On a smaller scale, the prospect of digitally twinned workplaces, already a passion project for many forward-thinking facility managers, has been brought forward by the COVID-19 crisis . The value of modelling social distanced occupancy rates, airflow, elevator capacities, touchless surfaces, and footfall through the “new reality” office scarcely requires explanation. It will be vital for employers to be able to show that their workplaces are safe for employees.
This point speaks to the principal merit of digital twins: they do not simply simulate a fixed situation or moment in time; they promise perpetual, predictive analysis. For instance, corrective interventions in the operation of multi-tenanted real estate can be incremental, timely and unintrusive. A digital twin effectively enables one to see into the future and identify where and when faults are likely to occur. This allows for fully optimised, diagnostic maintenance, rather than the reactive model with which we are all far too familiar.
The potential for cost savings and waste avoidance is incalculable. What’s more, the gains are scalable. A truly city-wide digital twin would most likely take the form of a system-of-systems, a networked grid of twins, each with an individual and collective raison d’etre. From there, municipal leaders can model scenarios to make predictions regarding an uncertain future. These forecasts could include the effect of population change on public transport networks, or the impact of climate events on densely populated commercial and residential neighbourhoods.
The COVID-19 crisis has occasioned an urban exodus – particularly across Europe and North America. If one digital twin can help people overcome their back-to-workplace misgivings, couldn’t a city-wide network of digital twins dispel back-to-the-metropolis anxieties? Imagine how different the world might look today if, 18 months ago, local officials in Hubei province had been able to “wargame” a viral outbreak scenario using a digital twin of downtown Wuhan.