You can now take a stroll through Luxembourg in Minecraft

Luxembourg can be recreated in Minecraft with just a few clicks. Through the minecraft.geoportail.lu platform, users can download a selected area of the country in a format compatible with the game free of charge. The project was implemented by Geoportail Luxembourg and is based on official geodata.

Each accessible fragment is a square with sides ranging from 500 to 1000 metres in length. The landscape is generated based on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data obtained during the 2019 national aerial survey. This allows for accurate reproduction of relief and elevation differences. Although the buildings look generalised, the topography is rendered correctly, giving players the opportunity to build realistic versions of cities by replacing standard buildings with their own designs.

As explained by Jeff Konnen, senior researcher at the Administration du cadastre et de la topographie (Administration of Cadastre and Topography), the tool was developed several years ago to provide children and teenagers with playful access to geodata. During the 2020 lockdown, the initiative was actively promoted in schools as a supplement to distance learning.

Exported maps initially work in the Minecraft Java Edition. Since many young users play Pocket Edition, the developers have additionally indicated existing converters that allow files to be adapted. After selecting a plot, the user receives a download link by email; the files must be unpacked and placed in the game's "saves" folder.

The project also incorporates an element of gamification: an Easter egg has been added to the map in the form of a TNT charge, which when activated reveals the Geoportail logo. Among the demonstration examples are the Josy Barthel Lycée in Mamer, the Red Bridge (Pont Rouge) in Kirchberg, and the A1 motorway bridge in Hesperange.

According to Konnen, Minecraft became the first format for exporting three-dimensional data. Later, the administration launched other services: 3dprint.geoportail.lu for preparing files for 3D printing and act2bim.geoportail.lu for architectural and landscape design firms. The Minecraft page gets about 1,000 visits a year, and since it started, about 2,000 models have been created. Even though new professional tools are used more often, interest in the game format remains, showing a non-standard way to popularise government geodata among young people.