Based on an aerial survey conducted in March 2025 and laser-scan data from 2019, the Surveying Office of the City of Darmstadt has published a highly accurate 3D city model using PlexMap 3D.

“Darmstadt 3D” depicts the entire city area in great detail. The available data includes a Level of Detail 2 (LoD2) 3D city model (both fully textured and untextured), a 3D mesh, a 3D tree cadastre, a high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM), as well as high-resolution true orthophotos and oblique aerial images, all accessible online. Access is barrier-free via common web browsers at 3d.darmstadt.de.

In the browser-based application, users can measure distances and areas, simulate shadows, analyze visibility, share custom views, and export screenshots as PDF files. An integrated address search makes navigation easier.

“Darmstadt 3D” supports urban planning, construction projects, and various municipal analyses. The model provides a foundation for simulations and assessments—on topics such as urban development, climate risks, or infrastructure—and offers planners, administrators, and the public precise insights into spatial relationships. “At the same time, it promotes transparency and citizen participation by presenting complex processes in a clear and comprehensible way,” says Councillor Paul Georg Wandrey.

One initial application example is the heavy rainfall hazard map, developed on behalf of the Office for Climate Protection and Climate Adaptation and additionally available at 3d.darmstadt.de/v/Starkregen.

In the long term, “Darmstadt 3D” will form the structural basis for an Urban Digital Twin (UDT), enabling the integration of diverse data sources—such as climate events, mobility, or energy demand—and making urban interrelationships visible. The UDT will thus support decision-making in administration and politics.

“With ‘Darmstadt 3D’ we now have a modern, precise, and highly detailed tool that allows us to experience our city from a completely new perspective. This model demonstrates the potential that digital technologies offer for innovative urban development. This further step towards an Urban Digital Twin is an important milestone for Darmstadt. It enables us to plan more accurately, better respond to future hazard situations, and make our city an even more livable place for its residents,” Wandrey says.