Smart cities with digital twin systems for disaster management

The use of law, the main tool for implementing policy, to regulate and coordinate disaster management, preparedness and response systems features in many jurisdictions. Also, international guidance on the use of effective laws and policies, which emphasize taking on board critical stakeholders, including humanitarian responders is available. Consequently, the government of Tanzania has promulgated a new disaster management law as part of a wider reform of the legal framework to regulate disaster management and response systems which seek to involve stakeholders at all stages. This article analyses the extent to which the restructured legal framework and supporting policy address humanitarian responders who provide informal assistance, often before formal government intervention. The article traces the history of disaster management policies and laws in the country in the context of the humanitarianism – disaster management nexus. It focuses on the aftermath of the earthquake that ravaged Kagera Region in Bukoba district in the northern west part of the country in September 2016. This analysis is supported with field data from Bukoba district. The findings reveal that the legal framework for regulating disaster management and response system does not reflect international and regional clarion calls for engaging informal humanitarian responders. Recommendations on how this gap can be addressed are provided, laying emphasis on incorporating the clarion calls in order to improve the country’s legal and policy framework for disaster response and management systems.

The concept of a “digital twin” as a model for data-driven management and control of physical systems has emerged over the past decade in the domains of manufacturing, production, and operations. In the context of buildings and civil infrastructure, the notion of a digital twin remains ill-defined, with little or no consensus among researchers and practitioners of the ways in which digital twin processes and data-centric technologies can support design and construction. This paper builds on existing concepts of Building Information Modeling (BIM), lean project production systems, automated data acquisition from construction sites and supply chains, and artificial intelligence to formulate a mode of construction that applies digital twin information systems to achieve closed loop control systems. It contributes a set of four core information and control concepts for digital twin construction (DTC), which define the dimensions of the conceptual space for the information used in DTC workflows. Working from the core concepts, we propose a DTC information system workflow—including information stores, information processing functions, and monitoring technologies—according to three concentric control workflow cycles. DTC should be viewed as a comprehensive mode of construction that prioritizes closing the control loops rather than an extension of BIM tools integrated with sensing and monitoring technologies.

Aiming at the increasingly complex management and dispatching problems of power system, this paper combines Beidou precise space-time technology with digital twin system theory, and puts forward a method of constructing intelligent management and dispatching platform of power grid. The method combines Beidou and IoT (Internet of Things) sensors to form a digital twin management and scheduling platform which can perform state prediction, fault diagnosis, self-healing and other functions. Firstly, this paper analyzes the overall architecture of Beidou digital power twin system, then discusses the construction method of digital twin in power system from the aspects of digital twin modeling theory, data acquisition intelligent terminal based on Beidou, operation mode of digital twin platform, etc. Finally, the application test analysis is carried out. The research results show that the method proposed in this paper has reference value for improving the management and dispatching capability of smart grid.

Tedious non-academic tasks frustrate teachers in higher education even with the intent to enhance the staff's performance. Faculty members regard the work meaningless if universities do not consider the side effects. For example, teachers have to provide the same information again and again with requirements from administrative departments. Professors resent the bureaucratic tasks because it is a burden to look for the same information one more time. At the same time, the material provided may be inconsistent, but no one seems to care about the problem. Even though most colleges have adopted information management systems, the data cannot be shared among the systems frustrate teachers. The existing management problems have adverse effects and demotivated teachers. To solve them, we advocated the digital twin of instructors in higher education for enhancing information management. The faculty members can view their goals and achievements with the digital twin system. The instructors interact with their digital twins and input related information into the system only once. The presented system motivates faculty members better than traditional management systems.

With the development of digital twin, the research on the fusion of intelligent manufacturing system and digital twin technology attracts more attention. In this paper, the realization of digital twin is studied for geometric feature online inspection system of body-in-white (BIW). A three-level virtual modeling approach of Element-Behavior-Rule is proposed for the physical environment modeling in a digital environment. An element model, behavior model and rule model are defined, respectively, and the relationship among the three-layer model is given for real-time communication. A three-layer communication architecture of the digital twin system is designed for the real-time mapping between physical and virtual space, and the process of the online inspection digital twin system is analyzed. Finally, on the basis of the online inspection physical experimental platform and JHIM (Jiangheng Intelligent Manufacturing) software platform, the digital twin system for geometric feature online inspection of BIW is developed, which shows that the virtual model can be driven in real time by real-time physical inspection data. Digital twin technology provides a feasible way for real-time monitoring of the online inspection system.

