Driving cyber-physical innovation in the UK
Catapult consortium partners Digital Catapult, Connected Places Catapult and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult have published a report on their work so far to develop a National Cyber-Physical Infrastructure (NCPI) ecosystem.
The NCPI ecosystem will bring organisations together to develop common goals to address systemic challenges and opportunities across sectors such as net zero. This will ensure we collectively take steps that offer mutual benefits, aligned to greater industry demands, better societal outcomes and continuous improvement.
The UK has substantial expertise in establishing the building blocks for the future in open, interoperable and secure ways - with our history building the world wide web, and our deep science, technology and innovation expertise, we are well equipped to build a cyber-physical infrastructure for the future.
By convening experts into the NCPI ecosystem, we can create a vision and a programme that will share learnings, amplify best practices and create synergies towards joined-up cross-sector, cross-technology and cross-disciplinary innovation for how we design, build, develop and connect capabilities such as digital twins, spatial computing / metaverse and robotic / autonomous systems over the next ten or more years.
The programme is planning a series of events and activities in the coming months. This began with the Cyber-Physical Future Forum held in November 2023. Themes and learnings from this event, coupled with key enablers will shape four new workshops to be held across the UK. At the same time, the team is mapping the NCPI landscape by distributing a questionnaire to ask those involved in cyber-physical initiatives and/or representing organisations about their research topics and areas of work.
Workshops
The workshops will involve experts across advanced systems, discussing priorities within their domains and identifying crossover. More information will follow.
Themes and outline schedule
1. Cyber-physical infrastructure: Key challenges, April 2024
2. Security and resilience, May 2024
3. Interoperability, June 2024
4. Frameworks, standards and guidance, July 2024
This work builds towards an NCPI strategic roadmap for publication in 2025.
Complete the questionnaire for initiatives/organisations
Download and read the report
The NCPI ecosystem programme supported by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
We are delighted to announce the publication of three new member resources from our DT Hub Working Groups.
The first document, Trust, Purpose, Value and Connected Digital Twins looks at why we need a framework for setting up a connected digital twin as a purpose driven, value-creating, collaborative enterprise. In summary:
A connected digital twin refers to a digital twin connected across organisational and sectorial boundaries. Every connected digital twin requires a clear purpose.
The value of a connected digital twin depends on achieving the outcomes connected to its purpose.
Delivering successful outcomes requires long-term engagement and collaboration between stakeholders.
Stakeholders engage based on trust in the individual benefits, value and risk management delivered by their participation.
Trust is underpinned by a reliable operating model, strong stakeholder governance and transparent performance monitoring.
If its purpose is achieved and stakeholder value is delivered by a connected digital twin then it should be financially self-sustaining.
Read the report from the Governance and Trust Working Group.
Storytelling and Digital Twins is a two-part series looking at the value of storytelling in inspiring new ways of working.
Part One: Storytelling in business as the ultimate means of persuasion covers how to present clear and compelling ideas that win over the minds and hearts of investors and senior decision makers.
Storytelling is a crucial communication skill that may help you become a better and more effective leader. It is the most ancient method of transmitting information from person-to-person and generation-to-generation. It may motivate colleagues and employees while also fostering a high-performance culture. It may entertain, inform, inspire, and convey value to others, as well as assist in the development or implementation of new methods of working. Read Part One of this series from the Digital Skills and Building Capability Working Group.
Part Two: Becoming comfortable with digital twins is a guide for leaders who wish to use storytelling about twins to promote business cases, to become comfortable with what they are and the capabilities that different kinds of twins drive. It considers what is a digital twin, digital twin taxonomy with its variations and categories, different types and purposes of digital twins and their advantages, and the significance of analytics maturity in the context of digital twins and storytelling. Read Part Two of this series from the Digital Skills and Building Capability Working Group.
Buildings are currently responsible for 39% of global energy related carbon emissions: 28% of which comes building operation alone. Undoubtedly, optimising the performance of buildings during the operational phase has a key role to play in unlocking the potential for the sector to decarbonise. In fact, just last month, a UKGBC report highlighted that commercial offices can achieve significant reductions in operational energy use through optimisation and light retrofit measures alone (in the region of 26% and 15% respectively) – but knowing where to start with such measures is not always clear.
