Welcome to our latest editorial!
Ryan Goodman, Connected Digital Twins Team Lead, updates us on CReDo, the Apollo Protocol and news from the community.
What are some of the highlights from the last couple of months?
Over the summer, the CReDo (Climate Resilience Demonstrator) project put out an invitation to tender for a supplier to help build out the core functionality to support cross-sector data sharing, system-wide impact modelling and decision support for improved climate resilience of connected infrastructure. I’m delighted to announce that we have awarded this to Computational Modelling Cambridge Ltd (CMCL) for its knowledge graph technology. We will continue to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), who will provide crucial data and cyber security expertise, and with several academic organisations, including Newcastle and Warwick universities to work on asset failure modelling. We're also taking part in The Alan Turing Institute’s Synthetic Data Sandpit. It’s exciting seeing the progress towards an integrated infrastructure innovation ecosystem that will ultimately strengthen our climate resilience and adaptation.
CReDo is also a great example of where we’re creating collective buy-in and momentum around connected innovation projects across different infrastructure sectors, supporting local, regional and national opportunity and growth.
So much of connecting digital twins is about collaboration, which is why I’m also keen on highlighting the publication of the Apollo Protocol white paper. It is a collaboration between several leading institutions working with digital twins in the manufacturing, tech and build environments. They make the case for a common strategic language and direction and propose the creation of the Apollo Forum to explore a framework that will enable better communication across sectors for people working on digital twins. I think it’s an invaluable milestone on the journey to accelerating digital twin adoption, as so many of industry’s current challenges require the need to work together. That is only possible if we have a common language. You can follow progress right here in the Apollo Protocol Network on the DT Hub.
Another highlight was September’s Strategic Board meeting. It was an opportunity to cement relationships in person, as well as lay out the agenda for the next quarter. Our main goal was to agree the four themes that would be the foundations of Working Groups within the community. This was following an initial consultation with members of the DT Hub, sharing their perspectives on where time and conversations should be committed to understand how we can contribute towards a more connected future. The four chosen themes were Business case and demonstrating value; Open standards and interoperability; Digital skills and capacity building; Governance models and trust.
Finally, we are looking forward to working with our new Advisory Board, a fantastic group of our community members from across the spectrum of government and industry who will support the Strategic Board and ensure that the community’s voice is heard.
Is there anything we should be looking out for in the next few weeks?
One of the enjoyable aspects of the last couple of months has been meeting more of the community in person. We’ve taken the DT Hub on the road and attended events including the Leeds Digital Festival, and heard about digital twins in the marine science and technology sector at the Society of Maritime Industries event in London. We want to continue having a presence at digital twin events as we see the value in expanding our reach and engagement with other sectors. Look out for us at London Build 2022.
We’re also planning more thought leadership around digital twins in our Gemini Calls. At the moment we focus on digital twin research and case studies and what has been effectively tested and trialled, but we want to build on that with more of a feature focused topic of conversation. For example, looking at what kind of sectors are seeing more uptake in digital twins and what’s driving that? Or where are the commercial opportunities? So looking at some of the broader strokes of what is happening as well as the nitty gritty of individual case studies.
What exciting digital twin story have you come across recently?
I came across this really fascinating story about how researchers at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine are creating a digital twin that would replace the patient during tests and treatment. They will use wearable digital devices to collect biological, environmental, clinical and behavioural data from patients and then create a model that could be used to test out new treatments before they are tried out on a real life patient. So essentially creating a human digital twin. It has the potential to provide much safer more personalised healthcare for individual patients. It’s incredible to see some of the positive applications digital twins are having outside the built environment and infrastructure that we normally focus on. Read about it here.
UPDATE FROM THE LIVE LAUNCH
Watch the recording of the event at the IET
To establish the Apollo Protocol Forum, a series of themed live sessions or hacks will take place across the UK.
Value Hack, 17 November, Sheffield
Performance Hack, 12 December, Coventry
Circularity Hack, 19 January, Birmingham
Human Capital Hack, 9 February, London
More details to follow - join the Apollo Protocol Network to stay in touch.
The team behind the Apollo Protocol white paper, which calls for a common language across digital twins, will reveal details of how it will begin to set up the Apollo Forum at a live streamed launch on 25 October 2022.
