China just built AI clone of Shanghai to train police
What's the story
Scientists in Shanghai have created an ultra-advanced digital replica of the city, specifically designed for law enforcement.
The virtual city will serve as a training ground for law enforcement agencies.
Officers can engage in simulated scenarios that mimic real-life situations, allowing them to practice responses to emergencies, crowd control, and other urban challenges in a controlled setting.
The initiative is a joint effort of Shanghai Surveying and Mapping Institute and Ministry of Natural Resources's key lab for megacity data analytics.
Technology
The tech behind Shanghai's virtual city
The project uses a mix of aerial laser scans, street-level light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and AI-powered three-dimensional modeling to recreate the city to the level of individual bedrooms and fire hydrants.
Patrol officers can "enter" buildings virtually, seeing floor plans, tenant registries, and utility lines.
This capability blurs the line between physical and digital realms, the research team led by government engineer Zeng Lingfang said in a peer-reviewed paper published this month in the Chinese-language Journal of Geomatics.
Emergency response
Virtual city aids in emergency response
Beyond police training, the digital Shanghai model offers potential benefits for urban planning and disaster management.
In times of crisis, metropolitan police headquarters can superimpose live surveillance feeds, vehicle movements, and heat maps onto the virtual city.
This way, the law enforcement can coordinate responses with surgical precision.
Zeng and her colleagues said that "every alley, every flat, even every manhole cover is mirrored" in this hyper-realistic digital twin of Shanghai.