Submitted by Angela Walters on Mon, 09/09/2019 - 16:01
The National Digital Twin (NDT) has been cited by the National Infrastructure Commission as having the potential to unlock an additional £7 billion per year of benefits across the UK infrastructure sector [1]. Today in London, the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) bring together digital pioneers from government and industry to provide an update on digital twins, the NDT Programme and to celebrate the launch of the CDBB’s Digital Twin Hub (DT Hub).
National Digital Twin Day is the first day in a week-long showcase of the progress by CDBB and its partners towards digital transformation in the built environment. It offers expert guidance and practical insights on digital twin adoption through a series of interactive workshops with digital twin pioneers. Keynote presentations from Mark Enzer, Chair, CDBB’s Digital Framework Task Group (DFTG) and Sarah Hayes, Project Director, Regulation at National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) shine a light on how digital twin thinking can drive more value from data, maximise infrastructure performance and deliver better outcomes for society. To promote wider collaboration, a networking ‘town square’ offers a space for digital twin owners and suppliers to share experience and insight.
The event also serves as the official launch of CDBB’s DT Hub, a community to support ongoing development and adoption of digital twins that can be ultimately connected to the NDT.
The NDT will be a national resource for improving the performance, service and value delivered by the UK’s infrastructure; delivering benefits to society, business, the environment, and the economy. The creation of its underlying information management framework forms an integral part of HM Government’s modern Industrial Strategy and Construction Sector Deal. Its development is being guided by CDBB’s DFTG. CDBB has today published a new video to explain the benefits of the NDT
Alexandra Bolton, Executive Director of the Centre for Digital Built Britain, says:
“The Centre for Digital Built Britain is proud to be highlighting the world-leading innovations and innovators shaping the future of UK infrastructure. As part of the Construction Innovation Hub, CDBB is supporting the adoption and development of digital technologies within the built environment.
“We are delighted to partner today with the Institution of Civil Engineers and digital twin pioneers from industry to showcase the enormous potential of the National Digital Twin to positively impact society.
“I hope that this week’s events provide CDBB’s growing community of researchers, policy makers, industry partners and the public with an engaging forum to share progress, insights and spark new collaborations.”
Mark Enzer, Chair of the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s Digital Framework Task Group, says:
“The National Digital Twin is the keystone of the digital revolution in the UK’s infrastructure. To ensure that it delivers its promised benefit to all, CDBB is committed to working collaboratively with the broader infrastructure community to enable all voices to be heard.
“I hope today’s event encourages those who have not yet gone digital to grasp the vison and join us on the journey.”
Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, says:
“Unprecedented amounts of data are now available to us, but merely collecting more of it will not by itself improve how we plan and maintain the UK’s infrastructure.
“For that, we need a properly strategic, transformative approach. A national digital twin would enable us to rethink how tackle climate change, population growth, and improve the resilience of the infrastructure we rely on. It’s important to embed the digital twin principle into our thinking so that the UK retains a global leadership role in this field. We urge the Government to ensure that funding is available to support this initiative.
“On National Digital Twin Day, we are pleased to be working alongside the Centre for Digital Built Britain to make this vision a practical reality.”
Paul Sheffield, Senior Vice President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, says:
“The Institution of Civil Engineers is proud to partner with CDBB to champion the adoption of digital twins. We have seen encouraging industry support for this event and are pleased to provide a platform for companies of all sizes to come together and share knowledge and insights, including the vibrant SME and start-up community starting to take advantage of all that DTs can deliver”.
Sam Stacey, Challenge Director – Transforming Construction, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), says:
“CDBB, together with its Construction Innovation Hub partners, is helping deliver the ambitious vision of HM Government’s modern Industry Strategy.
“I am pleased to see representatives from across the supply chain come together today to learn more about the transformative potential of digital twins to deliver benefits for the construction and infrastructure sector. The wider adoption of digital skills and techniques is critical to meeting UKRI’s Transforming Construction Challenge.”
National Digital Twin Day is a partnership between the Centre for Digital Built Britain and the Institution of Civil Engineers. The event’s headline sponsors are Bentley, IBM, Tony Gee and TopCon; with workshops supported by Costain, PCubed, TechUK, Waldeck Consulting, and Estates and infrastructure Exchange (EIX). Over 20 SME and start ups working with digital twin technology are involved in the event's networking activity.
Follow the activity on Twitter and LinkedIn - #NDTDay. For all the CDBB week events, the best place to get all the latest information is via the Guidebook app (or web version), and by following #CDBBWeek on Twitter.
For more information on CDBB, the Digital Twin Hub and the Digital Framework Task Group see www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk.
ENDS
Note for editors:
The Centre for Digital Built Britain is a partnership between the University of Cambridge and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to support the digital transformation of the built environment. Together with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) it is part of the Construction Innovation Hub, a £72 million programme to transform the UK construction industry funded from UK Research and Innovation’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
CDBB’s Digital Framework Task Group was launched by HM Treasury in July 2018. It reports to HM Government through the CDBB Strategic Advisory Board chaired by Professor Lord Mair. The overarching purpose of the DFTG is to steer and guide the successful development and adoption of the “Information Management Framework for the Built Environment”. Key deliverables to date include the publication of The Gemini Principles: Guiding Values for the national digital twin and information management framework (2018) and the DFTG: Roadmap to the Information Management Framework for the Built Environment (the Framework) (2019).
The creation of the framework forms an integral part of HM Government’s modern Industrial Strategy and Construction Sector Deal. The framework will establish the building blocks to enable effective information management across the built environment and will pave the way for the development of the national digital twin. The DFTG is made up of senior leaders within the landscape and is chaired by Mark Enzer, Chief Technical Officer of Mott MacDonald.