Turkey’s environment ministry is to put out a tender to create a three-dimensional “digital twin” of the north, with the aim of the model being used to facilitate the buying and selling of property, as well as to “find solutions” regarding population density and disaster management planning, according to reports on Tuesday.

Turkish newspaper Sabah reported that digital twins of the urban areas of northern Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta, Morphou, Trikomo and Lefka will all be created once the tender is awarded.

The tender is being put out by Turkey’s environment ministry’s land registry directorate, which is accepting bids until June 26.

The newspaper said the map will be created on a 1/1000 scale and that it will cover 1,709 residential plots of land and 8,063 other plots, and that property owners will be able to obtain digital title deeds.

Work on the project is set to begin in July, with the digital twin set to be ready at the beginning of next year.

Turkey had rolled out a similar project in its own country in 2020, with cities across the country being given digital twins. Those maps are available on a public website, which people can access to learn details about property in the country.

In Cyprus, meanwhile, the Cyens research and innovation centre is in the process of creating something similar for Nicosia, known as iNicosia.

Cyens said the project “consists of an accurate 3D model of the city, with representations of actual buildings and monuments … the road network, parking places, various metadata about the environment, possibly traffic lights and their state, streetlights, the power grid and water network and vegetation,” among other things.

It has been long hoped that the project could even play a role in bringing about the reunification of Cyprus, with Cyens saying that “such a project can help people reunite the city more gracefully by testing and exchanging ideas”.

“Moreover, with the current political status, the two communities can collaborate on other projects, educate each other and exchange stories and ideas,” it added.

It had initially been hoped that the project would extend to the north, with Turkish Cypriot Nicosia mayor Mehmet Harmanci said to be interested but unable to get the relevant clearance.