Since its launch last month, the Apollo Protocol has attracted critical acclaim and enthusiasm from the digital twin community in manufacturing, construction and the built environment, and the technology sector. Downloads of the white paper proposing the cross-sector approach to digital twins have exceeded expectations, and a Network for participants has been set up on the Digital Twin Hub.
At the live launch, the team behind the initiative will give details of how the Apollo Forum will begin its work. Currently, the manufacturing and built environment sectors are developing digital twins separately using different language and business models, yet many of our challenges, such as net zero and economic sustainability, require sectors to work together.
The white paper, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and supported by a wide range of leading organisations, sets out a proposal to unlock the benefits of digital twins between the built environment and manufacturing sectors. It argues for the establishment of the Apollo Forum to explore four key themes:
1. A single value chain for information and data services and requirements
2. Circular supply chains between the sectors
3. Optimised performance through technology enabled information sharing, and
4. Managed human capital and resources between the sectors.
The Forum will be established by practical cross-sector events where manufacturers and asset owners can articulate their data needs or technology offerings to map out the beginnings of a unified value chain, exploring solutions and unblocking practical barriers. The work will be supported through Innovate UK to develop the UK’s capability in Cyber Physical Infrastructure.
Neil Thompson, Digital Manufacturing and Performance Lead at the Construction Leadership Council and IET Built Environment Panel Chair explained, “The data needs of manufacturers and asset owners across our sectors are hampered by a lack of collaboration and language barriers. The Apollo Forum events will enable us to map out those needs, identify technical and other support and ultimately develop valuable cross-sector solutions for the participants. Along the way we will begin to identify how to write the Apollo Protocol, but we will achieve it by taking practical steps to solving real life problems.”
Asset owners, manufacturers and others interested in overcoming barriers to cross-sector collaboration are invited to learn more about how they can take part in a series of Apollo Forum events by joining the live stream at 3.30pm on Tuesday 25 October 2022. Watch the recording of this event
Download the white paper.
The Apollo Protocol represents the combined efforts of the IET, The Construction Leadership Council (CLC), The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB), The Construction Innovation Hub, the Digital Twin Hub, techUK and The Alan Turing Institute. The project has the support of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK.
Will the ethics of digitisation ever catch up to political reality? Is the answer to the meaning of life the universe and everything really 42? How can the built environment interface with virtual worlds? All these questions and more will be addressed in our latest podcast.
Also, we want to know your views on what you would like to hear about next so that we can pretend to listen and then tangent off onto something equally interesting, but totally unrelated half way through.
Listen to What is the Metaverse? - Digital Twin Fan Club by DigitalTwinFanClub on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/aTF2L
Read more...
The department of Computer Science in Innsbruck (Austria) is currently working togehter with the Aston University in the UK. Togehter they elaborated a really interesting survey in the field of DIGITAL TWINS. The underlying question is to what extent companies recognise or have already recognised the potential of digital twins for themselves and are therefore already working with them. This may be the case in product development, but can also have other aspects, e.g. a smart shop floor, virtual factory, etc.
Be part of it and help shaping future reseach agendas in digital twin engineering.
It won't take long and it is completely anonymously.
https://umfrage.uibk.ac.at/limesurvey/allgemein/index.php/273288?lang=en
With the global spend forecast to reach $2.8 trillion in 2025, digital transformation remains at the forefront of organisations' strategic goals. To realise it, however, is complex and difficult with the ever shorter innovation cycles of new emerging technologies. Relatedly, the concept of digital maturity has become intimately connected to digital transformation. A number of frameworks have been developed which identify different levels or stages of digital maturity to meet digital transformation goals.
Recent work has emphasised, however, that digital maturity is not static or an end-state but it is instead dynamic and evolves - in tandem with the ongoing journey of digital transformation. In this paper we build on Cresswell et al.'s (2019) digital maturity framework, which emphasises the shifting of digital maturity states over time and contextualised settings. Our processual perspective adopts a longitudinal approach to examine the digital maturing practices of a UK healthcare organisation (EyeHosp) over three time periods around the COVID crisis. Beyond the development of existing capabilities afforded by digital maturity, timing and creative agency are important for meaningful digital transformation to happen. We identify six digital maturing practices and their associated activities that can help organisations develop competitive advantage and enable digital transformation.