To help tackle the issue, IES have this week announced the launch of a new solution - IES Live: a cloud-based platform that allows sustainability, energy and facilities teams to take control of building operation, reduce energy risk, increase resilience, unlock net-zero potential, and deliver healthy and comfortable spaces.
The platform connects near real-time operational building data with daily simulations from an IES Digital Twin, a detailed virtual replica of the building, that is hosted online. It delivers a single pane view across key operational performance data, highlights when the building moves away from optimal performance as predicted by a physics-based simulation, and delivers daily insights on the cost, comfort and carbon impacts of customised operational improvement strategies. All within intuitive front-end dashboards.
IES Live displays near real-time energy and carbon emission performance data from utility meters, BMS systems and IOT sensors, against a predicted ‘ideal’ energy benchmark and, if available, occupancy data. The performance of implemented net-zero improvement strategies can be tracked, ensuring they deliver expected savings. While information on how spaces are performing against the indoor air quality metrics of CO2 levels, temperature and humidity are also included.
Robust physics-based energy modelling, delivered by IES’ APACHE simulation engine, which is certified for use on multiple energy performance building regulation compliance routes around the world, is leveraged by the platform, to provide an energy benchmark that is specific to your building, its specific uses, location and local weather.
IES Live in Action
IES will be hosting a free launch webinar to demonstrate this new solution. If you would like to hear more about how IES Live delivers the next-generation of energy, carbon and comfort performance tracking and reporting, alongside intelligent improvement insights, register your free space below.
Date: Wednesday, 13th March 2024
Time: 1pm - 1:40pm GMT
Cost: Free
Register to attend here.
Alternatively, for further information visit: www.iesve.com/ies-live
Read more...
The philosophical foundations of digital twinning
David Wagg, University of Sheffield, Christopher Burr, The Alan Turing Institute, Jason Shepherd, Fujitsu Services Ltd, Zack Xuereb, The Alan Turing Institute, Mark Enzer, Mott MacDonald, Steven Niederer, Imperial College London
Abstract
Digital twins are a new paradigm for our time, offering the possibility of interconnected virtual representations of the real-world. The concept is very versatile, and has been adopted by multiple communities of practice, policymakers, researchers and innovators.
A significant part of the digital twin paradigm is about interconnecting digital objects, many of which have previously not been combined. As a result, members of the newly forming digital twin community are often talking at cross-purposes, because they have different starting points, assumptions and cultural practices. These differences are often due to the established philosophical world-view adopted within specific communities of practice.
In this paper we explore the philosophical context which underpins the concept of digital twins. As part of this effort we offer a set of philosophical principles for digital twins, which are intended to help facilitate their further development.
Specifically, we argue that the philosophy of digital twins is fundamentally holistic. We further argue that digital twins are reconstructivist, meaning they aim to reconstruct the behaviour of a physical twin by assembling multiple ``components'', e.g. models, agents and data sets.
Importantly, these digital twin components have the potential to capture emergent behaviours when they are dynamically assembled.
Lastly, we discuss the following four questions (i) What is the distinction between a model and a digital twin? (ii) What previously unseen results can we expect from a digital twin? (iii) How can emergent behaviours be predicted? (iv) How can we assess the existence and uniqueness of digital twin outputs?
Read the paper
Read more...
Connected Digital Twins Summit 2024
Global digital twin thinking
A round-the-clock, global summit delivered by the Digital Twin Hub and partners.
Building on the international success of the 2023 Summit, this Summit will bring together the world's digital twin community to explore the role the global digital value chain will play in driving sustainable development. Our global expertise will provide a community of over 5,000 people with new and exciting opportunities for learning about the state-of-art and best practice for digital twins.
We are now accepting proposals from interdisciplinary experts and thought leaders from government, academia and industry who would like to present their ideas, theories and case studies.
