Digital twins are not just a useful resource for understanding the here-and-now of built assets. If an asset changes condition or position over its lifecycle, historical data from remote sensors can make this change visible to asset managers through a digital twin. However, this means retaining and managing a potentially much larger data set in order to capture value across the whole life of an asset. In this blog post, Dr Sakthy Selvakumaran, an expert in remote sensing and monitoring, tells us about the importance of curation in the processing of high-volume built environment data.
There are many sources of data in the built environment, in increasing volumes and with increasing accessibility. They include sensors added to existing structures – such as wireless fatigue sensors mounted on ageing steel bridges – or sensors attached to vehicles that use the assets. Sources also include sensing systems including fibre optics embedded in new structures to understand their capacity over the whole life of the asset. Even data not intended for the built environment can provide useful information; social media posts, geo-tagged photos and GPS from mobile phones can tell us about dynamic behaviours of assets in use.
Remote sensing: a high-volume data resource
My research group works with another data source – remote sensing – which includes satellite acquisitions, drone surveys and laser monitoring. There have been dramatic improvements in spatial, spectral, temporal and radiometric resolution of the data gathered by satellites, which is providing an increasing volume of data to study structures at a global scale. While these techniques have historically been prohibitively expensive, the cost of remote sensing is dropping. For example, we have been able to access optical, radar and other forms of satellite data to track the dynamic behaviour of assets for free through open access policy of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The ESA Sentinel programme’s constellation of satellites fly over assets, bouncing radar off them and generating precise geospatial measurements every six days as they orbit the Earth. This growing data resource – not only of current data but of historical data – can help asset owners track changes in the position of their asset over its whole life. This process can even catch subsidence and other small positional shifts that may point to the need for maintenance, risk of structural instability, and other vital information, without the expense of embedding sensors in assets, particularly where they are difficult to access.
Data curation
One of the key insights I have gained in my work with the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC) is that data curation is essential to capture the value from remote sensing and other data collection methods. High volumes of data are generated during the construction and operational management of assets. However, this data is often looked at only once before being deleted or archived, where it often becomes obsolete or inaccessible. This means that we are not getting the optimal financial return on our investment on that data, nor are we capturing its value in the broader sense.
Combining data from different sources or compiling historical data can generate a lot of value, but the value is dependent on how it is stored and managed. Correct descriptions, security protocols and interoperability are important technical enablers. Social enablers include a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration, a common vision, and an understanding of the whole lifecycle of data. The crucial element that ensures we secure value from data is the consideration of how we store, structure and clean the data. We should be asking ourselves key questions as we develop data management processes, such as: ‘How will it stay up to date?’ ‘How will we ensure its quality?’ and ‘Who is responsible for managing it?’
Interoperability and standardisation
The more high-volume data sources are used to monitor the built environment, the more important it is that we curate our data to common standards – without these, we won’t even be able to compare apples with apples. For example, sometimes when I have compared data from different satellite providers, the same assets have different co-ordinates depending on the source of the data. Like ground manual surveying, remote measurements can be made relative to different points, many of which assume (rightly or wrongly) a non-moving, stationary point. Aligning our standards, especially for geospatial and time data, would enable researchers and practitioners to cross-check the accuracy of data from different sources, and give asset managers access to a broader picture of the performance of their assets.
Automated processing
The ever increasing quantity of data prohibits manual analysis by human operators beyond the most basic tasks. Therefore, the only way to enable data processing at this large scale is automation, fusing together remote sensing data analysis with domain-specific contextual understanding. This is especially true when monitoring dynamic urban environments, and the potential risks and hazards in these contexts. Failure to react quickly is tantamount to not reacting at all, so automated processing enables asset owners to make timely changes to improve the resilience of their assets. Much more research and development is needed to increase the availability and reliability of automated data curation in this space.
If we fail to curate and manage data about our assets, then we fail to recognise and extract value from it. Without good data curation, we won’t be able to develop digital twins that provide the added value of insights across the whole life of assets. Data management forms the basis for connected digital twins, big data analysis, models, data mining and other activities, which then provide the opportunity for further insights and better decisions, creating value for researchers, asset owners and the public alike.
You can read more from the Satellites project by visiting their research profile.
This research forms part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s (CDBB) work at the University of Cambridge. It was enabled by the Construction Innovation Hub, of which CDBB is a core partner, and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).
For more on the Digital Twin Journeys projects, visit the project's homepage on the CDBB website.
In setting up the SPA Enterprise it was acknowledged that BIM principles would drive outperformance in both the project and asset lifecycles, and therefore an early focus ensured that the foundations were in place to enable SPA to maximise benefits from data and information.
To smooth the integration of our physical assets and the associated data and information produced our enterprise architecture focussed on delivering a solution that would:
Maximise the benefits from the existing Anglian enterprise.
Ensure that data and information would integrate seamlessly with existing Anglian repositories.
Easily be transitioned from the project to the asset information model.
This approach would not hinder bringing any additional enterprise systems that would benefit Anglian Water but would ensure that any legacy systems were planned for seamless integration, giving a longer-term benefit (blueprint) for other and future Alliances.
Development of the BIM strategy identified the need for the following BIM tools in line with recommendations in PAS1192-2 (now superseded):
BIM Execution plan – in response to the EIR (Exchange Information Requirements).
Common Data Environment (CDE) – to allow exchange of information within the project team and the wider supply chain eco-system - GIS (Geospatial Information System), BIM360, Azure, SharePoint.
Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP) and Task Information Delivery Plan (TIDP) – to manage delivery of information during a project.
Supply chain EIR.
Asset Information Model.
Naming convention.
During the initial period SPA has had to work closely with Anglian Water to ensure that we have the following in place:
Clear information repositories.
Data stewards.
Approved data structures.
Collaborative communication mechanisms.
Appropriate security and authentication checks.
Appropriate Governance.
Clearly defined and agreed processes.
As an early adopter on the Project13 programme (Centre for Digital Built Britain) the relational development of our supply chain eco-system was essential.
