Digital Twins--the pulse of Berkeley

Framework

Building and analyzing digital twins of every building and structure in Berkeley, combining NHERI SimCenter structural data with Berkeley City and Alameda County GIS and property databases [1][2][3].

 Why Databricks fits this use case

Databricks is designed to unify large-scale structured and semi-structured data (GIS, property records, building footprints, addresses, zoning, ownership) with engineering and simulation data (NHERI SimCenter structural models, hazard exposure, performance metrics) in a single lakehouse [1][3]. It can ingest and version Berkeley’s parcel/property data, city GIS layers, and NHERI SimCenter outputs into Delta Lake tables, then use SQL, Python, and Spark to join, enrich, and analyze them at scale [1][3][4].

For a city-wide building digital twin, Databricks can:

- Store and manage Berkeley’s parcel/property database, building footprints, zoning, and ownership (private, UC, state, federal, commercial) in Delta tables [1][3].  

- Ingest and link NHERI SimCenter structural models (e.g., building types, materials, seismic performance) to each parcel/building record [1][5].  

- Combine in energy, water, fire, vegetation, and health data (e.g., utility usage, fire hydrant locations, tree canopy, air quality) as additional layers in the same lakehouse [1][6].

Jupyter notebooks per structure

Databricks notebooks (Jupyter-style) are well suited to create a notebook per structure or per parcel that pulls together all relevant information [7][4]. Each notebook can:

- Query the lakehouse to pull structural data (NHERI SimCenter), GIS attributes (footprint, height, use), ownership, and zoning for one building [1][3].  

- Add cells for energy use, water use, fire risk, vegetation proximity, and health/safety metrics, using Python/SQL to compute indicators and visualizations [1][3].  

- Run simulations or what-if scenarios (e.g., retrofit impact, hazard exposure) and export results back to the lakehouse for city-wide analysis [1][2].

This approach lets you build a library of per-structure notebooks that are versioned, shareable, and reproducible, while keeping all underlying data centrally governed in Unity Catalog [1][3][4].

Practical considerations for Berkeley

To make this work well:

- **Data integration**: You’ll need to align NHERI SimCenter building IDs or locations with Berkeley’s parcel IDs and GIS layers (e.g., using geocoding and spatial joins) [1][8][6].  

- **Scale**: Databricks can handle tens of thousands of structures efficiently, but very high-resolution 3D models or real-time sensor data may require careful partitioning and compute sizing [1][2].  

- **Governance**: Use Unity Catalog to define fine-grained access controls (e.g., sensitive property/ownership data vs. public safety/energy data) and share subsets across city departments or researchers [1][3].

Using Python, Jupyter, and GIS tools (e.g., GeoPandas, PostGIS), Databricks can serve as a powerful, scalable platform to bring those workflows together into a unified Berkeley building digital twin system [1][3][8].

Sources

[1] How to Build Digital Twins for Operational Efficiency | Databricks Blog https://www.databricks.com/blog/how-build-digital-twins-operational-efficiency

[2] Solution Accelerator - Digital Twins for Efficiency - Databricks https://www.databricks.com/blog/solution-accelerator-building-digital-twins-operational-efficiency-databricks

[3] Digital Twins - Solution Accelerator - Databricks https://www.databricks.com/solutions/accelerators/digital-twins

[4] Databricks notebooks | Databricks on AWS https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/notebooks/

[5] An open-source simulation platform to support and foster research ... https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2025.1590479/full

[6] Digital twins: Capturing reality with GIS - Hanson Inc. https://www.hanson-inc.com/insights/blog/digital-twins-capturing-reality-with-gis/

[7] Jupyter Notebook Guide - Databricks https://www.databricks.com/glossary/jupyter-notebook

[8] Geospatial to Simulation: How To Build Digital Twins of Real-World ... https://www.duality.ai/blog/gis-to-simulation

[9] Digital Twin Technology Explained | Databricks https://www.databricks.com/glossary/digital-twin

[10] Azure Digital Twins - Microsoft Learn https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/digital-twins/overview

[11] Use Databricks Notebook to Model an Intelligent Semantic Layer https://timbr.ai/blog/use-databricks-notebook-to-model-an-intelligent-semantic-layer/

[12] Building Successful Digital Process Twins on Azure Databricks https://pages.databricks.com/202204-AMER-VE-BuildingSuccessfulDigitalProcessTwinsonAzureDatabricks_01-Registration-LP.html

[13] How to build digital twins with Databricks guide and ZeroBus Ingest https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pokouo_how-to-build-digital-twins-for-operational-activity-7391111946525200384-JtRu

[14] Digital twin approach for enhancing urban resilience: A cycle ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772741624000231

[15] Building AI Digital Twins with Data Products - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBk6mVDL94M

[16] Digital Twin Technology & GIS | What is a Digital Twin? - Esri https://www.esri.com/en-us/digital-twin/overview

