Digital Twinning the Built Environment
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Abstract
Ioannis Brilakis' keynote at CBC 2023 focuses on the development and implementation of digital twins within the built environment, setting aside blockchain to concentrate on a more specific aspect of digital innovation. Originating from the University of Cambridge, Brilakis introduces his work within a rich academic heritage, emphasizing the university's contribution to various fields through its notable affiliates.
His presentation delves into the concept of digital twins, which are essentially digital replicas of physical entities, systems, or processes. These digital counterparts can dynamically update and evolve, offering significant potential for improving the management, operation, and maintenance of infrastructure. Despite their promise, Brilakis points out that digital twins remain largely aspirational due to a lack of standardized definitions, methodologies, and understanding of their economic value.
One major challenge in the widespread adoption of digital twins is the difficulty in transitioning from static, isolated models like BIM files to dynamic, interconnected systems that accurately reflect real-world changes over time. Brilakis highlights the necessity for research and development to bridge this gap, advocating for the creation of exemplar projects that demonstrate the practical benefits and cost-effectiveness of digital twins.
Throughout the presentation, Brilakis underscores the importance of differentiating between data and information within the context of digital twins. Effective digital twins should be built from processed, meaningful information rather than raw data, to avoid overwhelming the system and to ensure that it delivers actionable insights. AI plays a crucial role in this process, aiding in the transformation of data into information and knowledge, and facilitating more automated and informed decision-making.
Brilakis also emphasizes the need for a comprehensive lifecycle approach to digital twins, covering planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation. This approach challenges current practices by demanding new tools, standards, and frameworks for digital twin development, as well as strategies for maintaining and updating these systems over time to ensure they continue to provide value.
Furthermore, Brilakis shares insights from his work on automating the creation of digital twins from physical assets using advanced scanning and data processing techniques. This work includes capturing detailed geometries, textures, and conditions of assets, and integrating this information into dynamic models without human intervention.
In conclusion, Brilakis advocates for a national or even global perspective on digital twins, suggesting that just as nations invest in physical infrastructure to support economic activity, they should also invest in digital infrastructure. By doing so, governments can catalyze economic growth in sectors like construction and engineering, which lack the massive corporations present in industries such as automotive to drive innovation independently.