All our suppliers complete a Collaboration Request Form (MS Flow Automate), and a BIM Capability Assessment (MS Flow Automate). We work through the SPA Supplier EIR with all partners to share our information management standards and determine how much we need to work with them to ensure the benefits of BIM are realised.
Part of this induction is being clear on the expected deliverables and the format of these, and how they can interact with our common data environment. For all suppliers we set up a dedicated folder in our SharePoint and BIM360 environments for all information exchange and should there be a need for the supplier to access GIS or BIM models we assist them from a technological and behavioural perspective.
We have created an automated OCRA (Originate Check Review Approve) process that SPA end-users use for Quality Assurance (QA) in SharePoint and BIM360. With BIM360 the OCRA workflows functionality is built in, and we can create new, customisable checking procedures at will.
The CDE storage philosophy of project deliverable information is data driven, utilising file metadata to structure, sort, and search for information. ‘Containerisation’ of information utilising subfolder subsystems is kept minimal thereby facilitating a transparency and consistency in the storage of our information across all projects.
A Digital Delivery lead was put in place by SPA as the platform owner for BIM 360 supported by a team of BIM Engineers. The setup, configuration and management of the platform is governed by the BIM Execution Plan and the CAD (Computer Aided Design) strategy.
Throughout the design phase of projects in SPA, the various teams have endeavoured to create, and use coordinated, internally consistent, computable information about the project and provide this information to project stakeholders in the most valuable format possible. Following the statutory process and environmental impact study phases for the initial projects, the project moved towards detailed design with a multi-disciplinary design team. With support from the senior leadership in SPA, the design team have embraced a production-based approach which has entailed the adoption of 3D modelling techniques and BIM workflows.
Data is transferred from analysis and design applications directly into an integrated model, leveraging 3D modelling techniques to enable clash detection, design visualisation and ‘optioneering’ as part of SPA’s Digital Rehearsal approach. The 3D and 2D information models not only serve as a visual communication tool to convey the infrastructure design to the various teams, statutory bodies, and public stakeholders, but was also a vital tool to inform Anglian Water of the development of the assets they will own and operate. The project team have utilised various BIM and GIS technology to enhance and communicate the various constraints (environmental, legislative, physical, ecological, hydraulic, geotechnical etc.) and complex design effectively to all stakeholders. This has been achieved in many formats utilising various software products throughout the project’s life cycle. This will include the use of a virtual reality (VR) gaming engine and the direct importation of the single integrated 3D tunnelling compound model into the GIS environment.
This means that design conflicts are identified and rectified before construction drawings are completed and issued. Similarly, 3D simulations help promote safety and avoid costly inefficiency by identifying potential issues and mitigating against them in advance.
It is estimated that setting up this framework will generate at least £1723k net savings over the project period using BIM. This is estimated by the reduction in individual time saved by designers, as well as project time saved.
It should be noted that there are many non-financial benefits that have also been identified including benefits in safety (better identification of safety changes), to the wellbeing of our staff (reduced driving as collaboration in the model can be remote), and to the environment (reduced Carbon as less miles driven to meetings). There will also be Operational (Opex) savings because of the way that we collate, capture, manage and re-use data within the asset information model. These operational cost savings are yet to be quantified. There are also non-quantifiable benefits expected from a reduction in rework and prolongation.
In conclusion the introduction of BIM techniques has greatly benefitted the Alliance and will continue to do so throughout the project and asset lifecycle.
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Our latest output from the Digital Twin Journeys series is a webcomic by David Sheppard. 'Now We Know' tells the story of a fictional building manager, Hank, who isn't sure how a building digital twin can help him in his work when the existing building management system tells him what he thinks he needs to know.
This same tension plays out around real-world digital twin development, as advocates point to the promise of perfect, right-time information to make better decisions, while others remain unconvinced of the value that digital twins can add. As the West Cambridge Digital Twin research team developed a prototype digital twin, they encountered this barrier, and found that working with the building-manager-as-expert to co-develop digital twin capability is the way to go. While they grounded iterations of the prototype in the building managers' present needs, they were also able to present the potential capability of the digital twin in ways that demonstrated its value. This is mirrored in the fictional narrative of the comic in the consultation between the Cambridge Digital Twin Team expert and the building manager, Hank.
Involving end users, like building occupants and managers, in the design and development of digital twins will ensure that they meet real-world information needs. Both people and data bring value to the whole-life management of assets. Many uncertainties exist in the built environment, and in many cases when pure data-driven solutions get into trouble (e.g. through poor data curation or low data quality), expertise from asset managers can bolster automated and data-driven solutions. Therefore, incorporating the knowledge and expertise of the frontline managers is crucial to good decision-making in building operations.
The benefits of this hybrid approach work in the other direction as well. While the knowledge developed by building managers is often lost when people move on from the role, the digital twin enables the curation of data over time, making it possible to operate buildings beyond the tenure of individual staff members based on quality data.
At present, the knowledge of experienced asset managers in combination with existing building information, is greater than the insights that early-stage digital twins can offer. But that does not mean that the promise of digital twins is a false one. It simply means that there is still a long way to go to realise the vision of right-time, predictive information portrayed in the comic. Digital twin prototypes should be developed in partnership with these experienced stakeholders.
You can read more from the West Cambridge Digital Twin project by visiting their research profile, and find out about more Digital Twin Journeys on the project's homepage.
This research forms part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s (CDBB) work at the University of Cambridge. It was enabled by the Construction Innovation Hub, of which CDBB is a core partner, and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).
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Launching CReDo during the COP26 climate conference was one of the highlights of the year for all of us at the NDTp. Over 200 people joined us for the launch webinar, where we showcased the CReDo film, shared the interactive demonstrator app and heard for the first time from CReDo’s technical architect, @Tom Collingwood.
It felt like a huge milestone to be able to actually demonstrate in a tangible way the kind of dramatic impact that connected digital twins can have and why collaboration is essential. It was encouraging to see how much engagement there was from the audience. We also received a lot of unsolicited, supportive feedback from government and other organisations, recognising how important this work is. One of the main things we’ve taken away from the event is that our message of collaboration is resonating.
