Disaster-Proofing the Future: How Istanbul Uses Digital Twins for Resilience and Efficiency

When Istanbul’s municipal leaders set out to prepare their city for the future, they didn’t start with blueprints – they started with a digital twin.

Facing the constant risk of natural disasters, growing urban complexity, and rising expectations from nearly 20 million residents and visitors, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality developed an advanced digital twin to simulate crises, coordinate services, and enable faster decisions. This system underpins critical operations across Istanbul’s 6,000 km² urban environment.

The public version of this story outlines the most visible impacts. For a breakdown of system architecture, real-time data pipelines, and simulation tools, see the full Compass CIO article.

Earthquake Readiness, By Design

Istanbul’s top civic priority, according to recent strategic planning surveys, is earthquake preparedness. With a >90% probability of a major earthquake in the coming decades, the city turned to digital twin technology to anticipate and manage the impact.

Through high-resolution spatial data, seismic modeling, and real-time simulations, the digital twin helps identify the most vulnerable districts, predict damage scenarios, and guide emergency response logistics.

A concise explanation of how citizen feedback shaped the digital twin’s focus – and why seismic modeling now drives the city’s strategic investments.

(Full disaster-phase simulations and damage projections available in Compass CIO.)

Turning Big Data into Smart Decisions

The twin consolidates more than two million sensor feeds, 100,000+ cameras, GIS data, BIM models, and AI engines. This digital infrastructure supports fast, informed decisions – from air quality control to traffic rerouting in emergency scenarios.

To manage this complexity at city scale, Istanbul runs its digital twin using gaming engines. These high-performance platforms enable instant, real-time scenario rendering, which is essential for managing critical municipal services across 6,000 km².

A look at how game technologies are repurposed to process massive urban data volumes at city scale.

(Technical choices and performance benchmarks are discussed in Compass CIO.)

A Three-Phase Disaster Model, Built Into the System

Istanbul’s digital twin is designed around three key disaster phases: risk mitigation, real-time response, and recovery. The system can instantly show which buildings are likely to collapse, predict road closures, and locate safe gathering areas. These scenarios are not theoretical – they’re modeled in partnership with local universities and emergency agencies.

The twin’s emergency module helps coordinate all relevant parties within the first 72 hours – from rescue teams to utility services.

(Detailed visualizations and coordination protocols available on Compass CIO.)

See What’s Next on Compass CIO

The Istanbul case shows how digital twins evolve from concept to city-critical infrastructure. By integrating predictive analytics with real-world constraints, municipalities gain a new level of operational control – and citizens benefit from safer, more resilient cities.

Gain access to system architecture, predictive modeling tools, and exclusive interviews with implementation teams – all in the Compass CIO full article.