City regions debut Deetu’s Explore at MIPIM

Deetu, part of engineering and environmental firm BWB Consulting, has launched its latest product, Explore, a 4D modelling platform being taken to MIPIM next week to promote Nottingham and Sheffield.

Explore is an interactive 4D – including proposed changes over time, the fourth dimension – representation of the world which allows you to visualise and promote any city, development or property portfolio.

Iwan Lloyd-Smith, director of Deetu, explains: “As consumers of information our expectations have changed from reading static information to wanting to interact with information in a highly visual manner.”

“The 4D open world aspect of Explore appeals to that instinct. Resulting in highly engaged users.

“We built explore for private and public-sector planners, agents, urban place makers, developers, land promotors, project managers, and house builders. Anyone really who wants to showcase and highlight what a city, development or property portfolio has to offer.”

Explore’s web-based platform combines 3D cityscapes populated with development propositions, then adds contextual data such as transportation services, green spaces, amenities, schools and universities. The finer details that makes a place unique.

Deetu, which was formed in November 2017 as part of the BWB Consulting building and environmental advisor, has already implemented Explore for both Invest in Nottingham and Sheffield City Region both of which are making Explore the cornerstone of their pitches at MIPIM this year.

Lloyd-Smith ads: “Both regions wanted to add context to their visions, to allow people to understand what makes their regions tick but wanted something different from the usual pitchbooks which were often out of date as soon as they were printed.

“When trying to sell the potential of a city or development it is difficult to visualise the future. For Invest in Nottingham there was a misconception that nothing was being built and there were too many confusing sources of information. Implementing Explore has given them the opportunity to take control and really showcase what the city has to offer.

“In Sheffield the problem was being able to gather all the potential investment opportunities into one place. Explore has given them a portfolio available anytime, anywhere through a simple and intuitive interface.

“We set up Deetu with the aim of helping people better understand the built environment around them. We aren’t focused on one product but an overall service encompassing location intelligence, BIM, data management and visualisations.”

3D is great for showing the here and now. But how do you explain when and how things may be happening or changing?

When will land become available or when new roads will be built, or the phases of construction. Explore gives you the opportunity to add a fourth dimension in to the mix and show changes over time. Highlighting when key changes or events will take place. It’s the 4D functionality that drew an East Midlands Local Authority to Explore. They currently use the platform internally to visualise the impact and timings of future highways improvements and works.

Based in Birmingham, Nottingham, and Manchester the small team all have a background in the property and buildings sectors. Which gives them a firm understanding of the needs of developers, agents, consultants, architects and investors.

Deetu’s clients include Royal Mail, which uses the flood and extreme weather warning service, Location Alerts, within Deetu to provide advance notifications to posties covering 2,000 sites nationwide.

Through their BIM expertise Deetu are assisting conservation architecture practice, Donald Insall, to undertake the conservation management plan for the Palace of Westminster.