CReDo has already led to new engagements, such as an invite to speak to the UK Regulators Network, so it has also provided a useful launchpad to bring us to the attention of other communities who are interested in getting involved.
CReDo continues
A next step is to complete an assessment of what the benefits of CReDO have been for the asset owners. We will then discuss these and other lessons learned in an event in March. Please look out for more details on the DT Hub coming soon.
Gemini Papers
The Gemini papers are a project we kicked off during November in partnership with Arup, who are helping draft the content. The aim of the papers is to be the prospective legacy of the CDBB. They will take all the learnings from the last 3 years of delivery on the National Digital Twin programme and other CDBB programme and consolidate them. It will provide a clear vision and guide on what a National Digital Twin should look like in the future and, importantly, how to get there. The idea is for it be timeless and as relevant in 10 years as it is today.
Theory of Change – Benefits realisation framework
Another project we started in November, with Mott Macdonald, is answering the question, how do you change an industry? This work will explore the mechanisms of change in the NDTp and consolidate earlier work on the change management approach (the intended change), how change was observed over the recent years (the observed change) and describe the most appropriate Theory of Change for the NDTp. It will map previous and current NDTp activities to the ToC and help track benefits going forward.
Ethics Roundtables
There is a continued need to discuss the ethics of using digital twins. To address this we’ve been undertaking a round of workshops, facilitated by Sopra Steria, to delve more deeply in to the Gemini Principles and issues such as trust or geospatial data and inference risk, to name a few. The outputs from the report were published on the DT Hub in conjunction with Tech UK’s Digital Ethics Summit on December 8th.
A goodbye
Before I sign off, I want to say a big thank you to @Samuel A Chorltonfor his leadership of the DT Hub. He has been involved from the very start and set the tone for the DT Hub team, building a collaborative, positive ethos. He has remained passionate about the project throughout and led us to where we are today with over 3,000 members. He’s been great to work with and we wish him all the best in his next adventure into fatherhood! I am pleased to say that he will still be staying on as an advisor.
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Produce a benefits report and valuation for the National Digital Twin Climate Resilience Demonstrator (CReDo)
In brief
Calling valuation experts who like a challenge. How would you value data and resilience? Help us assess and quantify the benefits of CReDo and articulate the direct and indirect benefits of a CReDo-type approach to climate adaptation. Access the tender documents here: University of Cambridge Electronic Tendering Site - Project Manage - Tender (in-tendhost.co.uk)
Register interest through the link by 14 December and submit proposals by 4 January.
Background
The Credo project started in April 2021 and is funded by UKRI until 31 March 2022. The benefits assessment covers both this period and the future value of Credo if it is continued and scaled up over the coming years. The scaling up aspect of Credo as part of the National Digital Twin should relate to the benefits realisation framework work being carried out by consultants appointed by the National Digital Twin programme under a separate contract also due to complete by 31 March 2022.
Tender outline
The benefits assessment should assess the value of the minimum viable product developed by the Credo technical team and the value of the findings and lessons learnt generated by Credo for the period April 2021 to March 2022 for both the participating asset owners and the wider DT Hub community. The benefits assessment should also explore the benefits of applying the IMF approach in this initial phase of Credo and in future phases of Credo, in terms of enabling asset owners to improve their levels of information management and in terms of developing a scalable, replicable approach to connected datasets and digital twins. Credo is developing future best practice in connecting datasets and digital twins and the valuation should seek to quantify the value of this future best practice.
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The climate emergency and the transition to a net zero economy means businesses, governments and individuals need access to new information to ensure that we can mitigate and adapt to the effects of environmental and climate change. Environmental Intelligence will be a critical tool in tackling the climate and ecological crises, and will support us as we move towards more sustainable interaction with the natural environment, and delivery of net zero.
Environmental Intelligence is a fast-developing new field that brings together Environmental data and knowledge with Artificial Intelligence to provide the meaningful insight to inform decision-making, improved risk management, and the technological innovation that will lead us towards a sustainable interaction with the natural environment. It is inherently inter-disciplinary and brings together research in environment, climate, society, economics, human health, complex eco-systems, data science and AI.
The Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence (JCEEI) is a world-leading collaboration between the UK Met Office and the University of Exeter, together with The Alan Turing Institute and other strategic regional and national collaborators. This centre of excellence brings together internationally renowned expertise and assets in climate change and biodiversity, with data science, digital innovation, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
The JCEEI’s Climate Impacts Mitigation, Adaption and Resilience (CLIMAR) framework uses Data Science and AI to integrate multiple sources of data to quantify and visualise the risks of climate change on populations, infrastructure and the economy in a form that will be accessible to a wide variety of audiences, including policy makers, businesses and the public.
CLIMAR is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC; https://www.ipcc.ch) risk model that conceptualises the risk of climate-related impacts as the result of the interaction of climate-related hazards (including hazardous events and trends) with the vulnerability and exposure of human and natural systems. Hazards are defined as ‘the potential occurrence of a natural or human-induced physical event or trend or physical impact that may cause loss of life, injury, or other health impacts as well as manage and loss to property, infrastructure, livelihoods, service proposition, ecosystems, and environmental services.’; exposures ‘The presence of people, livelihoods, species or ecosystems, environmental functions, services, and resource, infrastructure, or economic, social or cultural assets in places and settings that could be adversely affected.’; and vulnerability ‘The propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected’, which encompasses sensitivity or susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt.
A mathematical model is used to express the risk of a climate related impact, e.g. an adverse health outcome associated with increased temperatures or a building flooding in times of increased precipitation. Risk is defined as the probability that an event happens in a defined time period and location and is a combination of the probabilities of the hazard occurring together with probability models for exposure and vulnerability. In the simplest case, the probabilities (of hazard, exposure and vulnerability) would be treated as independent, but in reality the situation is much more complex and the different components will often be dependent on each other), which requires conditional probability models to be used. For example people’s exposures to environmental hazards (e.g. air pollution) may be dependent on their vulnerability (e.g. existing health conditions.
