- Before we jump off of the topic
of building information models
and on to more digital concepts,
I want to introduce you to the concept of the digital twin.
Now I think this is more of a property management tool
and an operations and maintenance tool
than it is a tool for the AEC industry.
But I often hear the term digital twin used interchangeably
with the term BIM.
This is incorrect but they are very closely related,
so I wanted to include a short discussion here.
We've already defined and discussed BIM.
A digital twin has many of the same characteristics
of a building information model.
It's generally considered to be a 3D digital model
of the building, structure, or facility.
It contains detailed data like ONM manuals
and warranty documentation.
But to be used as a true digital twin,
this model needs additional capabilities.
It needs to be able
to capture current building operational status.
Things like energy usage, repair status,
and building updates.
Essentially this digital model
does exactly what the name implies.
It becomes a living virtual active copy
of the real structure showing you its status at any time.
I think that the way that you get a digital twin out
of a construction project is that you start
by specifying 6D level three BIM on a project.
Everyone has to contribute to the model so it's complete
and the model has to be created
with that additional functionality in mind.
However,
if the requirement is to turn over a true digital twin
to the owner upon completion and handoff,
there's a lot more to consider.
The building may need additional sensors tied
to the model to provide status and operational inputs.
The model will have to be transferred
to a software application that's designed for this use.
The software will not be the same as the design software.
So someone's going to have to go through the steps
of transferring the building information model
into the digital twin software application.
All of these considerations need
to be addressed very early on in the project planning
if you want this to be successful.
Please be careful about saying things like,
"We're doing all this in BIM
so you'll have a digital twin at the end of the job."
This is just not necessarily true.
Again, manage those expectations and watch the terminology.
There can be many owner expectations
when you're actually discussing a digital twin.
These all have to be addressed and assigned to someone
and there is certainly a cost involved here.
I think the concept of a digital twin
is a fascinating topic,
and I think we can create the foundation
for a digital twin during construction
by adopting BIM at a higher level
and setting the proper expectations
for all of our project members.
However like I said earlier,
a digital twin is really meant
to be an operations and maintenance tool,
which is outside the scope of this course
and it's a little outside of my area of expertise.
If you do want to learn more about the concept
of digital twins though,
make sure to check out our course
on LinkedIn Learning called Introduction to Digital Twins.