Abstract
In this paper, we review the emerging concept of digital twins (DTs) for urban water systems (UWS) based on the literature, stakeholder interviews and analyzing the current DT implementation process in the utility company VCS Denmark (VCS). Here, DTs for UWS are placed in the context of DTs at the component, unit process/operation or hydraulic structure, treatment plant, system, city, and societal levels. A UWS DT is characterized as a systematic virtual representation of the elements and dynamics of the physical system, organized in a star-structure with a set of features connected by data links that are based on standards for open data. This allows the overall functionality to be broken down into smaller, tangible units (features), enabling microservices that communicate via data links to emerge (the most central feature), facilitated by application programing interfaces (APIs). Coupled to the physical system, simulation models and advanced analytics are among the most important features. We propose distinguishing between living and prototyping DTs, where the term “living” refers to coupling observations from an ever-changing physical twin (which may change with, e.g., urban growth) with a simulation model, through a data link connecting the two. A living DT is thus a near real-time representation of an UWS and can be used for operational and control purposes. A prototyping DT represents a scenario for the system without direct coupling to real-time observations, which can be used for design or planning. By acknowledging that different DTs exist, it is possible to identify the value-creation from DTs achieved by different end-users inside and outside a utility organization. Analyzing the DT workflow in VCS shows that a DT must be multifunctional, updateable, and adjustable to support potential value creation across the utility company. This study helps clarify key DT terminology for UWS and identifies steps to create a DT by building upon digital ecosystems (DEs) and open standards for data.
Highlights
Digital twins (DTs) are currently receiving growing interest across many research and industrial application areas, as there is an increasing focus on digitizing production lines and processes and gaining information from data using advanced methods such as machine-learning and improved visualisation of the results
A digital twin (DT) for an urban water system is defined as a systematic virtual representation of a system’s elements and dynamics with features connected by data links
But not all, features are needed for a system to be called a DT—a simulation model or a SCADA system alone are, e.g., not DTs without additional features
Summary
Digital twins (DTs) are currently receiving growing interest across many research and industrial application areas, as there is an increasing focus on digitizing production lines and processes and gaining information from data using advanced methods such as machine-learning and improved visualisation of the results. Many years of observations and fairly acceptable models have been achieved, but it is recognized that there is unexploited potential to obtain greater value from these data and models [7,8] To address these challenges, VCS has decided to embark on a journey exploring the concept of DTs, which is outlined in this paper. Along with the vision of Industry 4.0 [9] and due to the emergence of cheaper sensors and faster data processing [8], the DT concept has evolved rapidly over the past dec4aodfe1.7 Our literature search showed that the interest in DTs has exploded over the past few years, with an ever increasing number of papers (Figure 2). All four departments have responsibilities concerning water production, water distribution, wastewater and stormwater collection, and wastewater treatment
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