The UKCP18 high-resolution climate projections are used to inform models for hazards and provide information on how the climate of the UK may change over the 21st century (https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/approach/collaboration/ukcp/index). This enables the exploration of future changes in daily and hourly extremes (e.g. storms, summer downpours, severe wind gusts), hydrological impacts modelling (e.g. flash floods) and climate change for cities (e.g. urban extremes). The headline results from UKCP18 are a greater chance of warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers, along with an increase in the frequency and intensity of extremes. By the end of the 21st century, all areas of the UK are projected to be warmer and hot summers are expected to become more common. The projections also suggest significant increases in hourly precipitation extremes, with the rainfall associated with an event that occurs typically once every 2 years increasing by 25%, and the frequency of days with hourly rainfall > 30 mm/h almost doubling, by the 2070s; increasing from the UK average of once every 10 years now to almost once every 5 years.
CLIMAR is currently being used in a range of real-world applications based on the UKCP18 projections across sectors that will be affected by changes in the climate, including energy system security, telecommunications, critical infrastructure, water and sewage networks, and health. Two examples are:
working with Bristol City Council on the effects of climate change on urban heat, inequalities between population groups and the efficacy of methods for adapting building stock (e.g. improved ventilation, double glazing) to keep people cool, and safe, in periods of extreme heat;
working with a consortium led by the National Digital Twin Programme and the Centre for Digital Built Britain to develop a Climate Resilience Demonstrator, integrating climate projections with asset information and operational models to develop a Digital Twin that can be used to assess the future risks of flooding on critical infrastructure including energy, communications and water and sewage networks. This will provide a step-change in our understanding of the potential effects of climate change on critical infrastructure and demonstrates the power of inter-disciplinary partnerships, spanning academia and industry, that will be crucial in unlocking the enormous potential for Digital Twins to enhance our resilience to climate change across a wide variety of sectors.
For further information on CLIMAR and associated projects, please see https://jceei.org/projects/climar/ and for information on the National Digital Twin Climate Resilience Demonstrator (CreDo) see https://digitaltwinhub.co.uk/projects/credo/
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Ahead of the inaugural General Assembly of the Global BIM Network, Adam Mathews, Head of International, Centre for Digital Built Britain and Chair of the Global BIM Network, sets out the benefits of collaboration between public sector organisations to advance the digital transformation of the construction sector and the built environment.
Attend the General Assembly of the Global BIM Network 2 December 2021
Registration is free - click here.
The Global BIM Network brings together public sector organisations from countries in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Australia to accelerate the digitalisation of the built environment through the use of BIM across the construction and infrastructure sector. This collaborative approach aims to create better outcomes for all people and places.
Building on the Network’s mission to support international public sector representatives and multilateral organisations on the road to digitalisation, the Call for Knowledge went live in August this year. Ongoing, the Call for Knowledge is building an open access online repository and evidence base – the Global BIM Network’s Information Collection– comprising submissions of informative and valuable resources from across the global public sector, to include guidance documentation, protocols, operational manuals, case studies, tools, training materials and other references that share knowledge of local, national and regional digital transformation journeys.
By working together and sharing best practice, knowledge and experience, all countries and regions that are part of the Global BIM Network can advance digitalisation strategies that deliver more sustainable, efficient and cost-effective infrastructure to communities around the world. This collaborative approach also avoids duplication of efforts and fosters common standards and policies to increase shared global benefits.
The Network is growing. The launch at the online Global BIM Summit in March 2021 saw public sector representatives speak about their in-country experiences implementing BIM and the societal benefits including improved transparency, efficiency, sustainability and resilience. Importantly, the Network provides policy makers and infrastructure investors with an opportunity to come together to discuss the challenges and identify common solutions with peers around the world.
Further extending the our reach, next month marks the Network’s first General Assembly meeting where the Global BIM Network’s Roadmap for the Global Built Environment will be presented to public and private sector representatives from more than 40 countries across the world. The Roadmap has been co-created by Network members to support public sector leadership efforts to collaborate with industry on the critical opportunity of digitalisation in response to the pandemic. It aims to drive inclusive growth through capacity building and knowledge transfer across borders. The programme of work will be delivered collectively by the Network and will amplify current bilateral and regional efforts to harmonise digital technical standards, promoting the sharing of best practice for infrastructure policy, investment and procurement. This, in turn, will enable private sector companies to work with each other, growing commercial opportunities and ultimately, to better deliver the world’s infrastructure.
The General Assembly will convene policy makers, public procurers and infrastructure investors in three panel sessions. The first of these will discuss the strategic development of cost benefit methodologies that demonstrate the value of BIM implementation in public sector funded projects. The second will turn to procurement practices around the world, from developing a national or subnational strategy at the policy level to deliver better infrastructure through BIM and information management, to practical steps to implementing BIM through public procurement. The third panel will consider how government and industry are working together to drive benefits for people and places providing an overview of developing national strategies to deliver better infrastructure through BIM.
The panels feature key representatives from the EU BIM Task Group, Inter-American Development Bank, Office of Projects Victoria in Australia, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Planbim CORFO in Chile, National Institute of Building Sciences in the USA, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the UK, the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, Colombia, and UNOPS. An opportunity to hear from public sector leaders from across the world and to gain valuable insights into the global sector’s digital transition, the General Assembly is a moment to reflect on the leadership shown by the public sector on this agenda and to look ahead to the next phase.
I very much hope you will join us at the General Assembly and be a part of the Global BIM Network. When countries collaborate to advance their digital transformation initiatives for the built environment, the benefits are there to be shared.
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Related links:
• Register to attend the free online General Assembly of the Global BIM Network, 2 December, 14.00 GMT, 09.00 EST, 15.00 CET, 19.00 IST, 23.00 JST here.
• Read more about General Assembly speakers and moderators here.
• Contribute to the Global BIM Network’s Call for Knowledge here.
• The Global BIM Network is supported by the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and the Construction Innovation Hub and global partners, including, the Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), EU BIM Task Group and the BIM Network of Latin American Governments. The UK’s Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) is the delivery partner and convener for the UK.
