EAASI Company: CGR SpA
Project Overview
Milan, Italy, a city renowned for its culture and innovation, is leading the way in digital urban planning through the development of a comprehensive digital twin. Spanning 1,575 km² and incorporating data from 133 municipalities, this groundbreaking project is transforming urban management. Led by a coalition of geospatial leaders—including CGR SpA, CycloMedia, Esri Italia, and SIT Srl—the initiative showcases the power of geospatial technologies to create dynamic and actionable 3D models.
Technical Approach
A cornerstone of the project was crewed airborne surveying, with CGR SpA responsible for capturing and processing high-resolution geospatial data. Using the Leica CityMapper-2 sensor, a hybrid system capable of acquiring both nadir and oblique imagery along with LiDAR point clouds, CGR delivered unparalleled data accuracy.
Highlights include:
LiDAR Data Density: The airborne survey achieved an average of 55 points/m², exceeding the project’s 20 points/m² requirement.
Imagery Resolution: High-quality orthophotos were captured at 5 cm resolution, enabling detailed visualizations.
Precision: Horizontal accuracy was measured at 1.8 cm, while vertical accuracy reached 3.7 cm for LiDAR data.
Image courtesy: CGR SpA (Compagnia Generale Ripreseaeree)
Complementing the aerial data, CycloMedia conducted mobile mapping to collect detailed information from Milan’s narrow streets and vegetated areas. Ground control measures and quality assessments by the University of Pavia ensured consistency and reliability across datasets. Esri Italia and SIT Srl further contributed to managing and integrating the data, rounding out a collaborative effort.
Results and Benefits
The digital twin of Milan delivers transformative benefits for urban management:
True Orthophotos: High-resolution imagery provides accurate spatial representation.
Classified LiDAR Point Clouds: These datasets identify 11 object types, such as buildings and vegetation, enabling targeted analysis.
3D Models (DTMs and DSMs): Dynamic simulations support predictive modeling for infrastructure and environmental planning.
These datasets are already proving instrumental in infrastructure maintenance, traffic optimization, and environmental monitoring, offering insights into climate adaptation strategies and urban resilience planning.
Operational Impact and Future Prospects
The project underscores the critical role of crewed airborne surveying in creating digital twins. Unlike satellites or drones, crewed aircraft deliver the resolution, coverage, and precision required for projects of this scale. The Leica CityMapper-2 sensor, developed by Leica Geosystems (part of Hexagon), played a crucial role in ensuring high-quality outputs. Esri Italia’s advanced data management tools ensured seamless integration of the diverse datasets.
As a result, Milan’s digital twin serves as a model for other cities. By combining cutting-edge technology with collaborative expertise, it highlights the unmatched advantages of crewed airborne surveying for creating smart, resilient urban environments.
A longer version of this case study can be found in the article Mapping Milan: Airborne Lidar and Photogrammetry Drive Digital Twin Creation on Geo Week News
Learn more about how other EAASI members utilize crewed aerial technology to address global challenges in our Use Cases series, a dedicated section showcasing real-world applications, and achievements by EAASI’s diverse members.
This collection of use cases highlights the unique advantages and capabilities of crewed aerial surveying in various fields, from environmental monitoring to infrastructure planning.
Each success story presents a featured project by an EAASI member, illustrating how their expertise and technology drive impactful solutions. From collecting high-resolution aerial imagery to leveraging AI for advanced data analysis, these stories emphasize the value of crewed aerial technology for accurate, large-scale geospatial data.
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