Today, a brand new strategy that can foster agricultural production is being shaped based on IT solutions. The paper characterizes the state and prospects for the development of digital farm management, the challenges of mastering digital innovations by agricultural enterprises and ways to tackle them at the present stage. A study is relevant due to the lack of a conceptual approach to the evolution of information digital systems in the sector of ameliorative economy in the context of growing requirements for environmental safety and competitiveness of agricultural production. The solutions to create a common information environment uniting an enterprise with suppliers of resources and consumers of products (services) are also increasingly relevant today. A methodological toolkit rests on some general scientific approaches, including analysis and synthesis, methods of deduction and systems analysis, cluster approach. After careful evaluation of automated processes at reclamation enterprises, there can be no doubt that it is necessary to improve the efficiency of information and technological support for management decisions by digital systems. The challenges are related to: lack of proper concept and methodology of modern digital systems, as well as procedures for the integration cooperation of information resources and a digital management system operations for managing them; unified algorithms for handling information; automation operations that meet the present management requirements; qualified experts encouraged to improve the use of digital technologies. The basic procedures for enhancing digital systems at enterprises include: analytical evaluation of current production situation, development of a functional design and model of the integrated digital system; creation of a mechanism for its implementation. In the process of transforming digital support for managerial actions, the following actions are possible: modification of the structure of existing processes; automation of conventional technological and organizational production procedures; alignment of existing processes subject to the technologies being integrated; identification of new opportunities for operations.

Additive manufacturing is a promising manufacturing process with diverse applications, but ensuring the quality and reliability of the manufactured products is a key challenge. The digital twin has emerged as a technology solution to address this challenge, allowing real-time monitoring and control of the manufacturing process. This paper proposes a digital twin system framework for additive manufacturing that integrates machine learning models, employing Unity, OctoPrint, and Raspberry Pi for real-time control and monitoring. Particularly, the system utilizes machine learning models for defect detection, achieving an Average Precision (AP) score of 92%, with specific performance metrics of 91% for defected objects and 94% for non-defected objects, demonstrating high efficiency. The Unity client user interface is also developed for control and visualization, facilitating easy additive manufacturing process monitoring. This research article presents a detailed description of the proposed digital twin framework and its workflow for implementation, the machine learning models, and the Unity client user interface. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the integrated system through case studies and experimental results. The main findings show that the proposed digital twin system met its functional requirements and effectively detects defects and provides real-time control and monitoring of the additive manufacturing process. This paper contributes to the growing field of digital twin technology and additive manufacturing, providing a promising solution for enhancing the quality and reliability in the field of additive manufacturing.

This study described the results of implementing the framework of the digital twin system for the digitization of plant factories. The purpose of this invention is to implement a system based on digital twins that can control and monitor the optimal environment for foliage containing functional components grown in plant factories. In this paper, for the realization of such a system, a digital twin framework that can be applied universally to plant factories was designed. This design structure was largely designed by dividing it into 1) the physical world layer, 2) the cyber and physical interaction layer, 3) the digital twin system layer, and 4) the application layer. In this study, the plant factory digital twin framework designed in this way was demonstrated in the test bed space of a company operating a plant factory in Chungcheongnam-do.

Digital twin systems for transportation are widely regarded as a core technology for enabling full life-cycle management of traffic information and providing intelligent decision support, with the goals of improving traffic efficiency and reducing accident risks. However, existing research primarily focuses on simulation and prediction of traffic flow, lacking a unified framework that integrates static infrastructure, dynamic states, and microscopic behaviors. To address this gap, this paper proposes a lightweight behavior-cognitive architecture for high-definition (HD) maps to support multiscale information representation in transportation digital twin. It consists of three layers: (1) a global road network layer that models transportation infrastructure and static geographic features; (2) a dynamic target layer organizing the real time status and trajectory of traffic participants; (3) a behavioral cognition layer for behavior interpretation and understanding. Based on this architecture, a construction method for transportation digital twin systems is developed and validated through experiments conducted in real-world traffic scenarios and simulation environments. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves high adaptability and accuracy, offering effective support for building digital twin systems in complex traffic environments. • Proposes a behavior-cognitive transportation digital twins system based HD map. • Developed modeling methodology for transportation digital twins system. • Validated system architecture using real-world and simulation experiments.

