The project was a world-first at this level and represents a paradigm shift in municipal planning through three key innovations:
1. Advanced Virtual Twin Technology - Unlike traditional digital twins that simply replicate physical assets, the UMoncton-led virtual twins create interactive 3D environments where all stakeholders share the same view and data, enabling holistic evaluation of various factors simultaneously.
2. Generative Urban Planning - Municipalities can now evaluate hundreds of development alternatives automatically based on configurable criteria and external factors, moving beyond manual scenario planning to AI-assisted optimization.
3. Multi-stakeholder Collaborative Platform - The innovation breaks down silos by providing stakeholders access to a unified decision-making platform, fostering unprecedented cross-sector collaboration on complex societal challenges.

The six-month pilot is now in the evaluation phase. Early feedback from urban planners in Moncton and Dieppe highlights the platform’s speed and data-driven insights. CCNB and UMoncton are exploring its role in long-term student housing planning as well as other applications, while the Southeast RSC has begun integrating biodiversity corridor findings into ongoing planning. Final results will support the establishment of the proposed national Center of Excellence.

The project demonstrated deep public-private-academic collaboration. UMoncton’s leadership, with Dassault Systèmes, enabled the development of a collaborative digital platform as well as overall project management. UMoncton also provided research capacity and delivered training. This work was supported by two New Brunswick SMEs, The Black Arcs and Remsoft. Two municipalities, along with CCNB and the Southeast RSC, contributed their local knowledge, use cases, and operational testing.

Urban planners, elected officials and subject matter experts (environment, biologist, mobility) use the platform to support data-driven decisions on densification, zoning, and infrastructure. Citizens benefit from a clearer understanding of projects, strengthening social acceptability.

Students gain improved access to housing, while CCNB and UMoncton optimize their student housing investments. Finally, researchers and students gain access to cutting-edge technology and develop skills.

The intended impact of the pilot project was to transform municipal decision-making from intuition-based to evidence-based planning, accelerate urban planning approvals through better stakeholder communication, and establish New Brunswick as a North American leader in virtual twin technology for territory management.
Results are still preliminary but two municipalities deployed virtual twins for targeted use cases; the Southeast RSC applied multi-criteria parcel filtering to prioritize acquisitions supporting a viable biodiversity corridor between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; and CCNB and UMoncton evaluated long-term regional capacity for student housing investments.

Data Collection Challenges: Initial data integration required significant effort to harmonize datasets from multiple municipalities with different formats, standards, and quality levels.
Stakeholder Learning Curve: Not all participants had familiarity with advanced virtual twin concepts, creating initial hesitation. Training sessions were developed and application engineers provided hands-on support during the implementation phase.
Scope Management: With diverse partners having different priorities, maintaining focus on achievable pilot objectives while managing expectations for broader applications proved challenging. Dedicated and frequent workshops were implemented to include all project stakeholders.

The project succeeded because of strong commitment from ecosystem leaders willing to embrace innovative approaches to urgent urban development challenges. The multipartite collaboration brought complementary strengths. Academic research rigor, government operational knowledge, and industry technological innovation created a robust ecosystem for innovation. Combined federal, provincial, and partner contributions demonstrated shared commitment and distributed risk, making the project financially viable. Finally, collaboration with Dassault Systèmes as well as The Black Arcs and Remsoft, brought world-class expertise and technology to the table,

Start with Concrete Use Cases: Rather than building comprehensive virtual twins immediately, focusing on specific municipal challenges (Mountain Road Master Plan, biodiversity corridor) provided tangible value quickly and built stakeholder confidence.

Invest in Training: Technology alone doesn't create change—people do. Allocating 22% of the budget to research interns and training ensured users could effectively leverage the platform's capabilities.

Co-construction is Essential: Pre-pilot collaboration with partners to define challenges and use cases created ownership and ensured the platform addressed real needs rather than theoretical problems.

For the region, this project represents more than a technology demonstration, it's a foundation for New Brunswick's digital transformation strategy. The housing crisis provided the catalyst, but the platform's applications extend to circular economy development, production chain improvement, future investment planning, business attraction, and talent development. The virtual twin approach positions a traditionally under-resourced province as a North American innovation leader, demonstrating how strategic partnerships and targeted investments can leapfrog conventional development paths.