Authors
Edwin L S Lee, Centre for Digital Built Britain and Cambridge Judge Business School
Michael Barratt, Cambridge Judge Business School
Karl Prince, Cambridge Digital Innovation, Hughes Hall
Eivor Oborn, Warwick Business School
This research forms part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain's work with the Construction Innovation Hub. The funding was provided through the Government's modern industrial strategy by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.
Read the paper
10944 DigitalMaturity_whitepaper_v5.pdf
Read more...
Welcome to our August/September editorial!
Tamar Loach, Technology Initiative Director and Ryan Goodman, Connected Digital Twins Team Lead update us on DT Hub partnerships and collaborations. They also welcome the new Strategic Board.
What new partnerships and initiatives is the DT Hub involved in?
Tamar: We’ve got some exciting new partners in the form of our Strategic Board members. It is fantastic to see the start of discussions on connected digital twins between leaders on digital initiatives thinking about our energy systems, our water networks, our roads and our railways – those that think about how all of this comes together to meet people’s needs in cities and places, the digital and connectivity infrastructure that underpins innovations that can support new ways of living and thriving. Hearing the passion coming from this group about the importance of working together and demonstrating what can be achieved using digital twin technologies is just what we need to see. We are excited at the Connected Places Catapult to support the Digital Twin Hub community to showcase credibility building, technically sound examples of digital twins that have supported operational or strategic decisions or processes – that have changed something in the physical world. Please do get in touch if you have a project to showcase, we have multiple ways of supporting you to share your story with more in person events coming soon too. One highlight of the first meeting of the Strategic Board was the sentiment from Davin Crowley-Sweet at National Highways who said, “No journey starts or ends on one of our assets”. We need to work as a team to create digital and data change that has systemic impact.
We also continue to work in partnership with Anglian Water, BT and UK Power Networks to define a next phase for the CReDo project. We are exploring various technical and use case extensions that will really showcase connected digital twins for resilience planning – the value of a focus on strategic use cases rather than 'reactive' or 'responsive' use cases is a theme of recent discussion.
Ryan: One of our main aims is to accelerate greater industry understanding around digital twins nationally, especially in sectors that are underrepresented in terms of application and presence within the Hub's community. Building partnerships in those areas represents a huge opportunity.
We also place high value on the input from our global community. We want to develop those relationships further - for example, by leveraging our collaboration with the Global Digital Transformation programme, formerly known as the UK's International BIM programme. It’s been an invaluable tool that has helped increase the digital maturity of various countries by providing resources and guidance around public procurement and project delivery. One next step will involve highlighting successful international case studies that can inform future UK policies and practices.
Can you tell us about the new Strategic Board and its Chair, Dr Alison Vincent?
Tamar: I’ve already had the pleasure of working with Alison in her capacity as a member of CPC’s board, where she supported the transition of the Digital Twin Hub, CReDo and the International BIM programme from their home at CDBB to a next phase led from CPC. She brings an important perspective from leadership roles at major tech companies and her commitment to listening to diverse voices as we develop cross-sector connected digital twins that are truly innovation and impact driven is exciting. There is lots of discussion to be had from the technical – like how we learn from and use best practice from different technical disciplines like software engineering and on the role of standards – to the collaboration and partnerships we need to get real benefit from application of digital twin technologies.
Ryan: It’s great to have a new Strategic Board to drive us forward, and one that is reflective of our diverse community. I believe there’s enormous opportunity here to foster new collaborations between asset owners and service providers, and to provide us with a valuable pool of knowledge to draw from.
I’m looking forward to working with Alison, who will bring an extraordinary wealth of experience to the DT Hub. As well as working for over 30 years in companies such as Cisco, HSBC and IBM, Alison is a thought leader and specialist on digital strategy and cybersecurity. She is recognised as one of the most influential women in UK tech.
We’ll be looking to her for advice on how we can connect, accelerate, and apply innovative thinking around twins in other national industries. We’ll also be leaning on her expertise in unlocking data from various sectors and joining that information together to produce new insights and opportunities.
So a huge welcome from us all to Alison and the rest of the new Strategic Board!
