Abstract
Sustainable development was defined by the UN in 1987 as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, and this is a core concept in this paper. This work acknowledges the three dimensions of sustainability, i.e., economic, social, and environmental, but its focus is on this last one. A digital twin (DT) is frequently described as a physical entity with a virtual counterpart, and the data, connections between the two, implying the existence of connectors and blocks for efficient and effective data communication. This paper provides a meta systematic literature review (SLR) (i.e., an SLR of SLRs) regarding the sustainability requirements of DT-based systems. Numerous papers on the subject of DT were also selected because they cited the analyzed SLRs and were considered relevant to the purposes of this research. From the selection and analysis of 29 papers, several limitations and challenges were identified: the perceived benefits of DTs are not clearly understood; DTs across the product life cycle or the DT life cycle are not sufficiently studied; it is not clear how DTs can contribute to reducing costs or supporting decision-making; technical implementation of DTs must be improved and better integrated in the context of the IoT; the level of fidelity of DTs is not entirely evaluated in terms of their parameters, accuracy, and level of abstraction; and the ownership of data stored within DTs should be better understood. Furthermore, from our research, it was not possible to find a paper discussing DTs only in regard to environmental sustainability.
Highlights
A digital twin (DT) is often described as a digital or virtual entity with a physical counterpart, and with data connections between the two [1], implying the existence of connectors and blocks to allow efficient and effective data communication
(whole life cycle, evolving digital profile, historical data); (iii) DTs have not been created, it is not clear how DTs contribute to reducing cost or improving service or supporting decision making; (iv) technical implementations must be improved and detailed in the context of Internet of Things (IoT); (v) the level of fidelity is not evaluated in terms of the number of parameters, their accuracy and levels of abstraction; (vi) data ownership of data stored within the DT must be determined; and (vii) integration between virtual entities must be improved, because better methods are needed for communication [1]
It has been possible to identify relevant research work regarding the study of DT-based systems and technologies, using the systematic literature review (SLR) methodology as the main tool for a meta-analysis on the subject of SLR
Summary
A digital twin (DT) is often described as a digital or virtual entity with a physical counterpart, and with data connections between the two [1], implying the existence of connectors and blocks to allow efficient and effective data communication. In the context of IT, this means a controlled natural language [16] that helps the specification of requirements and tests systematically and rigorously [17,18], such as the ITLingo RSL language [19], does have a paramount role in defining software sustainability requirements [20] as it already supports risks, vulnerabilities and goals/solutions [21], for example These tools belong to the spectrum of model-driven engineering, using textual specifications and conceptual models to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the analysis and design of these. When designers test a new product, they might use a DT to virtually test a new implementation without consuming raw materials and simulating the usage of environmentally friendly materials, reducing working hours, and only produce it afterward if the simulation makes sense
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