Real-life GTA? Shanghai's 3D twin helps police prep for every mission

Shanghai's police are using a hyperrealistic digital twin of the city, enabling virtual patrols and real-time data access to enhance crime prevention and emergency response

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As the gaming world buzzes over the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI, rumoured to let players explore over 40 per cent of in-game buildings, a real-world simulation has quietly emerged in China that makes even the most immersive video games look tame. In Shanghai, a team of scientists has built a hyperrealistic digital twin of the sprawling metropolis — not for entertainment, but for precision policing, the South China Morning Post reported.

 

A mirror of the real city

 

Unlike fictional cityscapes designed for escapism, this virtual Shanghai replicates the real city with staggering precision — down to within three centimetres. Officers can roam every street, peer inside skyscrapers, and access real-time data like occupancy records, all from a handheld mobile terminal.

 

Developed by the Shanghai Surveying and Mapping Institute and the Ministry of Natural Resources’ megacity data lab, the system integrates airborne laser scanning, street-level lidar, and AI-powered 3D modelling. 

 

The result? A lifelike recreation of Shanghai, capturing everything from fire hydrants to individual bedrooms, the report said.

 

Patrolling the city without leaving the station

 

Patrol officers are now able to virtually step inside buildings, accessing detailed floor plans, tenant information, and layouts of utility lines, according to a peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of Geomatics, led by government engineer Zeng Lingfang. This digital access blurs the line between the physical and virtual worlds, enabling officers to prepare for operations with unmatched insight.

 

In emergency situations, Shanghai’s police command centres can overlay live feeds, traffic flows, and thermal imaging onto the virtual city. “Every alley, every flat, even every manhole cover is mirrored,” researchers said, enabling coordinated action with surgical accuracy.

 

To build this geospatial digital base, drones and ground vehicles scanned the city’s surface, while backpack-mounted sensors mapped tunnels and underground systems. AI algorithms sorted millions of lidar points to isolate objects like lamp posts, cameras, and even postboxes—transforming them into interactive 3D elements.

 

Real-time updates

 

Live data streams, from traffic cams to social media, feed into the model, making it a dynamic and constantly evolving replica of the real city. It’s not just visually impressive — it’s operationally vital.

 

Built using Unreal Engine — the same tool behind many blockbuster games — the virtual Shanghai may resemble a high-end video game at first glance. But as the paper notes, this system “tolerates no artistic licence; a misplaced staircase could doom a Swat team operation.”

 

Unlike GTA VI trailers where players ignite chaos, this model simulates destruction only for disaster preparedness drills.

 

Impact on crime

 

Shanghai’s digital twin isn’t just futuristic tech — it’s already making a difference. The city, home to around 25 million people, saw a 13.8 per cent drop in reported criminal cases in 2024 compared to the previous year, the news report said, quoting Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau.

 

The city has now achieved a 100 per cent homicide clearance rate for the 10th consecutive year and a 100 per cent robbery clearance rate for the seventh.