DIGITAL TWINS
In the physical realm, Tuvalu is under threat.
The Pacific nation, made up of nine atolls dotting a 676-kilometre stretch of ocean midway between Hawai'i and Australia, is one of the lowest-lying countries in the world – its highest point peaks just a few metres above sea level. Residents fear the waves that constantly lick at the shore will one day swallow their land completely. Some have already been forced to relocate from their coastal homes as droughts, violent storms and floods become more frequent and unpredictable.
Climate change could soon push their country to oblivion. A recent technical report from NASA reveals Tuvalu is experiencing sea level rise 1.5 times faster than the global average, and predicts that by 2050, much of its land and critical infrastructure will be covered by average high tide levels.
In the digital realm, though, Tuvalu hopes to attain immortality.
Its government plans to replicate the entire nation onto a virtual platform. Te Afualiku – a small islet expected to be one of the first in Tuvalu to be completely submerged – has already been painstakingly mapped, digitised and put on the Metaverse as an interactive simulation by developers from the Australian firm Accenture Song. The team couldn't visit the islet due to COVID travel restrictions; they constructed the proof-of-concept model “by eye” using drone footage and screenshots sent to them by Tuvalu residents via WhatsApp. It's hoped that eventually clones of all 124 of Tuvalu's islands will be accessible online and through virtual-reality headsets.
But the country's plans extend far beyond simply making three-dimensional copies of their fragile lands. They plan to recreate an entire government on the blockchain, so that all administrative processes, institutional affairs and taxation procedures can happen virtually.
Last year, Tuvalu also launched a “Digital Ark” program that will preserve copies of the country's cultural and historical artifacts on an online database. It's hoped these projects, collectively called the “Future Now” initiative, will allow Tuvalu's citizens to operate within a living digital twin of their nation.
“Tuvalu is the first digital nation in the sense that we [will be able to] exist fully online without a physical territory,” says Simon Kofe, Tuvalu's Foreign Minister. “We can use technology to preserve culture, our cultural heritage, our history, our language.”
Minister Kofe and I are speaking over a Zoom video call. We have been tryinghave ministerial authority to speak to me.
