🌲 From Forest Types to Trees: A Web-based Digital Twin of Individual Trees Using OGC 3D Tiles

Can we implement a large-scale forest—down to individual trees—as a digital twin on the web? We asked this question, and then we did it. The answer: yes, it works beautifully.

In this project, we converted Korea Forest Service’s forest type map into OGC 3D Tiles for web-based service. However, rather than stopping at generalized forest polygons, we focused on individual tree-level data—which includes species, height, crown diameter, and other attributes per tree.

This level of detail is often considered impractical to visualize on the web due to data volume and complexity. So we challenged that assumption by rendering 3D models of real tree species, each placed in their actual location with correct height and size, not just symbolic representations. And yes—it works smoothly, in-browser.

All of this is made possible through the use of the OGC 3D Tiles standard. This means that once the data is converted, it becomes interoperable across multiple platforms: web, mobile, desktop GIS (QGIS, ArcGIS), and game engines (Unreal, Unity, O3DE, Omniverse) with no additional conversion required. This is the power of international open standards—true “write once, use anywhere.”

Despite Korea's rich geospatial data, usage is often hindered by spatial data security policies. However, this project demonstrates how even highly detailed and sensitive datasets like individual tree inventories can be made accessible and useful—securely and efficiently.

With this, digital twin forest management at the individual tree level is no longer a distant future—it’s already happening.

📝 Acknowledgements

This study was carried out with the support of 'R&D Program for Forest Science Technology '(Project No. "RS-2025-25404070")' provided by Korea Forest Service(Korea Forestry Promotion Institute).