Leading institutions working with digital twins in the manufacturing, tech and built environment sectors have published a paper arguing for a common strategic language and direction and setting out how this could be achieved.
Download the paper here
Access the slide deck
Join The Apollo Protocol Network on the DT Hub
The manufacturing and built environment sectors are developing digital twins separately using different language and business models, yet many of our challenges, such as net zero, are common and require us to work together. The Apollo Protocol will create a common framework for developing digital twins so that each sector can unlock their potential and deliver on strategic goals and wider government initiatives.
One of the principal initiatives being developed across industry and supported by government is digital twins1. In simple terms, a digital twin is a virtual representation that serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process. Digital twins offer benefits in a wide range of applications, and as a result, many industries are developing standards and definitions.
The paper argues for the creation of the Apollo Forum to explore four key themes which the manufacturing and built environment sectors share, developing solutions and encouraging cross-sector learning. The forum will then produce the Apollo Protocol, a framework to enable communication across sectors for people working on digital twins.
The forum will operate under collaborative principles, working with other initiatives under vendor-neutral governance and openness. Learnings from the forum will be available for use in any cross-sector initiative.
The focus of the paper is:
connecting the manufacturing and built environment sectors, although is applicable between any two sectors (rather than generally promoting digital twins)
on practical application not theory – creating a space where practical learning can be done between digital twin users and enthusiasts of different sectors, and practical solutions can be developed
open collaborative working and publishing
the paper describes how DTs are developing and suggestions to work together to fulfil wider policy objectives eg decarbonisation requires upstream value chain.
It argues for the creation of the Apollo Forum to explore four key themes which the manufacturing and built environment sectors share, developing solutions and encouraging cross-sector learning.
A unified cross sector approach to digital twins will enable the manufacturing and built environment sectors to learn from each other’s experience and work towards:
A single value chain for information and data services and requirements, enabling a new paradigm for policy makers responsible across the lifecycle of product life cycles
Circular supply chains through the alignment of standards and processes, turning the built environment sector's waste and latent material into a resource for the manufacturing sector through effective, integrated digitisation
Optimised performance throughout the product lifecycle, enabled through robust and interoperable data with technology enabled information sharing
Managed human capital between the sectors to ensure resources are optimally utilised and have the right learning and reskilling environments for achieving the above themes.
The paper, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology, is a collaboration between and was authored by representatives from:
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Built Environment Panel
Construction Leadership Council (CLC)
University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)
Digital Twin Hub (supported by the Connected Places Catapult)
Cambridge Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB)
High Value Manufacturing Catapult
techUK, the digital technology trade association
The Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence
IBM Consulting
Atkins Global (facilitation)
Just Practising Limited (project management)
In addition, the paper has been endorsed by:
· Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
[1] Recent documents outlining the progression in each of the three sectors: The Gemini Principles, Cambridge Centre for Digital Built Britain, 2018 https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/news/2018GeminiPrinciples
Digital twins for the built environment, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2019 https://www.theiet.org/impact-society/sectors/built-environment/built-environment-news/2019-news/digital-twins-for-the-built-environment/
Our vision for the built environment, Construction Innovation Hub, 2021 https://constructioninnovationhub.org.uk/news/vision-for-the-built-environment/
Untangling the requirements of a digital twin, HVMC/AMRC, 2021 https://www.amrc.co.uk/pages/digital-twin-report
Unlocking value across the UK’s digital twin ecosystem, techUK, 2021 https://www.techuk.org/resource/techuk-launches-landmark-report-on-the-future-of-the-uk-s-digital-twin-ecosystem.html
Download the paper here
The Apollo Protocol was one of the topics at the Gemini Call on Tuesday 20 September 2022. Become a member of the DT Hub and join the Gemini Call Network to access the slide deck.
Digital twins have long been spoken about as one of the key solutions benefiting from the increased digitalisation of systems, empowering their users with the information and insights they need to make more informed decisions.
The Energy System Digital Twin Demonstrator Project led by the Energy Systems Catapult explored the feasibility of creating a digital twin of the energy system, which would be able to provide in-depth analytical information on the system, while also being easy to interact with for both technical and non-technical users.
To decarbonise the energy system by the year 2050, it is crucial that decision-makers are equipped with the insights they need to ensure their decisions are effective and influential.
