Recently, Professor Meng Fanwei from the School of Resources and Geosciences, serving as a co-corresponding author, collaborated with Dr. Wang Xiaopeng from China Three Gorges University, Associate Researcher Zhou Li from Sichuan University, and experts from the Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Smart Yangtze and Hydropower Science (China Yangtze Power Co., Ltd.) to publish a commentary article titled "How a vast digital twin of the Yangtze River could prevent flooding in China" in the internationally renowned academic journal Nature. The article offers novel insights for advancing smart water conservancy initiatives along China's Yangtze River.

Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins, the paper constructs a digital model of the Yangtze River Basin. This model holds significant strategic value for water resource management, flood prevention and disaster mitigation, shipping navigation scheduling, and other critical areas within the basin. It provides precise decision-making support and scientific foundations for sustainable development of the Yangtze River region, enabling optimized strategies for flood control, shipping, and hydropower generation.

Moving forward, CUMT will harness advanced technologies like AI and digital twins to drive digital transformation in traditional geoscience disciplines, develop big data and digital Earth platforms, and achieve breakthroughs in innovative technologies such as AI-based mineral exploration.

Link to the article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00720-0