Applying ‘Digital Twins’ to Infrastructure: Potential and Pitfalls
There is currently great interest in applying the full digitisation of ‘Industry 4.0’ to infrastructure systems. ‘Digital Twinning’, an application of ‘Industry 4.0’, involves digitally representing infrastructure systems in order to support better decision-making processes for future developments as well as a better understanding of issues with current assets. However, there is a lack of research on applying the state-of-the-art of digital twining to the resilience of water infrastructure systems. This study is based on a synthesis of the literature on digital twin applications in infrastructure resilience generally and the water sector specifically.
Thus, this study firstly outlines the research that has been done on digital twins in infrastructure generally to reach concise definitions, purposes and aims. Then it discusses and critiques resilience and how the resilience level of any system can be assessed based on some of the latest resilience measurement strategies published in 2020. The study then focuses on the issues with current water systems and the practices that have been used to address these issues. Actual examples of flood events, hurricanes and earthquakes in a combination of developed countries (United States, Portugal) and developing countries (Sudan and Nepal) are discussed with a critical review of the damage to water systems after these disruptions. The capabilities of digital twins to enhance water system resilience are discussed, as well as the precautions that should be considered when deciding on their use. Based on this synthesis, conclusions and recommendations for future research are provided.