Genesys’ Varanasi Digital Twin Wins SKOCH Award 2025

The award follows a multi-stage evaluation process that includes research-led validation, independent expert assessment and review of measurable governance outcomes. The project was assessed for its real-world impact on municipal workflows and decision-making.

In Varanasi, the objective was to build a city-scale digital base for everyday municipal use rather than visualisation alone. Genesys delivered a high-fidelity 3D urban spatial foundation, organised into decision-ready layers that enable planning, monitoring and faster inter-departmental coordination. The deployment spans areas within the Varanasi Nagar Nigam limits and involved end-to-end project planning, establishment of ground control for positional accuracy and comprehensive data acquisition.

The project combines manned aerial surveys using LiDAR and optical imagery with terrestrial mobile LiDAR and 360-degree street-level panoramic imagery, including RGB and infrared datasets. These inputs were used to generate 2D and 3D base maps at 1:500 scale, high-precision elevation models, 3D reality meshes and a unified spatial database integrating multiple independent datasets.

According to the company, the digital twin enables a wide range of municipal use cases such as urban planning and development control, asset mapping and maintenance, project execution support, public safety and emergency response, as well as flood and resilience planning. The platform also incorporates integrated governance modules covering crowd management, solid waste management, road works, water works, flood management and crime control, all monitored through dashboards.

The solution has been deployed at the city’s command environment, including the Kashi Integrated Command and Control Centre, supported by training, user acceptance testing and post-go-live operational support. Genesys said the project demonstrates how high-accuracy city data can be translated into practical applications that departments can use for planning, monitoring and response.