MetaOmniCity: Toward Immersive Urban Metaverse Cyberspaces Using Smart City Digital Twins

Abstract

The movie -The Matrix (1999) -boosted our imagination about how further we can be immersed within the cyber world, i.e., how further the cyber world can be indistinguishable from the real world. Nobody, including the creators, had expected that the aspirational fictional virtual worlds such as ''ActiveWorlds (1995)'' and ''Second Life (2003)'' would impact the way of experiencing our real urban environments with many urban experiences embedded into a rich featured 3D environment. Are we going to stay as ourselves while existing in a mirror world? Are the fabricated, created imaginary worlds becoming a part of real worlds or vice versa? The recent once-in-a-lifetime pandemic has confirmed the importance of location and time-independent Digital Twins (DTs) (i.e., virtual scale models) of cities and their automated services which can provide everybody with equity and accessibility. This study analyses how the metaverse (3D elevation of linear Internet), that aims to build high-fidelity virtual worlds with which to interact with, can be engaged within the Smart City (SC) ecosystem with high immersive Quality of Experiences (QoE) leading to increased Quality of Life (QoL). An urban metaverse ecosystem framework -MetaOmniCityis designed to demonstrate a variety of insights and orchestrational directions for policymakers, city planners and all other stakeholders about how to transform data-driven SCs with DTs into virtually inhabitable cities with a network of shared urban experiences from a metaverse point of view. MetaOmniCity, allowing the metaversification of cities with granular virtual societies, i.e., MetaSocieties, and eliminating the boundaries between the real world and their virtual counterparts can be shaped to the particular requirements and features of cities. Urban metaverse shared worlds, an extension of residents and urban society, where the virtual and the physically real blend and are more organically integrated, would impact urban ways of living significantly with many practical implementations. This would open doors for potential businesses with tremendous global economic value by democratising skills/assets within an urban environment, paving the way for immersive globalisation with the bigger and richer metaverse of Country (MoC) and metaverse of World (MoW) being an immersive DT of the broader universe with tangibly connected cities. MetaOmniCity is expected to accelerate the building, deployment, and adoption of immersive urban metaverse networks for citizens to interface with as an extension of real social and individual experiences.INDEX TERMS Metaverse, smart city (SC), digital twins (DTs), avatars, blockchain, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), web 3.0, web3.

Metaverse Meets Smart Cities—Applications, Benefits, and Challenges

“…In the context of the metaverse, the technology stack refers to the various technologies used to support the virtual ecosystem of the metaverse and enable the activities within it [21]. In this study, we mainly build on a technology stack introduced by Lee et al [1], with additions based on an article by Kaya Kuru [22]. Our depiction of the relevant layers is presented in Figure 1.…”

“…An article by Kaya Kuru deals with the connection between virtual worlds and the metaverse from the urban quality-of-life perspective. Specifically, the paper analyzes ways the metaverse can be integrated into the smart city ecosystem to improve quality of life [22].…”

“…Citizen Services and Participation: The metaverse opens up new possibilities for digitizing various citizen services that were previously analog, making the work of administrations and citizens alike easier. Virtual customer centers, digital forms, and interactive platforms enable citizens to access information, submit applications, and participate in decision-making processes anytime and anywhere [22]. Digital citizen ID cards ensure secure authentication and enable access to personalized services.…”

“…• Cloud Computing and Distributed Ledger Technology: Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in the metaverse refers to technologies such as blockchain that enable decentralized data management. DLT secures digital assets, authenticates users, and creates a trusted environment for transactions within the metaverse [22]. • AI, Machine Learning, and IoT: Artificial intelligence and machine learning are crucial elements in the metaverse, as they enable dynamic and interactive design of the virtual worlds.…”

Architecting the Future: A Model for Enterprise Integration in the Metaverse

“…• Service Enhancement: Despite media attention often focusing on revenue potential, some of the most significant applications of the Metaverse within enterprises may lie in achieving equitable access to company processes and developmental opportunities. For instance, various governments like the city of Santa Monica, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia are exploring how the Metaverse can enhance public services [22], [23]. At an enterprise scale, NVIDIA has developed an Omniverse platform where manufacturers like BMW can simulate entire factories.…”