The UK is developing a National Digital Twin – an ecosystem of connected digital twins, securely sharing infrastructure information to support better outcomes for us all. The Centre for Digital Built Britain leads the National Digital Twin Programme on behalf of Government. It has developed the Gemini Principles as the ‘conscience’ of the National Digital Twin - nine guiding values, to ensure that these digital twins have purpose, maintain trust and function effectively.
Research, development and demonstration that underpins the creation of Gemini-aligned Digital Twins forms one of the key themes within the CDBB. The Centre has funded the Institute for Manufacturing and the Department of Computer Science and Technology to develop a digital twin demonstrator and research facility based in the University’s West Cambridge Campus.
This project aims to enable practical in-the-wild exploration of the challenges associated with production of a National Digital Twin. The facility will need to be:
- flexible; created to respond to particular, as yet unknown, questions
- dynamic; not a single database or even service, but created and destroyed in response to particular questions being asked
- secure; much of the data and models created for and by DTs will be sensitive in nature
- civilised; that is, acceptable to the users on the site and the public more generally
The demonstrator extends the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) digital twin pilot that was funded by CDBB in 2018-19. It will deploy a rich range of sensing capability within three buildings on the West Cambridge (WC) site, in addition to a site-wide capability interlinking those buildings.
Project Investigators: Dr Ajith Kumar Parlikad and Dr Richard Mortier