The challenge of providing relevant and timely information is compounded by the increasing decentralisation of the energy system, with more assets interacting with it now than ever before. These assets are increasingly under the control and monitoring of digital systems, making available valuable streams of data on the real-time status of the system. This enables decision making relating to the longer-term strategic decarbonisation policy environment.
Key points
The Energy System Digital Twin Demonstrator Project produced two demonstrators to begin to paint a picture of how digital twins could be used to support decision-making within the energy sector. An analytical version for technical users, and the visual element of twinning for non-technical decision-makers, to give the assurance needed that the modelling makes sense.
These two aspects have been addressed by creating two proof-of-concept digital models, one focused on visual presentation and one on technical functionality. The visual presentation vividly shows the impact that policy decisions are likely to have on the decarbonisation of domestic properties. The demonstrators show illustrative values for metrics related to the UK’s decarbonisation activities, representing the effects of policies as changes to uptake and usage of energy-related technology types, at both a household and a national level, while also giving the user the ability to ‘travel’ backwards and forwards in time, to see changes in the energy system play out in front of their eyes.
1. The Visual Demonstrator was developed in a collaboration between Energy Systems Catapult, The Alan Turing Institute and CityScape Digital, and provides compelling and accessible visualisations of outputs from the BEIS National Buildings Model using a visual interface written in the Unreal Engine 3D graphics system. This demonstrator provides users with the ability to explore how policy decisions will impact the UK at a national, regional and local level in a much more intuitive way than the current suite of models allow.
2. The Technical Demonstrator developed by Energy Systems Catapult and CityScape Digital explores how some of the current suite of spatially and temporally disaggregated models can be interconnected to visualise modelling results under a variety of user-selected scenarios.
Further work is needed to ensure that the outputs meet user needs and augment the portfolio of pre-existing modelling tools. This project highlights that questions remain around the technical and privacy challenges associated with granular data ingestion and how these should be appropriately mitigated within digital twin solutions, in order to provide full benefit to users.
Watch the Visual Demonstrator Walkthrough.
We're delighted to introduce you to the Digital Twin Fan Club - a think tank for all things digital twin, a community that blends the physical and digital worlds - putting them together to produce a series of podcasts to inform and entertain.
Scroll through to choose.
Deliver data engineering and core functionality for scale-up – invitation to tender
For the Climate Resilience Demonstrator (CReDo), the connected digital twin of critical infrastructure for climate change resilience and adaptation
Connected Places Catapult is seeking a supplier to help deliver the data engineering and core functionality, including descriptive data visualisation, required to scale up the connected digital twin.
This involves collaborative working as part of an interdisciplinary project team, dealing with uncertainty, providing thought leadership on practical data standards and sharing, and creating innovative solutions to data problems.
The budget for this work is £350,000 plus VAT, to start in September 2022 and finish by 31 March 2023. Connected Places Catapult intends to fund CReDo for the following two years.
The output of the work and all IP arising from it will be owned by Connected Places Catapult, with an intention to make it publicly available. Any background IP brought into the project by the supplier will remain with the supplier. Connected Places Catapult welcomes indications of how suppliers intend to leverage the outputs of this work to support exploitation of their own IP.
Background
Connected Places Catapult is working with Anglian Water, UK Power Networks and BT to develop the Climate Resilience Demonstrator (CReDo). CReDo aims to be a connected digital twin of critical infrastructure that helps the cross-sectoral infrastructure network adapt to climate change and improve climate resilience.
CReDo showcases the advantages of combining data and insights across sectoral and organisational boundaries. The resulting improved coordination of operational and investment decisions, including inter- and intra-sector collaboration, will increase resilience against extreme weather events. At present this covers infrastructure across the water, energy and telecoms sectors, but long-term ambition is to capture additional sectors, at national scale.
The first phase of CReDo was funded by a collaboration between Connected Places Catapult and the Centre for Digital Built Britain. Connected Places Catapult has taken over as lead organisation for the next stage of development. In addition, Connected Places Catapult is the new home of the Digital Twin Hub, a multi-sector industry and Catapult Network partnership.
