obtained via OBD, we ensured the model's accuracy and relevance to the study area. The results indicate areas of opportunity for improving urban mobility, such as promoting intermodality, reducing vehicle infrastructure, and enhancing pedestrian accessibility. This research underscores the importance of up-to-date, high-quality data for effective simulation and offers actionable insights for policymakers aiming to foster sustainable urban development. The findings of this study validate the efficacy of the MAITEC® tool and highlight its potential for broader applications in urban mobility and environmental impact assessments. • MAITEC® is a digital twin that integrates simulation models to analyze urban mobility in Monterrey's Tec District. • MAITEC® offers spatial and temporal maps of vehicular emissions to help policymakers reduce air pollution and health risks. • MAITEC® is a multidisciplinary framework that connects mobility, environment, and health.

Journal of Urban Management
Tecnológico de Monterrey (MX)
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Vehicle emissions and performance
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