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When we travel by train, we expect that we will arrive at our destination safely and on time. Safety and performance of their service network is therefore a key priority for Network Rail. Our latest video in the Digital Twin Journeys series tells the story of how researchers have inherited two intensively instrumented bridges and are transforming that high volume and velocity of data into a digital twin showing the wear and pressures on the bridges, as well as other information that can help the asset owners predict when maintenance will be required and meet their key priorities.
Remote monitoring has several benefits over using human inspectors alone. Sensors reduce the subjectivity of monitoring. Factors such as light levels, weather and variations in alertness can change the subjective assessments made by human inspectors. They may also be able to identify issues arising before visual inspection can detect them by monitoring the stresses on the bridge. A human inspector will still be sent to site to follow up on what the remote sensing has indicated, and engineers will of course still need to perform maintenance. However, remote monitoring allows the asset owners to be smarter about how these human resources are deployed.
One important insight for Network Rail is based on more accurate data about the loads the bridges are experiencing, and the research team have developed a combination of sensors to make a Bridge Weigh-In-Motion (B-WIM) Technology. As shown in the video, a combination of tilt sensors, bridge deformation and axle location sensors to calculate the weight of passing trains. As the accuracy of weight prediction data is impacted by changes to ambient humidity and temperature, sensors were added that detect these factors as well. Accelerometers were added to calculate rotational restraints at the boundary conditions to improve the accuracy of weight predictions and cameras were installed so that passing trains can be categorised by analysing the video footage.
The digital twin of the Staffordshire Bridges centres on a physics-based model for conducting structural analysis and load-carrying capacity assessments. The site-specific information, such as realistic loading conditions obtained by the sensors, will be fed into the physics-based model to simulate the real structure and provide the outputs of interest. A digital twin replica of the structure will be able to provide bridge engineers with any parameter of interest anywhere on the structure, including in non-instrumented locations.
All of the sensors on these bridges produce a high volume of data at a high velocity. Without data curation, we could easily be overwhelmed by the volume of data they produce, but the research team is learning to narrow down to managing the right data in ways that provide the right insights at the right time. Working with Network Rail, this project will demonstrate the use of real-time data analytics integrated with digital twins to provide useful information to support engineers and asset managers to schedule proactive maintenance programmes and optimise future designs, increasing safety and reliability across their whole portfolio of assets.
You can read more from the Staffordshire Bridges project by visiting their research profile.
This research forms part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s (CDBB) work at the University of Cambridge. It was enabled by the Construction Innovation Hub, of which CDBB is a core partner, and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).
To see more from the Digital Twin Journeys series, see the homepage on the CDBB website.
A new infographic, enabled by the Construction Innovation Hub, is published today to bring to life a prototype digital twin of the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) on the West Cambridge campus. Xiang Xie and Henry Fenby-Taylor discuss the infographic and lessons learned from the project.
The research team for the West Cambridge Digital Twin project has developed a digital twin that allows various formats of building data to function interoperably, enabling better insights and optimisation for asset managers and better value per whole life Pound.
The graphic centres the asset manager as a decision maker as a vital part of this process, and illustrates that each iteration improves the classification and refinement of the data. It also highlights challenges and areas for future development, showing that digital twin development is an ongoing journey, not finite destination.
The process of drawing data from a variety of sources into a digital twin and transforming it into insights goes through an iterative cycle of:
Sense/Ingest - use sensor arrays to collect data, or draw on pre-existing static data, e.g. a geometric model of the building
Classify - label, aggregate, sort and describe data
Refine - select what data is useful to the decision-maker at what times and filter it into an interface designed to provide insights
Decide – use insights to weigh up options and decide on further actions
Act/Optimise - feed changes and developments to the physical and digital twins to optimise both building performance and the effectiveness of the digital twin at supporting organisational goals.
Buildings can draw data from static building models, quasi-dynamic building management systems and smart sensors, all with different data types, frequencies and formats. This means that a significant amount of time and resources are needed to manually search, query, verify and analyse building data that is scattered across different databases, and this process can lead to errors.
The aim of the West Cambridge Digital Twin research facility project is to integrate data from these various sources and automate the classification and refinement for easier, more timely decision-making. In their case study, the team has created a digital twin based on a common data environment (CDE) that is able to integrate data from a variety of sources. The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema is used to capture the building geometry information, categorising building zones and the components they contain. Meanwhile, a domain vocabulary and taxonomy describe how the components function together as a system to provide building services.
The key to achieving this aim was understanding the need behind the building management processes already in place. This meant using the expertise and experience of the building manager to inform the design of a digital twin that was useful and usable within those processes. This points to digital twin development as a socio-technical project, involving culture change, collaboration and alignment with strategic aims, as well as technical problem solving.
In the future, the team wants to develop twins that can enhance the environmental and economic performance of buildings. Further research is also needed to improve the automation at the Classify and Refine stages so they continue to get better at recognising what information is needed to achieve organisational goals.
You can read more from the West Cambridge Digital Twin project by visiting their research profile.
This research forms part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s (CDBB) work at the University of Cambridge. It was enabled by the Construction Innovation Hub, of which CDBB is a core partner, and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).
To see more from the Digital Twin Journeys series, see the homepage on the CDBB website.
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Continuity through change
I have recently passed the mark of having led the Digital Twin Hub for 2 years from its point of inception to passing its 3000-member point. It has been a hugely exciting and rewarding endeavour one of which I have been hugely passionate about and had the privilege to learn from a huge amount from. Digital Twins are crucial to a sustainable and prosperous future and the Digital Twin hub has provided a forum for a community to centralise to support this aim. What is clear is the huge value in the community and the real enthusiasm there is to see this area develop further. Just as when we started, we still maintain the mantra of progressing through sharing and succeeding together. Today, however marks a change in the guard as I look to step back from leading the digital twin hub as my own family looks to grow.
