Establishing and operating digital twins of urban facilities in smart city environments requires appropriate selection of Level of Detail (LoD). While industry-specific LoD standard systems have been developed in architecture and civil engineering, pl...
Establishing and operating digital twins of urban facilities in smart city environments requires appropriate selection of Level of Detail (LoD). While industry-specific LoD standard systems have been developed in architecture and civil engineering, plant engineering, and GIS to suit their respective purposes and scopes, there is a lack of integrated LoD planning methodology that reflects the convergent and complex characteristics of smart cities. Furthermore, LoD selection has been overlooked as a multidimensional decision problem encompassing urban service requirements, information utilization methods, and system development strategies, rather than merely a technical standard selection.
This study redefines LoD selection as both a technical and organizational-social decision-making process, and proposes a six-stage LoD decision-making framework to systematize it. The foundational analysis stage (stages 1-3) derives information requirements by analyzing urban service objectives, facility characteristics, and ICT environments. The implementation review stage (stages 4-6) adjusts the determined LoD to a realistic level by reflecting constraints, standards, and governance structures.
To validate the proposed LoD selection methodology, a comprehensive evaluation system was developed based on stage-specific and integrated assessment criteria using a 5-point Likert scale for both quantitative and qualitative evaluation. This approach provides academic rigor to LoD selection decisions and enhances practical applicability in real-world implementations.
The LoD selection methodology presented in this study demonstrates how the information structure design and system strategy of smart city digital twins should be determined. This provides an academic and practical foundation for advancing future urban spatial information planning toward integrated selection and application of diverse industrial standards, development of customized LoD profiles by urban service type, and enhancement of smart cities based on information planning principles.