HalifaxDT: A Wireless Digital Twin from Open Geospatial Data

2026-09-05

Abstract

Wireless digital twins can support site-specific analysis, planning, and experimentation for future wireless networks. However, constructing them at city scale remains challenging when accurate 3D city models are unavailable. This paper presents HalifaxDT, a wireless digital twin of the Halifax Peninsula in Nova Scotia, Canada, constructed from heterogeneous open geospatial and spectrum data. HalifaxDT combines building footprints, LiDAR elevation products, building metadata, and spectrum licensing records through a workflow that reconciles multiple sources of building-height information while preserving the provenance of geometry decisions. The resulting terrain, buildings, and gateway metadata are integrated into Sionna RT for wireless simulation. We evaluate HalifaxDT through two use cases. The first compares its coverage predictions with a reference derived from field measurements and with an analytical baseline. The second uses the digital twin to predict the received signal under normal operating conditions and detect interference. The coverage results show that HalifaxDT better preserves the spatial structure of the measured radio map than the analytical baseline. The interference study shows that deviations from the predicted reference can reveal interference that is difficult to detect from received power alone. We also identify current fidelity limitations, including simplified material representation, missing vegetation, and the need for broader RF calibration and synchronization with live measurements.

Problem

• Wireless Digital Twin
• 3D City Models
• Geospatial Data
• Spectrum Data
• City Scale

Innovation

• Wireless Digital Twin
• Open Geospatial Data
• Sionna RT
• Interference Detection