On the Notion of Digital Twins: A Modeling Perspective

A digital twin is a digital replica of a physical entity that can be remotely controlled, which allows for sophisticated control for a variety of reasons. Digital twins are made possible using various technologies such as Internet of Things, sensor technology, artificial intelligence, data science, and machine learning. With this, it represents a new stage in smart systems engineering. Developing digital twin-based systems necessitates a holistic system engineering approach in which modeling is critical. Various studies have been published on the notion of digital twins and its applications in various domains, but a modeling perspective has not been explicitly considered. Hence, this article provides a novel insight on the notion of digital twins from a modeling perspective, describing the evolution of modeling in engineering and likewise providing a rational basis for digital twins as a next logical step in modeling. A metamodel is provided that integrates the key concepts of systems engineering, digital twins, and modeling. While elaborating on the existing evolution of modeling in engineering, it is stated that the next step of digital twins will be artificial twins.