To ensure continuity, I am passing the baton as DT Hub Chair to Tom Hughes, who will be taking over from me in mid-November. Tom has been invaluable as our DT Hub Delivery Lead and an integral part of getting us to where we are. As a subject matter expert in this space, he has been able to accurately understand and represent the perspectives of the community. He’s also very technically focused which has been crucial in terms of progressing the Hub as a technical platform. He’s very well placed to provide a good perspective on how we progress in this next stage of the DT Hub. I asked him what his priorities were coming in to this new role:
“I am proud of the achievements that we have made over the last two years; connecting people, enabling the sharing of knowledge and continual improvement of the DT Hub platform itself. These continue as my core priorities, and I hope to enable the DT Hub community to flourish.”
Community engagement
A very welcome new addition to the team is Claire Dowdall, our Community Manager who has a wealth of experience running online communities. She is already busy embedding herself in the community and is here to support members, encourage collaboration and provide an excellent experience for everyone. Do contact her with any questions or suggestions or just to introduce yourself as she would love to hear from you.
Digital twin roadblocks
We hosted the first of our workshops drilling down in to some of the main challenges in digital twin adoption. Participants generated 105 roadblocks in total, demonstrating the real need there is for collaboration on solving these issues. These were further narrowed down in to 5 main roadblocks:
Data issues
Governance and guidance
Vision and value
Need and want
Readiness
There was plenty of discussion both in the workshop and on the DT Hub discussion thread afterwards and it’s not too late to chime in with your own experience and add anything you feel is missing. The next workshops will focus on prioritising these challenges and looking at how as a community we can solve them.
Smart Infrastructure Index
For the second year running we’ve just launched this extremely useful tool for DT Hub members to measure their digital maturity and benchmark progress against peers. It takes just 15 minutes to complete and you will receive an instant personalised report including a score and targeted recommendations. If you haven’t already, now is the chance to Start your Smart Infrastructure Index assessment here.
A goodbye from me
It is on this note that I wish to express my sincere thanks to both the team at the National Digital Twin Programme and the community in enabling and allowing me to support this initiative. It’s been my absolute privilege to be involved in a project that has such potential to deliver huge value. When I think of where we were when we started to where we are today it is quite amazing. I have particularly enjoyed taking part in all of the conferences, talks and events we have been able to deliver over the last two years and seeing it surpass its 3000th member was something I didn't imagine to see so soon.
It has been fantastic to be part of progressing something I have genuinely believed in and working alongside some incredible people. It’s a great team and special thanks go to @Alexandra Robasto who has really been the lynch pin that has held the hub together.
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Digital twins enable asset owners to use better information at the right time to make better decisions. Exploring the early stages of a digital twin journey – understanding the information need – are Staffordshire Bridges researcher Dr Farhad Huseynov and Head of Information Management Henry Fenby-Taylor.
Network Rail manages over 28,000 bridges, with many being more than 150 years old. The primary means of evaluating the condition of the bridges is through two assessment programmes; visual examination and Strength Capability Assessment. Every conceivable form of bridge construction is represented across Network Rail’s portfolio of assets, from simple stone slabs to large estuary crossings, such as the Forth Bridge. Managing a portfolio of this diversity with frequent and extensive assessments is a considerable challenge.
Condition monitoring
The current process for condition monitoring involves visual examination by engineers and takes place every year, along with a more detailed examination every six years. The visual inspection provides a qualitative outcome and does not directly predict the bridge strength; it is conducted to keep a detailed record of visible changes that may indicate deterioration. The load-carrying capacity of bridges is evaluated every five years through a Strength Capability Assessment, conducted in three levels of detail:
Level 1 is the simplest, using safety assumptions known to be conservatively over-cautious (i.e. 1-dimensional structural idealisation).
Level 2 involves refined analysis and better structural idealisation (i.e. grillage model). This level may also include the use of data on material strength based on recent material tests, etc.
Level 3 is the most sophisticated level of assessment, requiring bridge-specific traffic loading information based on a statistical model of the known traffic.
Understanding the information and insights that asset owners require helps shape what data is needed and how frequently it should be collected – two essential factors in creating infrastructure that is genuinely smart. During the discussions with Network Rail, the research team found that Level 3 assessment is only used in exceptional circumstances. This is because there is no active live train load monitoring system on the network; hence there is no site-specific traffic loading information available for the majority of bridges. Instead, bridges failing Level 2 assessment are typically put under weight and/or speed restrictions, reducing their ability to contribute to the network. This means that there is potentially huge value in providing Level 3 assessment at key sites with greater frequency.
Digital twins for condition assessment
The Stafford Area Improvement Programme was setup to remove a bottleneck in the West Coast Main Line that resulted in high-speed trains being impeded by slower local passenger and goods trains. To increase network capacity and efficiency, a major upgrade of the line was undertaken, including the construction of 10 new bridges. Working with Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, Volker Rail and Network Rail, a research team including the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC), the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) and the Laing O’Rourke (LOR) Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology at the University of Cambridge is collaborating with Network Rail to find a digital twin solution for effective condition monitoring.
Two bridges in the scheme were built with a variety of different sensors to create a prototype that would enable the team to understand their condition, performance and utilisation. Both bridges were densely instrumented with fibre optic sensors during construction, enabling the creation of a digital twin of the bridges in use. The digital twin’s objective is to provide an effective condition monitoring tool for asset and route managers, using the sensor array to generate data and derive insights.
Identifying challenges and solutions
Meetings were held with key stakeholders including route managers and infrastructure engineers at Network Rail to learn the main challenges they face in maintaining their bridge stock, and to discover what information they would ideally like to obtain from an effective condition monitoring tool. The team liaised closely with the key stakeholders throughout to make sure that they were developing valuable insights.
Through discussions with Network Rail about the team’s work on the two instrumented bridges in the Staffordshire Bridges project the following fundamental issues and expected outcomes were identified:
A better understanding of asset risks: How can these be predicted? What precursors can be measured and detected?