Watch the video summary of the CReDo project
Read the tender document
Apply here
Expression of interest NOW CLOSED
In our first editorial from the DT Hub’s new home at Connected Places Catapult, Tamar Loach, Technology Initiative Director and Ryan Goodman, Connected Digital Twins Team Lead, discuss their vision, their new roles and their priorities for the Digital Twin Hub in the coming months.
Can you tell us about your journey to the DT Hub and what your new role will focus on?
Tamar: I've got a technical background as a data scientist and have led data science and software engineering teams in the past, mainly working in tech start-ups. They’ve included everything from ten people together in a tiny room through to significantly funded scale-ups that are starting to grow out from the UK internationally – all focused on data, machine learning and AI and applying scientific methodology to impactful problems.
In my role as Technology Initiative Director at CPC, my priority is on setting up strategic innovation programmes, so setting up new collaborative initiatives that support UK companies to grow in the connected places realm. I think the Catapult is a great home for the DT Hub as we will be focused on encouraging further collaboration between different companies that may not currently work together, bringing in new approaches and thinking from academia and also connecting into policy development.
Ryan: My background is largely in open innovation approaches. I previously worked for the Open Data Institute, where my role was leading on EU open innovation programmes to support SMEs in maximising the use of open and shared data. Within that context, I supported a few suppliers of digital twin technology, to address challenges with predictive maintenance by using shared data. I came to Connected Places about a year and a half ago in the urban technology team, where my role was a Living Labs and Testbed Manager. My primary focus has been to help SMEs to demonstrate and validate their products and services by understanding how they operate and perform in real-world scenarios.
Now my remit is looking at the operational opportunities the DT Hub offers, not only from a community perspective, I'm also keen to look at how we as an organisation can support the community to either design, develop and test real-world applications of digital twins.
Tamar: And that is an area where the Catapult had already joined up with the Centre for Digital Built Britain on the CReDo (climate resilience demonstrator) project, as delivery partners. That was very much about testing theory in real-world applications and has been very successful – the foundation to us working with the DT Hub.
Why are you passionate about digital twins? Why do they matter?
Tamar: I think of “digital twin” as a collection of technologies coming together to tackle real challenges – we draw on innovations in networked sensors, data engineering and modelling, cloud compute, machine learning and AI as well as software engineering best practice and scientific modelling to represent physical systems digitally and then use these systems to test and trial in the digital world before implementing. This approach, particularly in the world of transport and across the built environment, for cities and towns, for utilities like power and water – is a huge opportunity because it allows us to make the best changes and the best decisions in a complex setting: digital twins can help us take a system of systems view, taking advantage of often disparate or unconnected digitalisation of our places. Connected thinking, and following best practice around interoperability – what we might call “connected digital twins” are key to our ability to take advantage of the digital and data transformations that are technically speaking easy to implement today with the right leadership, funding and skills in place. We need to see an acceleration in digital and data maturity and for me that's a huge opportunity – I'd like the digital twin hub to be at the heart of driving challenge-led, impact-focused digitalisation tackling some major priorities, like creating fully integrated transport systems and climate-resilient utilities for our growing population.
I think this is where the DT Hub can make a real difference in building momentum and supporting sectors that haven’t yet reached digital maturity. We can act as a practical resource to help them get there. It’s why I'm also excited about the DT Hub Strategic Board that we'll be announcing shortly. It’s a great combination of organisations coming together – from infrastructure asset owners to technology suppliers and academia, together galvanising and using the strength of that group to drive the DT Hub and its community forward.
Ryan: I agree with Tamar that there are exciting opportunities to derive insights from data that can massively impact people’s everyday lives and enable us to make more informed decisions. As a neutral convener, Connected Places wants to increase our impact and value to society by improving digital maturity. We see the community that supports the DT hub as a key enabler in promoting the wider adoption of digital twins. By helping to improve understanding and capability in digital technologies, we aim to unearth new use cases where the application of this approach can be tested and demonstrated.
This is a fresh start – what is your vision for the DT Hub?
Ryan: I feel our role is to support higher risk projects and help trial and test some of those so that we can contribute to the conversations that are taking place in the community. By taking this approach we can help share learnings on best practice deliver work where other organisations might not necessarily have the time, resources or capacity to do so. The Catapult is becoming more of a thought leader within the space, so that we can effectively steward the DT Hub.