If you represent an organisation interested in partnering to be a regional or country host and/or would like to present yourself, please follow the link and complete the form with a few details. Apply to partner / speak
More information to follow soon.
Read more...
Watch the launch of the Data and Digital Benchmarking Report 2023 to hear a run through of the results of the survey and reflections and case studies from a panel of thought leaders from across the industry.
You can access the Data and Digital Benchmarking Report 2023 here (you will need to be registered on the Project 13 Network).
The report, produced in collaboration with Mott MacDonald, surveys members of the Infrastructure Client Group Digital Transformation Task Group, including Project 13 Adopters. This year the survey contains:
More responses than ever before.
Revised questions to ensure greater relevance for organisations and the industry.
Suppliers included for the first time.
Case studies illustrating the findings.
The report identified four overarching cross-category insights:
Shortage of regular collaboration within and across enterprises.
Poor data quality restricting the ability for individuals to consistently make effective data-enabled decisions.
Traditional business models restricting the transformation of new processes and ways of working.
Lack of focus on data integration causing duplication and information loss at system boundaries.
You can watch the launch event on the Project 13 Network website.
Glasgow Airport’s Living Lab Digital Twin Competition is a strategic initiative funded to facilitate the development of digital twin technology solutions specifically tailored for the aviation sector. The programme is intended to catalyse innovation and foster the integration of digital twins into the aviation industry, with an emphasis on enhancing operations at Glasgow Airport.
Connected Places Catapult is spearheading this programme with the goal of overcoming the challenges that businesses face in creating and integrating digital twin technologies in aviation. This effort is aligned with promoting innovative solutions and providing support to help these businesses bring their digital twin solutions to market.
The opportunity
The aim of the Glasgow Airport Living Lab Digital Twin Competition is to showcase how existing digital twin solutions can address specific aviation-related challenges.
In Phase One, up to five successful organisations will have the chance to present their digital twin concepts at Glasgow Airport where they can showcase how their technology can be applied to the challenges above, accessing up to £3,000 in funding.
Following an assessment of the showcase, one organisation will be chosen to advance to Phase Two to further develop and implement their digital twin technologies in a live aviation environment at Glasgow Airport, accessing up to £70,000 in funding.
Programme challenges outlined
1: Asset replacement
To enhance decision making for Airports, we need a deeper understanding of the asset lifecycle.
Airports have complex and dynamic surface usage patterns that involve multiple types of aircraft, varying traffic volumes and different operational activities.
Sophisticated data analytics techniques are needed to analyse and interpret patterns to set priorities for replacing pavement assets. The main goal of this challenge is to develop a methodology for identifying optimal pavement replacement priorities at airports, ensuring a balance of safety, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
This challenge also aims to uncover how we can support Glasgow airport to monitor other assets such as vehicles and lighting, understanding how your proposed solution can increase asset resilience, climate resilience and improved HSE, within the envelope of a sustainable business model.
2: Passenger movement
Passenger capacity is set to increase at Glasgow Airport, bringing with it the same pressures many airports face, such as limited terminal and gate infrastructure space.
Expanding infrastructure to accommodate increasing passenger numbers may be costly and subject to space limitations, especially in urban areas.
This challenge focuses on how we can maximise the capacity of the existing terminal at Glasgow, improving their journey experience, and how the digital solution would integrate with the current infrastructure and systems at the airport, achieving dynamic planning.
The aim of this challenge is to better observe, forecast and influence passenger footfall to inform better decision making of end-to-end journeys in airports
The proposed solution must also factor in the potential for future airport expansions.
Passenger capacity is set to increase at Glasgow Airport, bringing with it the same pressures many airports face, such as limited terminal and gate infrastructure space.
3: Energy management
Energy management in airports presents several challenges due to the complex and multifaceted nature of airport operations, and with the addition of new forms of transport such as eVTOL aircraft, this issue will only grow with time.
Due to the potential for new EV based transport, this will present new and unique challenges energy management due to their novel propulsion systems and operational characteristics.
This challenge aims to understand the impact on energy supply and operational capacity of eVTOL operation within an airport operation by observing the current energy management models.
