Ljubljana, 28 October 2025 – The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Let’s enter the digital space – VAIKARDD. The project, implemented by the Surveying and Mapping Authority of the Republic of Slovenia, is worth over €9 million and will receive €5.3 million of European Regional Development Fund support.
The project focuses on the development of advanced digital solutions for the collection, analysis, and use of geospatial data and represents an important step towards Slovenia’s digital transformation. Its main objective is to establish a national geospatial digital twin – a virtual model of physical space that will enable real-time monitoring of events, analysis, simulation, and prediction of spatial changes.
By developing the digital twin, Slovenia is pursuing the objectives of the Digital Slovenia Strategy 2030, which defines the establishment of a digital twin as one of the key measures to accelerate digital innovation and improve the efficiency of public services. The project will enable the development of advanced digital solutions and services based on geospatial data, artificial intelligence, multidimensional models, and modern visualisations.
An advanced digital data ecosystem will be established, leveraging modern technologies such as lidar (laser scanning), aerial photography, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. This will provide accurate, up-to-date information on the state of the area and enable better decision-making in the field of spatial planning, real estate management, disaster and crisis response, and sustainable development planning.
The project will contribute to Slovenia’s digital transformation by providing the basis for modern, data-driven spatial management, greater transparency, and faster responses to future challenges. With the introduction of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and multidimensional visualisations, Slovenia will strengthen its digital sovereignty and innovation potential.
The project Let’s enter the digital space – VAIKARDD is implemented in the framework of Slovenia’s EU Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027, under the priority Innovative knowledge-based society and pursues specific objective Enhancing digital transformation in the public sector and the economy.
The project’s name VAIKARDD is a tribute to Janez Vajkard Valvasor, a pioneer of cartography in Slovenia. The acronym also stands for the Slovenian word for entering the digital space (V – vstopimo v digitalni prostor), AI – artificial intelligence, K – knowledge, DD – digital twin (DD – digitalni dvojnik).
The beneficiary of the financial contribution for the operation is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, Surveying and Mapping Authority of the Republic of Slovenia.
The European Regional Development Fund will contribute €5,349,642.06 to the project, valued at €9,390,548.14.
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