On 5th May 2022, the Deep Digital Cornwall project officially opened the doors to its brand-new, state-of-the-art 3D and 4D visualisation suite and data hub. The ribbon was cut by Nathan Cudmore from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, and everyone raised a glass of bubbly to the future of Deep Digital Cornwall and the SMEs we are supporting. The toast was generously sponsored by Cornish Lithium Ltd.
Powered by Virtalis-Geovisionary hardware and software, and hosted on a 4.4 metre x 2.8 metre screen, the Deep Digital Cornwall visualisation suite is designed to open one’s imagination and unlock new research and innovation ideas, including, for example, the ability to visualise Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in 3D. The project team have been developing a brand-new model of Cornwall using subsurface, surface, aerial and satellite data.
Project staff at the University of Exeter, Cornwall Resources, Cornish Lithium and the South West Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications have been generating, digitising and compiling open-source datasets that can be used in combination with proprietary or additional public domain data, to enable the modelling and visualisation of digital, real-world scenarios and create new research and business opportunities in the natural resources sector and beyond.
The visualisation suite is part of the Deep Digital Cornwall Hub based on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, where the team has dedicated staff, space, hardware and software to work with SMEs and provide support through knowledge exchange and consultancy (business assists), Innovation Vouchers (up to £5k), or one of the final Research and Innovation Projects (up to £100k). In its first year, the project has awarded more than £400k of the £775k Deep Digital Cornwall grant fund and provided more than 200 hours in business assists, to 16 SMEs based in the region. Funding has already enabled the development of new products, services and long-term research collaborations.
At the event, attendees were able to see a demonstration of the visualisation suite, meet some of the businesses the team has already supported, discuss research grant funding with the university’s Innovation, Impact and Business teams (IIB), and investigate what digital challenges the region faces and how the underground industries might overcome some of those obstacles.
If you would like to visit the hub to see a demonstration, or explore how DDC can help support your business, then contact the team at deepdigitalcornwall@exeter.ac.uk .
