1. Training and Technical Capacity Building
Within a learning program specifically designed for local governments, participants are practically trained on how to use Earth Observation data within a digital twin environment.
About
What is EO2DigitalTwin?
From Earth Observation to Digital Twin for Crisis Mobility: A Data-Driven Approach (EO2DigitalTwin) is a learning and capacity-building program implemented throughout 2026 in collaboration between VATUT Technology and Marmara Municipalities Union.
The program enables participants to develop digital twin prototypes based on urban risk scenarios and strengthens their data-driven decision-making skills.
EO2DigitalTwin is supported by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. EIT Urban Mobility acts to accelerate positive change on mobility to make urban spaces more liveable.
Why EO and Digital Twin?
Cities face multi-layered challenges such as climate change, urban mobility, disaster risk, land use, and infrastructure management.
Satellite-based Earth Observation (EO) data provides up-to-date and reliable spatial information, while the Digital Twin approach enables the analysis of this data and the modeling of different urban scenarios.
EO2DigitalTwin applies this approach within a hands-on learning process, allowing participants to develop digital twin prototypes and make data-driven decisions addressing urban risks through these prototypes.
Project Objectives and Scope
As an hands-on learning program, EO2DigitalTwin aims to:
- Increase municipalities’ decision-making capacity based on EO data
- Demonstrate the applicability of the Digital Twin approach in the context of local governance
- Develop risk scenario–based digital twin prototypes through pilot implementations
- Strengthen the technical and strategic competencies of municipal representatives, students, and young professionals through the learning program
- Support the long-term reuse and dissemination of project outputs
The program adopts a practice-based learning approach built on real-life scenarios, combining learning with implementation.
This structure aims to strengthen municipalities’ decision-making capacity based on Earth Observation data while demonstrating the practical applicability of the digital twin approach in local governance through tangible prototypes.
Methodology
EO2DigitalTwin progresses through two main components:
2. Pilot Implementations
Digital twin prototypes developed by participants are tested in real municipal settings, and their potential for reuse and scalability is evaluated.
Target Groups
Municipal representatives
Urban planning and mobility experts
Data analysts & Students & Young professionals
Public administrators working in digital transformation
Partnerler
Vatut Technology A.Ş.
VATUT Technology Inc. is a research and development-driven technology start-up based at Istanbul Technical University ARI Teknokent. It develops AI-enabled knowledge systems and digital learning platforms. Founded with the support of TÜBİTAK (the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye) through its BIGG programme and awarded a Seal of Excellence, the company also holds the Techno-Entrepreneurship Badge from the Ministry of Industry and Technology of Türkiye, certifying its status as a technology and innovation-oriented start-up. Its work focuses on applied, data-driven learning approaches that support capacity building, knowledge transfer, and the development of practical decision-support skills.
In EO2DigitalTwin, VATUT acts as the Project Coordinator, leading the design and implementation of the training programme and developing applied learning content that combines EO data, digital twin methodologies, and decision-support approaches.
Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU)
Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU) has been a pioneer in the development of the democratic local government movement in Türkiye since 1975, promoting the increase of municipalities’ authority and resources, raising environmental awareness in local governments, adopting a sustainable urbanization approach, and finding collaborative solutions to the common problems of municipalities. It is the first municipal union in Türkiye at the regional level. Initially named the Marmara and Bosphorus Municipalities Union, MMU includes more than 190 municipalities located around the Sea of Marmara. Its headquarters is in Istanbul, and it operates in 11 provinces, including 6 metropolitan cities. MMU works to improve the quality of services provided by local governments, use resources economically and efficiently, reveal existing potentials, and enhance the institutional capacity of municipalities. To achieve these goals, it collaborates with universities, the public sector, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and international experts to develop various projects and programs. In particular, it focuses on regulations in local government, capacity building, management, system development, and best practices, organizing training activities to enhance the knowledge, skills, and competencies of municipal employees.
In EO2DigitalTwin, MMU coordinates the participation of relevant stakeholders—primarily local governments and universities—in the learning program, supports participant outreach through its communication channels, and facilitates the dissemination of program outputs to relevant target audiences.
EO2DigitalTwin is implemented through a multi-stakeholder collaboration that brings together technical expertise, academic knowledge, and local government experience.