A better understanding of individual asset behaviour
Development of sensor technology with a lifespan and maintenance requirement congruent with the assets that they are monitoring
How structural capability be calculated instantly on the receipt of new data from the field
Development of a holistic system for the overall health monitoring and prognosis of structures assets
Realistic traffic population data in the UK railway network. (Can this be predicted with sufficient accuracy for freight control and monitoring purposes?)
To address these issues, the team instrumented one of the bridges with the following additional sensors, which, combined, produce a rich dataset:
Rangefinder sensors to obtain the axle locations.
A humidity and temperature sensor to improve the accuracy of weight predictions against variations in ambient temperature.
Accelerometers to calculate rotational restraints at the boundary conditions and therefore improve the accuracy of weight predictions.
Cameras to categorise passing trains.
Data from these sensors feeds into a finite element model structural analysis digital twin that interprets the data and provides a range of insights about the performance of the bridge and the actual strain it has been put under.
Applying insights to other bridges
Significantly, information from the instrumented bridge sites is relevant to adjacent bridges on the same line. Having one bridge instrumented on a specific route would enable Level 3 assessment for other structures in their portfolio and those of other asset owners, including retaining walls, culverts, and other associated structures. Just as the new bridges relieved a service bottleneck, digital twins can resolve procedural and resource bottlenecks by enabling insights to be drawn about the condition of other assets that weren’t instrumented.
This is a valuable insight for those developing their own digital twins, because given that one bridge is instrumented it follows that where trains cannot have diverted course, then any other bridges along that same stretch of track will be undergoing the same strain from the same trains. This insight will enable teams implementing sensors to be able to efficiently implement a sensor network across their own assets.
One of the outcomes of the Staffordshire Bridges project is development towards a holistic approach for the overall health monitoring and prognosis of bridge stocks. Such changes improve workforce safety by reducing the requirement for costly site visits while maintaining a healthy bridge network.
You can read more from the Staffordshire Bridges project by visiting their research profile.
This research forms part of the Centre for Digital Built Britain’s (CDBB) work at the University of Cambridge. It was enabled by the Construction Innovation Hub, of which CDBB is a core partner, and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF).
To keep up with the Digital Twin Journeys project, check out the Digital Twin Journeys home page.
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‘CReDo is a small step to something potentially huge. It is something tangible that people can see and interact with, taking away the mystique of digital twins’, Matt Webb, Head of Enterprise Data, UK Power Networks
The message coming out of the National Digital Twin programme’s webinar, ‘Increasing our climate resilience through connected digital twins’, is that working together is vital for safeguarding our future. The CReDo project leads the way in showing how collaboration and the sharing of data can dramatically improve our resilience to extreme weather conditions caused by climate change.
Held at the same time as the COP26 climate conference, the webinar on 2 November 2021 launched the Climate Resilience Demonstrator (CReDo) to over 220 attendees from 17 countries and multiple industry sectors. It introduced the CReDo team and collaboration partners and covered the scope of the project, also hosting a panel interview and open Q&A session.
Chaired by Arup’s Global Digital Energy / Digital Twin Leader and Gemini Call Chair, Simon Evans, the event began with the internet premiere of the new CReDo film, a poignant piece about the climate emergency and how it affects us all, especially the most vulnerable. The film offers a view of a world where engineers can make critical decisions based on data from connected digital twins, and improve resilience in a way which makes a difference to people’s lives.
CReDo project lead, Sarah Hayes, reflected on the reality of the film and explained how CReDo is developing a climate change adaptation digital twin looking at the impact of flooding on infrastructure interdependencies across energy, water and telecoms networks. Alongside, Sarah introduced the CReDo app, produced by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI UK), which invites users to see how connected digital twins can change outcomes for those faced with extreme weather in the fictional town of Sunford City. Sarah explained how the app has been developed to show what a CReDo digital twin can do and that both the film and the app are based on the same fictional storm Ruby, a storm caused by climate change. The app was developed with manufactured data to present a realistic scenario that asset owners could be faced with.
Behind the scenes, the technical team is working with the real data to develop the CReDo digital twin. CReDo Technical Architect, Tom Collingwood summarised the key elements of the project, which bring together climate projection data with flood data, and asset data to calculate system impact to inform a greater understanding of the system effects caused by asset failure. These insights can then be used to inform decisions concerning operational and capital planning to increase resilience across the infrastructure system as a whole. The digital twin demonstrator will show the bigger picture about what can be achieved through knowledge exchange and cross-sectoral cooperation. ‘We’re talking about people, and that’s what matters at the end of the day,’ Tom said, bringing his presentation on the challenges and successes of CReDo’s technical approach to a close.
CReDo project partners, represented by Tom Burgoyne, Anglian Water; Louise Krug, BT; Matt Webb, UK Power Networks; and Tamar Loach, Connected Places Catapult, agree that the ambition relies on close collaboration and a joined-up approach to make it work. Data sharing between networks, enabled using an information management framework, will help us to create resilient infrastructure systems and allow us to adapt to extreme weather events caused by climate change. The active Q&A session underlined the need for the CReDo approach, emphasising the opportunities that joined-up systems and processes can deliver to this sector and others in reducing risk. Robin Pinning from the Hartree Centre, part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, noted the need for culture change in understanding and in recognising the value of data, along with a drive for investment. One further topic, data security, is also at the forefront of everyone’s minds and CReDo is working towards establishing the framework to cover technical, legal, procedural and security concerns and applying federated access protocols.
‘Data and information are going to be key in mitigating climate change. Bringing that data together in digital twins is going to propel us to enhance resilience,’ Gavin Shaddick, Joint Centre for Excellence in Environmental Intelligence
The expectation is that CReDo will be scalable to other networks, contexts and locations. Gavin spoke live from COP26, having seen at the conference a real understanding that data sharing in order to inform a bigger picture view is an important theme in developing resilience, adaptation and the pathway to Net Zero.
There is no doubt that there will be technical challenges but desire for cross-sector collaboration for data sharing is growing fast. Gavin told the webinar, ‘Work that is going into CReDo on data interoperability and information management is directly transferable and this will make connecting digital twins much easier, both from the technological point of view and the learning in the non-technical aspects including data sharing agreements, how these are formulated and how to involve people in wide interdisciplinary groups’. Robert Pinning supports this view and believes that the project will translate easily to industry and the public sector, acting to speed up adoption of new projects and use cases.
