Digital-Twin-Based Fire Safety Management Framework for Smart Buildings

Abstract

In recent years, the implementation of digital twin (DT) technology has gained significant attention in various industries. However, the fire safety management (FSM) sector has been relatively slow in adopting this technology compared to other major industries. Therefore, this study aims to explore the limitations, opportunities, and challenges associated with adopting DT technology in the FSM sector and further develop a DT-based FSM framework towards smart facility management (FM). To achieve this objective, this research started by reviewing several promising DTs for FSM, including building information modeling (BIM), the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality (AR). On this basis, a conceptual framework was synthesized in consideration of the benefits of each technology. A questionnaire was conducted for FM professionals to evaluate the proposed framework and identify the challenges of adopting DT in the FSM sector. The survey results reveal that the proposed framework can assist decision makers in obtaining comprehensive information about facilities’ communication among stakeholders. The survey results validate the potential of the adoption of DTs toward smart FM practices in FSM. The survey results provide insights into the perception of DT technology among FM practitioners and identify the current state of DT technology in the FSM sector, its expected benefits, and its potential challenges. The main barriers to adopting DTs in FSM are a lack of knowledge about DTs, their initial costs, user acceptance, difficulties in systems integration, education training costs, a lack of competence, development complexity, difficulties in data management, and a lack of trust in data security.