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Vodafone is collaborating on a pilot project in Germany aimed at addressing climate change and extreme heat by leveraging digital twin technology.
The project’s primary focus is on urban trees and green spaces, which often suffer due to inadequate or excessive watering, leading to premature death.
To tackle this issue, Vodafone has teamed up with Agvolution, a company specializing in climate-smart solutions for agriculture and green spaces.
The solution involves deploying sunlight-powered sensors capable of measuring soil moisture and temperature at multiple depths, as well as monitoring air temperature, humidity, air pressure, and precipitation.
The data collected by these sensors is then transmitted in real-time using Vodafone’s machine network.
This data enables Agvolution to create digital twins of the monitored trees in a metaverse space. Digital twins allow for the real-time monitoring of physical assets or processes, enabling users to predict behavior or plan maintenance activities.
In this case, digital twins provide insights into how trees will respond based on soil moisture levels, allowing the city to prioritize tree care and adjust irrigation accordingly.
The trial started in Erlangen, where 70 sensors and 16 weather stations have already been deployed. Pirmasens is also participating.
The pilot project began in 2023 and is slated to conclude in September.
This initiative is part of a broader trend of leveraging the metaverse and Web3 technologies to address climate change effects.
Lavazza, for instance, ventured into the metaverse in 2022 to support its sustainable initiatives and raise awareness about environmental issues, such as planting 1000 walnut trees in the Amazon rainforest.
Similarly, Rarible and the Celo Foundation collaborated to launch Celosphere, an NFT marketplace focusing on eco-friendly projects. Built on Celo’s carbon-negative blockchain, the platform already features initiatives like Plastiks and Ecosapiens.
According to a research study published by Cornell University last year, the metaverse has the potential to reduce global surface temperatures by approximately 0.02 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