‘There is a need to develop more use cases like CReDo to show the value that can be derived from digital twins,’ Tamar Loach, Technology Initiative Director, Connected Places Catapult.
Ultimately, demonstrating the value will be down to collaborative effort across academia and industry, public and private sectors, within regions and nations, and globally. As this climate resilience project and similar use cases for connected digital twins catalyse action and enable change, then as a society we will be better positioned to adapt and respond to the challenges that face us.
The CReDo team at the National Digital Twin programme would like to thank Simon Evans, the invited panel and the webinar guests for their valuable contributions at this event.
For more information, contact Rachel Judson, credo@cdbb.cam.ac.uk
Watch the webinar recording:
View the CReDo film and try the app
The bigger and more complicated the engineering problem, the more likely it is to have a digital twin. Firms that build rockets, planes and ships, for example, have been creating digital twins since the early 2000s, seeing significant operational efficiencies and cost-savings as a result. To date, however, few firms have been able to realise the full potential of this technology by using it to develop new value-added services for their customers. This article describes a framework designed to help scale the value of digital twins beyond operational efficiency towards new revenue streams.
In spite of the hype surrounding digital twins, there is little guidance for executives to help them make sense of the business opportunities the technology presents, beyond cost savings and operational efficiencies.
Many businesses are keen to get a greater return on their digital twins’ investment by capitalising on the innovation – and revenue generating - opportunities that may arise from a deeper understanding of how customers use their products. However, because very few firms are making significant progress in this regard, there is no blueprint to follow. New business models are evolving but the business opportunities for suppliers, technology partners and end-users is yet to be fully documented.
Most businesses will be familiar with the business model canvas as a tool to identify current and future business model opportunities. Our 4 Values (4Vs) framework for digital twins is a more concise version of the tool, developed to help executives better understand potential new business models. It was designed from a literature review and validated and modified through industry interviews.
The 4Vs framework covers: the value proposition for the product or service being offered, the value architecture or the infrastructure that the firm creates and maintains in order to generate sustainable revenues; the value network representing the firm’s infrastructure and network of partners needed to create value and to maintain good customer relationships; and value finance such as cost and revenue structures.
Four types of digital twin business models
From extensive interviews with middle and top management on services offered by digital twins, we identified four different types of business models and applied our 4Vs approach to understand how those models are configured and how they generate value.
Brokers
These were all found in information, data and system services industries. Their value proposition is to provide a data marketplace that orchestrates the different players in the ecosystem and provides anonymised performance data from, for example, vehicle engines or heating systems for buildings. Value Finance consists of recurring monthly revenues levied through a platform which itself takes a fee and allocates gives the rest according to the partnership arrangements.
Maintenance-optimisers
This business model is prevalent in the world of complex assets, such as chemical processing plants and buildings. Its value proposition lies in providing additional insights to the customer on the maintenance of their assets to provide just-in-time services. What-if analysis and scenario planning are used to augment the services provided with the physical asset that is sold. Value Architecture is both open and closed, as these firms play in ecosystems but also create their own. They control the supply chain, how they design the asset, how they test it and deliver it. The Value Network consists of strategic partners in process modelling, 3D visualisation, CAD, infrastructure and telecommunications. Value Finance includes software and services which provide a good margin within a subscription model. Clients are more likely to take add-on services that show significant cost savings.
Uptime assurers
This business model tends to be found in the transport sector, where it’s important to maximise the uptime of the aircraft, train or vehicle.
The value proposition centres on keeping these vehicles operational, either through predictive maintenance for vehicle/aircraft fleet management and, in the case of HGVs, route optimisation. Value Architecture is transitioning from closed to open ecosystems. There are fewer lock-in solutions as customers increasingly want an ecosystems approach. Typically, it is distributors, head offices and workshops that interact with the digital twin rather than the end-customer. The Value Network is open at the design and assembly lifecycle stages but becomes closed during sustainment phases. For direct customers digital twins are built in-house and are therefore less reliant on third-party solutions. Value Finance is focused on customers paying a fee to maximise the uptime of the vehicle or aircraft, guaranteeing, for example, access five days a week between certain hours.
Mission assurers
This business model focuses on delivering the necessary outcome to the customers. It tends to be found with government clients in the defense and aerospace sector. Value propositions are centered around improving efficacy of support and maintenance/ operator insight and guaranteeing mission success or completion. These business models suffer from a complex landscape of ownership for integrators of systems as much of the data does not make it to sustainment stages.
Value Architecture is designed to deliver a series of digital threads in a decentralised manner. Immersive technologies are used for training purposes or improved operator experience. Value Network is more closed than open as these industries focus on critical missions of highly secure assets. Therefore, service providers are more security minded and careful of relying on third-party platforms for digital twin services. Semi-open architecture is used to connect to different hierarchies of digital twins/digital threads. Value Finance revealed that existing pricing models, contracts and commercial models are not yet necessarily mature enough to transition into platform-based revenue models. Insights as a service is a future direction but challenging at the moment, with the market not yet mature for outcome-based pricing.
For B2B service-providers who are looking to generate new revenue from their digital twins, it is important to consider how the business model should be configured and identify major barriers to their success. Our research found that the barriers most often cited were cost, cybersecurity, cultural acceptance of the technology, commercial or market needs and, perhaps most significantly, a lack of buy-in from business leaders. Our 4Vs framework has been designed to help those leaders arrive at a better understanding of the business opportunities digital twin services can provide. We hope this will drive innovation and help digital twins realise their full business potential.
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Our research to date has been through in-depth qualitative interviews across industry but we wish to expand this research and gather quantitative information on specific business model outcomes from digital twins across industry.
If you would like to support this research and learn more about the business model outcomes from digital twins, then please participate in our survey!
Take part in our survey here: https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0PXRkrDsXwtCnXg
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