“Digital twins” are predictive, 3-D models of urban systems that can help cities identify critical points of failure, target the most vulnerable populations, and prioritize how they deploy their resources before, during, and after crises. In anticipation of a new round of hazard mitigation grants under FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, this Technology and Innovation Center webinar focuses on two digital twin pilots undertaken by the City of Austin. Participants will hear from Austin city leaders about how these solutions are helping model smoke clouds from building and wildfires, and optimize workflows and layouts inside a new emergency operations center, and how the city structures its partnership with university-based researchers.

Questions to be answered include:

• What are digital twins, and how do they differ from dashboards and other tools cities have?

• How can digital twins help cities assess, mitigate, and manage risks from natural and manmade hazards?

• What skills and capacities are needed to design, deploy, and make effective decisions with digital twins?