The digital twin application, which has recently become widespread in the construction industry especially in infrastructure projects, creates an important added value. It is expected to digital twins, which offer numerous opportunities in terms of daily life, economy, and environment, make an economic contribution of 7 billion pounds per year in the UK. Moreover, by the end of 2025, 500 cities will have digital twins.
Described as a "revolution in smart infrastructures", the digital twin application is becoming increasingly common in the construction industry. Digital twins are defined as a digital representation of something physical. This representation can be a railway network or a whole city. Connecting the digital and the physical makes structures “smart,” while this concept helps to both build new infrastructures and learn more from what we already have. Digital twins work by integrating data collected from a building's system, sensors, and tools such as electricity meters with intelligent multidimensional digital models. At this point, digital twins are formed by the integration of data and systems in the construction and operation process with various technologies (laser scanning, VR / AR, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc.) by centering on BIM models. Also, data from existing buildings or infrastructures are used by digital twins to help them work more efficiently. Thanks to digital twins, new ideas can be tested on models before they are implemented in the real world, and changes can be made to improve the performance of infrastructures. Thus, measures can be taken that save time and money and minimize interruptions.
Digital twins coming to 500 cities
In recent years, virtual copies of many cities have started to be created upon understanding the potential of digital twin applications. According to ABI Research, by 2025, nearly 500 cities will start using digital twins, and these copies will contribute to infrastructure, road projects, and city regulations. One of them, the five-year Virtual Singapore project, is worth $73 million. This project aims to make “informed policy changes in cities and better interact by visualizing the needs and aspirations of communities”.
£7 billion contribution
Digital transformation is seen as the key to creating value and enabling the "old" to communicate with the "new". The "old" value in existing buildings can be transferred to digital and contribute to the "new". On a larger scale, digital twins promise to connect several twin structures through secure data sharing, creating a "national digital twin" or "smart city".
According to ICE (Instution of Civil Engineers) reports, £600 billion will be spent on new infrastructure in the UK over the next decade. CDBB (Centre for Digital Built Britain) states that digital twins will contribute around £7 billion a year to this potential, by also improving daily life, the economy, and the environment.
Written by Hazal Deniz Kaya