Geo-visualisation of Air-Pollutant Dispersion in Complex Urban Environments using 3D City Models: Insights from High-Resolution Street Canyon Simulation - Concept and First Results

Abstract

Urban air quality poses a significant public health challenge, particularly in complex urban areas like street canyons, where traffic emissions intensify the issue. The limitations of traditional monitoring methods, marked by a narrow scope and poor visualisation, hinder our understanding of pollutant dispersion dynamics, impeding effective air quality management. Consequently, this study explores the synergy of 3D city models and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation to analyse air pollutant dispersion in complex urban settings. To enhance geo-visualisation, the research employs the next generation of Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) APIs for data delivery. The integration of 3D city models with CFD simulations and geo-visualisation techniques aims to develop an urban digital twin. This digital twin is envisioned to offer valuable insights into the dynamics of air pollutant dispersion within street canyons, thereby informing more effective air quality management strategies.