Openness, collaboration, and interoperability must be embraced to successfully implement and apply digital twin technology.
That’s according to research by Asite, which found that 75% of companies from various industries across six different countries have already implemented or plan to implement a digital twin within the next 12 months.
Digital Twins: Weaving the Golden Thread explores the idea of the ‘golden thread’ of information and discusses the requirements necessary for its maintenance.
The report also details how organisations can optimise the implementation of digital twin technology by embracing openness, collaboration, and interoperability.
‘Predictability and certainty’
In its report, Asite sought to explore what foundations would be needed for the successful application of a digital twin.
Asite CEO Nathan Doughty said: “In fluctuating and increasingly uncertain times, digital twins can provide the built environment with a level of predictability and certainty that we need to remain resilient.
“For digital twin technology to realise its potential, we need a common open platform that will allow us to send, receive, capture, store, and share structured and unstructured data.
“This will help us to collaborate without barriers – and specifically, without vendor lock-in or proprietary software.
“The Asite Platform connects our growing ecosystem of partners through standardized interfaces, consolidating our strengths to unlock everything digital twins have to offer.”
Global digital framework
Identifying some of barriers to the successful implementation and application of digital twins, the report proposes a ‘global digital framework’ solution.
Establishing how data is used, maintained, and shared, it says, would allow individuals and organisations freely share and interpret data and insights, creating an accurate record of a project and providing the optimal conditions for digital twins to thrive.
The report also looks at the deployment and potential capabilities of digital twins across traditional industries.
Housing, for example, uses digital twins to make smarter and more sustainable decisions to deliver better quality homes; while the manufacturing sector is set to benefit greatly from digital twins through the way products are designed, manufactured, and maintained.
The report also discusses how digital twins can be used in healthcare to create a digital replica of a patient, which can then be used by surgeons and health professionals to practice procedures in a simulated environment.
The report refers to the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) and the Digital Twin Consortium as two leading players in digital twins space.
Image: Fit Ztudio/Shutterstock
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