Tamar: I think that’s an important point about taking on some of the risk as we know that can be a real barrier to organisations on their digital twin journeys. So, it means we’re working on projects that test, trial and showcase, we can be very agile and can change direction if things aren’t working and share that learning. The idea is to fail fast, learn fast and help others to do that. I think that will be enabled by lots of collaborative research and development. And we actively want to join in with the community to collaborate in that context – we have such fantastic teams that can support in that process from human connected design experts to data scientists, city planners to transport modellers – and it’s our job to take learnings and share with others.
Anglian Water, Arup, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Bentley Systems, Esri, Frazer-Nash, Infrastructure Client Group, L&Q, National Highways, Network Rail, Mott MacDonald, Ofcom, Palantir, Sunderland City Council and The Alan Turing Institute join the Board to drive the creation of connected digital twins
19.07.22 London, Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership announced today the inaugural members of the new DT Hub Strategic Board.
Dr Alison Vincent, new chair of the Board, announced the 15 board members, selected from over 100 applicants, who will steer the DT Hub and help build its community, at the Hub’s weekly stand-up Gemini call with the digital twin community. She also outlined her vision for the DT Hub.
Dr Vincent said:
“The board’s strength and value will grow with the connections we make and the collaborations we facilitate to move the community forward. Our aim is to deliver a purposeful, mission-driven voice for industry, engaging with new sectors, accelerating standards and enabling interoperability. The need for connected digital twins to meet the challenges of this changing world has never been greater and we want to make sure we lead the way.”
Together with Alison and vice chair Mark Enzer, the Board comprises: Benjamin Ford (Technology and Innovation Manager - Operations at Network Rail), Charles Kennelly (Chief Technology Officer at Esri UK), Cristina Data (Director of Policy and Analysis at Ofcom), Davin Crowley-Sweet (Chief Data Officer at National Highways), Harkirat Singh (Technical Director, Public Sector at Palantir Technologies UK), Johnny Furlong (BIM Strategy Lead at L&Q), Liz St Louis (Assistant Director, Smart Cities at Sunderland City Council), Mark Coates (International Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at Bentley Systems), Mark Girolami (Chief Scientist at The Alan Turing Institute), Matt Edwards (Chief Data Officer at Anglian Water Services), Melissa Zanocco (Head of Programmes at the Infrastructure Client Group), Paul Lam (Strategy and Policy Officer for Digital and Technology at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank), Peter van Manen (Principal Consultant at Frazer-Nash Consultancy) and Simon Evans (Global Digital Energy Leader and Global Digital Twin Leader at Arup).
The Digital Twin Hub sits at the heart of the UK’s digital twin community, shaping and promoting the development and use of this technology motivated by complex challenges that require a connected collaborative approach.
Visit the Strategic Board page and read the biographies.
Footnote: Connected Places Catapult and the DT Hub would like to thank all those that applied for a position on the board. We had an amazing response and some very difficult decisions to make. We welcome this exceptional support and look forward to seeing everyone on the DT Hub soon.
The Digital Twin (DT) Hub is delighted to announce today that IT industry leader Dr Alison Vincent PhD, FREng, FBCS, FIET has been appointed as the Chair of its new board. She will be joined by Mark Enzer OBE, FREng, who takes up the role of Vice Chair.
The DT Hub recently transferred from the University of Cambridge to its new home at Connected Places Catapult in a move designed to deliver stronger engagement with multi-sector industries and improve access to expertise across Innovate UK’s Catapult Network. The Hub is a place for learning and sharing experiences; for driving innovation, developing expertise and advancing the state of the art for digital twins. It identifies good practice, develops guidance and shapes standards on data sharing as well as showcasing the benefits of collaborative, connected digital twins.
Dr Alison Vincent sits as a non-exec director and technical advisor to multiple private and public companies. She previously held senior technical positions at organisations including Cisco, HSBC and IBM. Her roles have spanned cyber security, research and development, strategy execution, product management and business development. She has particular expertise in digital strategy, innovation and mergers and acquisitions. She is an ambassador for women in science and engineering, and a passionate supporter of the STEM agenda in schools. She has a PhD in cryptography from London University and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the British Computing Society and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. She is also a non-exec director on the Board of Connected Places Catapult.
