Virtual Singapore project could be test bed for planners – and plotters

George Loh, director of programmes at the National Research Foundation (NRF), showcases Virtual Singapore, a detailed 3D model of the city-state that will be fed with big data and could assist in everything from urban planning to disaster mitigation, at the National Research Foundation offices in Singapore September 21, 2018. Picture taken September 21, 2018. REUTERS/John Geddie

SINGAPORE: With the click of a button, Singapore's security forces could soon use a digital version of the city-state to simulate a bomb threat at a sports stadium – and learn how to respond if there was a real attack.

Yet officials worry that “Virtual Singapore” – available soon to state agencies before an eventual public rollout – could also aid would-be terror plotters which the government says have their sights set on the wealthy island.