[17] Develop Like a Pro in Databricks Notebooks - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9f_6Aoxeqg

[18] databricks-industry-solutions/digital-twin - GitHub https://github.com/databricks-industry-solutions/digital-twin

[19] Breaking Analysis: Connecting the dots on the emerging Databricks ... https://thecuberesearch.com/breaking-analysis-connecting-the-dots-on-the-emerging-databricks-tech-stack/

[20] [PDF] State of the Art in Computational Simulation for Natural Hazards ... https://simcenter.designsafe-ci.org/media/filer_public/a8/e5/a8e56717-6c92-444e-8aa3-296c23a8e210/nheri_simcenter_state_of_the_art_report_2nd_edition_2021.pdf

Using international AEC standards to build UCB and City of Berkeley digital twins

ETH Zurich has developed several advanced digital-twin environments for AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) that are highly relevant to a Berkeley-wide building-by-building analysis, including the COMPAS framework, the HiLo research building, and the Open Digital Twin Platform (ODTP) [1][2][3].

### ETH Campus Digital Twin

ETH Zurich is building a campus-wide digital twin of its entire building and infrastructure portfolio by 2028, covering existing and new buildings, technical facilities, and campus infrastructure [1][4]. This program creates a model-based, data-driven representation of the physical campus (Hönggerberg first) and integrates:

- BIM and CAD data from new construction projects (e.g., HPQ building) [1][4].  

- Asset and facility management data (HVAC, energy, maintenance) [1][4].  

- GIS and spatial data for precise location and context [1][4].

The goal is to enable structure-by-structure analysis for energy, maintenance, retrofit, and sustainability, while supporting teaching and research as a “living lab” [1][4].

### COMPAS for AEC digital twins

COMPAS is an open-source computational framework developed at ETH for AEC research and collaboration, designed to simplify computation and align research with industry practices [2][5]. It is used to:

- Model and analyze complex structures (e.g., shells, gridshells, timber structures) at the individual building or component level [2][5].  

- Integrate geometry, structural analysis (via Abaqus, ANSYS, SOFISTIK), and robotic fabrication workflows [2][5].  

- Export and share models in standard formats (JSON, Rhino/Grasshopper, Blender) for downstream simulation and visualization [2].

COMPAS is well suited for creating per-structure Jupyter notebooks that combine geometry, structural properties, and analysis results, which could be adapted to a Berkeley-wide building inventory [2][5].

### HiLo and NEST as AEC testbeds

HiLo is a two-story experimental building module at the NEST research platform near Zurich, developed by ETH’s Block Research Group and Architecture and Building Systems group [6][7]. It serves as a digital twin testbed for:

- Thin-shell concrete structures with advanced form-finding and structural analysis [6][8].  

- High-performance, low-emission building systems (energy, materials, construction waste) [6][7].  

- Integration of BIM, sensor data, and performance simulation for a single building [6][7].

HiLo demonstrates how a single structure can be modeled in detail and used to validate digital twin workflows that could be scaled to a city-wide inventory [6][7].

### Open Digital Twin Platform (ODTP)

ETH’s Open Digital Twin Platform (ODTP) is a containerized, open-source framework for managing, running, and analyzing digital twins across domains, including mobility and infrastructure [3][9][10]. For AEC and urban-scale digital twins, ODTP:

- Uses microservices and containerization (Docker) to compose digital twins from reusable components (the “Digital Twin Zoo”) [9][10].  

- Supports integration of diverse data sources (GIS, BIM, sensor streams, synthetic populations) and simulation tools (e.g., MATSim for mobility) [9][10].  

- Enables traceable, reproducible workflows that can be versioned and shared, similar in spirit to a notebook-based analysis pipeline [3][9].

ODTP’s architecture is a good reference for how to structure a Berkeley-wide system where each building has its own digital twin, but all twins share common data models and analysis services [3][9].

### Zurich AEC and digital twin startups

Zurich hosts several startups and initiatives that complement ETH’s research:

- **Nomoko** (Zurich) specializes in 3D digital twins of real estate using advanced spatial data and 3D modeling, providing detailed property insights for development and investment [11].  

- **Wingtra** created a high-resolution 3D digital twin of central Zurich using drone photogrammetry, showing how city-scale geospatial data can feed into AEC digital twins [12].  

- ETH spin-offs and hackathons (e.g., AEC Hackathon Zurich) focus on open-source tools and workflows for digital twins in construction and infrastructure [13][14].

These examples show that Zurich has a strong ecosystem for building and managing per-structure digital twins, combining ETH research (COMPAS, ODTP, campus twin) with startup innovation in 3D and AEC digital twins [1][2][3][11].