Mark Enzer is the former Head of the National Digital Twin programme. He served as Mott MacDonald’s Chief Technical Officer for five years and now acts as Strategic Advisor to Mott MacDonald’s digital advisory business. He is a keen champion of innovation through collaboration and is particularly interested in the transformation of the built environment and the infrastructure industry.
Dr Vincent, newly appointed Chair of the Board at the Digital Twin Hub, said:
“I am thrilled to be joining the Digital Twin Hub at such an important time in the development of digital twin technology in the UK and around the world. Digital twins are already helping to find the best solar panel locations in Singapore, manage people flow at train stations in London, and simulate the impact of natural disasters in Seoul. Ultimately, digital twins and connected digital twins will give us a clear advantage in fighting global, systemic challenges like pandemics, climate change and inequality. The Digital Twin Hub is a key player in the world of digitisation and a vehicle to help the UK digitise at speed”
Prof Greg Clark CBE, Chair of the Board at Connected Places Catapult, said:
“I’m really delighted to congratulate Dr Alison Vincent and Mark Enzer OBE on their appointments to head up the board of the Digital Twin Hub. Connected Places Catapult recognises the immense opportunities presented by digital twins in better understanding our built environment, mobility systems, and decarbonisation pathways; enabling the creation of digital twin ecosystems for public good. With Alison and Mark at the helm, I am confident that the Digital Twin Hub will accelerate forwards in providing the community with a network to learn from, resources to draw from, and opportunities to work collaboratively to take these technologies to the next level.”
Footnote: We would like to thank all those that applied for a position on the board. We had an amazing response with over 100 applicants and some very difficult decisions to make. We welcome this exceptional support and look forward to seeing everyone on the DT Hub soon.
We are delighted to announce our new Strategic Board which will be led by new Chair Alison Vincent and Vice Chair Mark Enzer. Part of the board's remit is to convene 3-4 working groups focused on areas of development to meet the needs of the community. We have set out some choices in a poll in Discussions - please do have your say...
Complete the poll
A new whitepaper explores how digital twin technology can play its role in the future of a service-oriented environment – highlighting the potential benefits and opportunities as well as the challenges that can arise when implementing innovative digital solutions. The paper focuses on Moorfields Eye Hospital, leading provider of specialist eye health services in the UK and world centre of excellence for ophthalmic research and education, as it designs and constructs a smart hospital of the future.
A Cambridge-based research team worked with multiple stakeholders – asset owners, management, service providers, and clinicians – to better understand how digital transformation of the built environment could create new opportunities to enhance inclusion and improve services provided to patients in new smart hospitals, and how the shift to the uptake of digital technologies around telemedicine and AI will impact service provision and service transition.
The research paper uses Moorfields Eye Hospital as a case study, taking a service-oriented perspective to explore the potential of digital twin technology in addressing specific needs and pain points of users, and the subsequent implications for new models of service delivery.
It will help Moorfields and similar organisations in their search for newer and better navigational guidance solutions to help visually impaired patients journey to and from the hospital, and to help provide an improved digitally enabled service experience once they reach the building itself.
According to project lead Professor Michael Barrett, 'this new digitally-enabled assistive technology of visually-impaired navigation, which is still a burgeoning area, can help to ease anxiety, making visually-impaired navigation and travelling easier.'
The research team considers the Moorfields journey, exploring patient-care opportunities and noting the challenges of transitioning the current service into the future service. Physical relocation of any hospital is an enormous task and the move of an eye hospital where the visually impaired patient community has a more complex relationship with the built environment and digital technologies will present additional challenges. In addition, current services provided to patients by Moorfields will need to be integrated with and transitioned onto the future service model and ecosystem.
What are digital twins?
Digital twins are realistic digital representations of physical assets, for example, a digital representation of an aeroplane that can be used to monitor and predict performance, feeding out insights and interventions. These insights lead to better interventions and unlock real-world value from assets through financial savings, improved performance and services, and better outcomes for society. As highlighted by the Gemini Principles, a high-quality and accurate digital twin depends on three components: the quality and quantity of data used for the model, the fidelity of the algorithms that constitute the model, and the validity of the assumptions/competence of the model and the quality of final output’s presentation.
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