New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS): The government on Thursday unveiled the 'Sangam: Digital Twin' initiative, inviting Expressions of Interest (EoI) from industry pioneers, startups, MSMEs, academia, innovators and forward-thinkers to be part of the programme.

The initiative by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) offers a collaborative leap towards reshaping infrastructure planning and design, combining the prowess of 5G, IoT, AI, AR/VR, AI native 6G, 'Digital Twin' and next-generation computational technologies.

The deadline for the submission of EoI is March 15.

The ‘Digital Twin’ technology offers a solution by creating virtual replicas of physical assets, allowing for real-time monitoring, simulation and analysis for experimental iterations and feedback loop to adapt to changes for achieving the best outcomes.

The DoT has asked industry pioneers, startups, MSMEs, academia, innovators and forward-thinkers to pre-register and actively participate in Sangam's outreach programmes, “and explore, create, and commit to transform the future of infrastructure planning and design.”

“The first stage is exploratory for clarity of horizon and creative exploration to unleash potential. The second stage is for practical demonstration of specific use cases generating a future blueprint that may serve as a roadmap to scale and replicate successful strategies in future infrastructure projects through collaboration,” said DoT.

The ‘Digital Twin’ technology enables organisations, services, and customers to have seamless virtual interactions.

Last November, the Survey of India (SOI) signed a pact with Indian private mapping company Genesys International to mirror urban landscapes and physical assets with precise details, and produce their 3D maps, aligning with the national geospatial policy's goal to create 'Digital Twins' of the country's major cities and towns by 2035.