Spatial Computing for Digital Twinning

The new generation of actors involved in spatial developments, such as architects, geo-information specialists, and decision-makers, will be expected to improve and monitor the liveability & quality of existing and new cities, landscapes, and buildings in face of new environmental, social, and economic challenges. This often requires formulating and solving multi-disciplinary complex design and decision-making problems in a collaborative setting. However, the fundamental question is: “How do we know if our interventions or designs will yield better results?” How can we model, monitor, analyse, simulate, and evaluate the functioning of cities, landscapes, and buildings? How can we improve the sustainability and liveability of cities, regions, and buildings in quantifiable ways? To effectively deal with complex multi-disciplinary problems, computational approaches need to be utilized to automate or structure analysis, synthesis & evaluation procedures required for optimization and systematic decision-making in participatory settings.

The minor Spatial Computing offers a set of courses providing the fundamentals of computing in spatial (geometrical, topological, and/or graph theoretical) monitoring, design, and spatial decision-making. The minor consists of 2 components: Geospatial Computing (Digital Twinning) & Architectural Computing (Generative Design), each of which cover the essential topics of applied mathematics and computer science topics for multi-dimensional algorithmic modelling, analysis, simulation and evaluation on building and urban scale.

The concepts, methods, and techniques learnt in the first quarter about development of larger area covering open geospatial digital twins for informing decision-making processes concerned with planning interventions will be directly utilized in the second quarter in simulation-driven architectural design of buildings.

Spatial Computing for Digital Twinning is focused on formulating and solving complex spatial decision problems in spatial decision-making at geographical scales. It involves acquiring 3D data, addressing open urban geo-data governance (data sharing by involved actors), developing analytic procedures and simulation models using geo-data for understanding the complexity of cities, landscapes and regions and directing interventions for yielding (objectively evaluated) effective results. By using geospatial simulation models this half of the minor focuses on digital twinning for supporting decision-making at geographical scales. The thematic areas of attention will be simulation modelling for understanding the effect of designs and interventions on various activities and phenomena such as mobility, energy use/production, spatial diversity, segregation, spatial justice, and urban sprawl and their relation to Sustainable Development Goals.

Registration for this thematic minor is on a first-come, first-served basis and available places. (No lottery draw).

The complete minor is intended for students of Architecture and Built Environment (ABE), Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS), Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG), Technology, Policy & Management (TPM), and Industrial Design Engineering (IDE). It is, however, also open for other students, including students outside TU Delft.

This minor is suitable for those interested in rational and collaborative approaches to decision-making for sustainable development in surveying, design, and planning. It has a mathematics & programming-oriented approach, however, prior knowledge is not considered a prerequisite.

Student at Leiden University, TU Delft or Erasmus University Rotterdam?
Check the eligibility matrix to see if your bachelor’s degree programme offers access to this and other minors at https://www.tudelft.nl/minor

Student at another educational institution?
External students cannot register via EduXchange. Interested in this minor, read the whole registration procedure at https://www.tudelft.nl/minor

For information about the courses, visit the TU Delft study guide.
For additional information on this minor, visit the TU Delft minor page.

Lectures, hands-on programming (open-source), workshops, group study, and seminars

Check the detailed overview of courses, learning activities and study load at https://www.studyguide.tudelft.nl/