Sources

[1] Building bridges to the future: the ETH campus goes digital – Staffnet https://ethz.ch/staffnet/en/news-and-events/internal-news/archive/2025/03/building-bridges-to-the-future-the-eth-campus-goes-digital.html

[2] COMPAS.dev https://compas.dev

[3] Open Digital Twin Platform (ODTP) - ETH Zürich https://csfm.ethz.ch/en/research/integrative-projects/digital-twin/odtp.html

[4] Digital Twin – We build bridges to the future | ETH Zurich https://ethz.ch/en/campus/development/digital-twin-we-build-bridges-to-the-future.html

[5] Compas XR - Gramazio Kohler Research - ETH Zürich https://gramaziokohler.arch.ethz.ch/web/d/forschung/505.html

[6] The HiLo module at Zurich's NEST pairs ancient building concepts ... https://www.archpaper.com/2021/10/hilo-module-zurich-nest-pairs-ancient-building-concepts-futuristic-construction/

[7] ETH Zurich's HiLo Unit Raises the Bar for Sustainable Concrete ... https://metropolismag.com/projects/hilo-eth-zurich/

[8] HiLo roof - Block Research Group https://brg.ethz.ch/research/prototypes/740

[9] ODTP: A tool designed to manage, run, and design digital twins. https://github.com/odtp-org/odtp

[10] [PDF] Introducing the Prototype Digital Twin of The Swiss Mobility System https://www.strc.ch/2023/Gruebel_EtAl.pdf

[11] Top 100 Digital Twin Companies in Switzerland (2025) - ensun https://ensun.io/search/digital-twin/switzerland

[12] Wingtra creates stunning digital twin of Zurich https://wingtra.com/case_studies/wingtra-creates-stunning-digital-twin-of-zurich/

[13] Digital twins, new cancer treatments and three unicorns | ETH Zurich https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2023/01/digital-twins-new-cancer-treatments-and-three-unicorns.html

[14] AEC Hackathon – Zurich Edition 2025 - opensource.construction https://opensource.construction/events/aec-hackathon-zurich-2025/

[15] XR-enabled Digital Twins - Gramazio Kohler Research - ETH Zürich https://gramaziokohler.arch.ethz.ch/web/e/forschung/489.html

[16] Coupled simulation of thermally active building systems to support a ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778819305201

[17] Scientists begin building highly accurate digital twin of our planet https://www.cscs.ch/science/computer-science-hpc/2021/scientists-begin-building-highly-accurate-digital-twin-of-our-planet

[18] Explore Innovative Swiss Startups | Innovation Zurich https://innovation.zuerich/en/ecosystem-actors/startups/

[19] ETH Zurich launches pioneering construction research project https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/08/eth-zurich-launches-pioneering-construction-research-project.html

[20] 20 Top Digital Twin Startups to Watch in 2026 | StartUs Insights https://www.startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/digital-twin-startups-to-watch/

[21] Scientists begin building highly accurate digital twin of our planet https://phys.org/news/2021-02-scientists-highly-accurate-digital-twin.html

[22] ETH Zurich's HiLo Unit Raises the Bar for Sustainable Concrete ... https://www.archdaily.com/975389/eth-zurichs-hilo-unit-raises-the-bar-for-sustainable-concrete-design

[23] Zurich's global startup program crowns nine winners of Innovation ... https://www.zurich.com/fr-fr/media/news-releases/2024/2024-0529-01

[24] 10 Top Digital Twin Startups in 2025 - Toobler Technologies. https://www.toobler.com/blog/best-digital-twin-startups

[25] Developer & Technology Summit 2025: Creating the Digital Twin of ... https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/story-maps/developers/developer-technology-summit-2025-creating-the-digital-twin-of-zurich-switzerland

[26] AI transforming AEC: Workshop at AI+X Summit 2025 in Zurich https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eth-ai-center_can-ai-reinvent-how-we-design-engineer-activity-7371527892415045632-DYTq

[27] “Every structure deserves a digital twin” • ETH Zürich Foundation https://ethz-foundation.ch/en/spotlight/uplift-14-dominik-courtin-digital-twin/

[28] [PDF] The Open Digital Twin Platform (ODTP) https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/mavt/csfm-dam/events/2023/odtp-workshop/presentations/odtp-prototype.pdf

[29] Infrastructure digital twin technology: A new paradigm for future ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X24000678

[30] Swiss Mobility System - Digital Twin - ETH Zürich https://csfm.ethz.ch/en/research/integrative-projects/digital-twin.html

[31] German Castignani's Post - odtp #digitaltwins - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gercastignani_odtp-digitaltwins-activity-7117498699370389504-Rv9V

[32] [PDF] S. Ivanovic: Open Digital Twin Platform (ODTP) https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/mavt/csfm-dam/events/2024/symposium/presentations/csfm-ivanovic-odtp.pdf

[33] IUMENTA*: A generic framework for animal digital twins within the ... https://arxiv.org/html/2411.10466v1

[34] [PDF] Bridging the open digital twin platform and target users with ... https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/mavt/csfm-dam/events/2023/symposium/posters/dt/zuo-csfm-digital-twin-dashboards.pdf