Currently, digital situational awareness systems are popular in complex infrastructure construction projects. These systems monitor and assess environmental events, progress, resource availability, risks, and other project decision-making variables to support decision-making. However, little is known about how infrastructure construction (IC) professionals who utilize situational awareness systems perceive how they support or hinder situational management. The purpose of this exploratory research is to study, in depth, the relevance, challenges, and adoption of situational management in IC projects using digital systems. The data were collected via semistructured interviews with 21 IC managers and situational awareness management experts from 11 companies involved in railway projects. The main findings indicate that problem-solving improved with situational management in general, especially with digital situational awareness systems. Seizing the possibilities for transparency that accompany digital situational awareness systems helped in discussing emerging problems and making project choices. Expectations about the realism of such expectations were easier to align with historical event data. On the other hand, the informants reported difficulty in motivating contractors to collect situational data in digital form, possibly because of a lack of understanding about the purpose of data collection, the manual nature of data collection, the perceived excessiveness of data collection, or the manual transfer of collected data into digital form. For these reasons, the informants reported limited faith in these systems. A perceived drawback of situational management, whether supported by digital situational awareness systems or not, was its lack of applicability to the realities of a construction site. Systems were designed for project management needs but not tailored to the needs of construction projects. The interviewees’ statements indicate that maintaining situational awareness requires active interaction and constant checking of the provided information, even requiring pressure on the contractors providing the information. This study highlights the need for practical human approaches to effectively use digital situational awareness technologies and situational management in IC.

Aiming at the problems of single inspection mode and poor real time performance in current substations, a substation inspection visualization system based on digital twins is proposed. The development process of substation twin system is introduced. Based on the digital twin five-dimensional model, the connection between physical entities and twin entities is established. The modeling of physical entities, real-time data mapping and result analysis are described respectively. At the same time, the verification and analysis of the system results can prove that the model based on the digital twin system can effectively carry out virtual real synchronization and prove the effectiveness of the system.

The increasing urban traffic problems have made the transportation system require a large amount of data. Aiming at the current problems of data types redundancy and low coordination rate of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), this paper proposes an improved digital twin architecture applicable to ITS. Based on the improved digital twin architecture, a framework for dynamic and static data collaboration in ITS is constructed. For various collaboration methods, this paper specifically describes the collaboration methods and scopes, and designs the framework and interfaces for data mapping. Finally, the effectiveness of the framework is verified by case studies to mine the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of data, capture human travel characteristics, and visualize intersections using digital twins. This paper provides a new data fusion idea for digital twin systems in ITS, and the framework covers all data types in digital twin systems for cross-integration analysis.

Recently, more and more digital twin technologies are getting attention in managing and operating urban metros. The fact that integrating time-monitor data like a metro digital twin right now has chances to improve its operation and dependability. This essay is mostly about the applications of digital twins for the metro system: infrastructure monitoring and operation management. Digital twin, at the infrastructure level, can be utilized in observing the structure inside the metro tunnel to see if there is a dangerous situation. For example, a swelling on Earth. After applying our collected data to a predictive analysis, this will offer us an early warning and allow preventive maintenance. In terms of operation, a digital twin system would help people to monitor the operation of metro network, which means smoother passenger flow. Although the metro system's digital twin technology has great benefits, problems like data integration, reliability of the whole system and its security still need to be solved. More studies and practices need to take place to make sure that digital twin tech is employed safely and correctly on future metros.

Based on the source of the processing production line twin data, the virtual and real interaction framework of the processing production line digital twin system was designed. Taking the data in the processing production line digital twin system as the research object, the equipment data acquisition transmission channel design was carried out through OPC UA communication technology, and the data acquisition function of the processing production line was realized by using the KEPServerEX 6 data acquisition platform. We chose the C# language and the Visual Studio platform to develop the monitoring module, and used TCP/IP protocol, S7.NET open source library, and motion control card dynamic link library, to achieve the control of the robotic arm, PLC, milling machine, monitoring and other functions. Utilizing the SQL Server database, the connection between the monitoring module and the digital twin system of the machining line was completed, and the basic data information of the whole system was studied. The virtual and real driving process of the whole system is studied to realize the function of this digital twin system of controlling the virtual with the real and controlling the real with the virtual.

In recent years, research on digital twins in the construction sector has grown significantly, particularly since 2018. However, most studies focus on isolated lifecycle phases and give limited attention to developing practices that address all stages of the building lifecycle. Current applications of digital twins in construction are largely concentrated on design and engineering, where Building Information Modeling (BIM) serves as the primary input. This dominance stems from BIM's role as an existing digital representation of built assets, which can be extended into a digital twin. One of the major barriers to wider implementation lies in data integration and interoperability—specifically, the challenge of consolidating information from diverse sources, formats, and lifecycle stages. Future research should prioritize the standardization of data formats, protocols, and application programming interfaces (APIs) to facilitate seamless exchange across digital twin systems. Additionally, the development of advanced data governance frameworks is essential to ensure accuracy, completeness, and security of information. Greater exploration into semantic data modeling and ontologies will also support the integration of heterogeneous data sources. Beyond technical issues, it is equally important to investigate the costs, benefits, and potential drawbacks of adopting digital twins across the entire building lifecycle. Expanding the scope of applications beyond design and engineering to include construction, operation and maintenance, as well as demolition and recovery phases, will be crucial. This paper therefore outlines the current state of digital twin research in construction, identifies critical challenges, and highlights key directions for future development.