In the iCity and Windy Cities research projects, researchers from mathematics and geoinformatics at HFT Stuttgart have jointly developed and tested a method that enables largely automated and thus rapid CFD model generation from the 3D city models that are now widely available.
Air flows in built-up areas have a significant influence on the urban climate, as they ensure air exchange and thus, among other things, pollutant removal and cooling. In order to assess the potential of small wind turbines for decentralised energy generation, it is also important to have precise knowledge of the air flow conditions near buildings. A detailed measurement of the complex air flows in urban environments is only possible to a limited extent. Here, numerical flow simulations (CFD) with an interactive 3D visualization help to better understand interrelationships.
In the iCity and Windy Cities research projects, a method was therefore developed and tested that enables largely automated and thus rapid CFD model generation from the 3D city models that are now widely available. The results of the CFD simulation are presented for the first time in a web-based, interactive 3D visualization on the Smart Cities platform of the HFT Stuttgart in the context of the 3D city model of the city of Stuttgart and are thus accessible to a broad public at any time.
