Indolence is Fatal: Research Opportunities in Designing Digital Shadows and Twins for Decision Support

Abstract

Digital twins and shadows have gained increasing popularity in industry and research. The terms describe simulation systems that mirror real-world systems, such as service or manufacturing lines, aligned to (near) perfection based on automated data streams. We implement a set of perfect model experiments to demonstrate how deviations between a digital shadow and the real world can arise, affect predictive accuracy, and may be eliminated. As an illustrative example, we simulate a simple sequential production line and its digital shadow. The paper concludes with a summary of identified research opportunities.