Learnings from this challenge should include how we might reduce energy consumption and operational costs through an accurate representation and modelling of the system, to accommodate for future operations.
Alongside this, how can we observe the introduction and rolling out of EV charging on landside (and/or airside), to understand the impact on energy supply and demand (specifically carbon monitoring, cost models).
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must:
Be a UK-registered business.
Present an innovation solution at or above TRL (Technology Readiness Level) 5.
Address one of the specified challenge areas.
Be prepared to travel to Glasgow as required.
Selection timeline
8 February Applications open
20 February Application support webinar
7 March Competition closes
March Shortlist for interview
April Successful applicants notified
early June Phase 1 showcase event at Glasgow Airport
One organisation will be selected for the full-scale development and implementation of a digital twin solution for Phase Two, details to follow.
How to apply
Please apply here
Applications close 7 March 2024.
Application support webinar
Connected Places Catapult is holding a support webinar on Tuesday 20 February to provide all the information you need to apply for this innovative programme. Register for the Application support webinar
If you have any questions about the programme and application, please contact: Anna Kerr, Innovation Funding Officer, Connected Places Catapult, anna.kerr@cp.catapult.org.uk
Learn more here: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1848/overview/4e14037e-cb29-42a0-8fc0-03560197b5e3
Description
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £4 million across the 2 Phases of this competition. Innovate UK will work with the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) who will match the UK funding to support the South Korean partners.
This is a two phase bi-lateral collaborative research and development (CR&D) competition.
The aim of this competition is to fund business led, collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects which link activities in the UK and South Korea.
Projects must focus on exploring the potential of proposed data driven innovations in cities that will deliver positive impact around key urban issues.
This competition has four themes and you must select the theme you are focused on. If your proposed solution falls outside of the first three themes, or significantly cuts across those three theme areas, you must select theme 4.
Themes:
Mobility Innovation Solutions.
Disaster Management Solutions.
Net-Zero Energy Optimisation Solutions.
Other Data-centric Innovative Solutions.
In this phase 1 competition, £1 million is available to fund UK organisations undertaking collaborative feasibility projects of up to eight months. South Korea is investing an equivalent amount to fund South Korean participants.
Projects which have successfully participated in phase 1, may be invited by Innovate UK, to apply into phase 2 of this competition.
During phase 2, your project must be collaborative and enhance your innovation with improvements through comprehensive testing and iteration in real or representative settings. You must work with potential future customers and users.
Phase 2 projects will be up to two years and the results must be commercialised at the end of phase 2.
UK registered businesses must collaborate with at least one South Korean non-linked registered business applying under the equivalent KAIA programme.
UK registered organisations must apply through the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) portal to Innovate UK.
Your South Korean partner will not receive any funding from Innovate UK.
South Korean partners must apply to, and will be funded by, KAIA for the South Korean component of the project set out in this application.
In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly but we are still unable to fund it.
This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief. We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information.
The project must be independently selected by both Innovate UK and South Korea to be awarded funding.
Funding type
Grant
Project size
UK partners grant funding request for Phase 1 must be between £50,000 and £120,000.
Read more...
This week, we completed our pilot series for the Digital Twins for Senior Leaders' course. We tested the course content with 32 delegates from the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Anglian Water, Arup, Turner & Townsend and Connected Places Catapult, in three different delivery formats, and both online and in person.
This is an exciting moment for industry as the pilot sessions lead the way for senior leaders looking to understand what digital twins can do for their industries. The Cranfield link is live and taking registrations for our next online course!
We are grateful to Professor of Digital Engineering John Erkoyuncu and everyone involved at Cranfield University, to our government and industry supporters in the DT Hub community, and the DT Hub team and Connected Places Catapult colleagues.
Find out more and register
To help accelerate energy sector digitalisation, and support the transition to net zero, our Virtual Energy System Programme and the National Digital Twin Programme, led by the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in developing an energy system data sharing infrastructure.
This collaboration will further the aspirations for sector-wide secure and resilient data sharing outlined by the Energy Digitalisation Taskforce, Ofgem’s Future Systems and Network Regulation (FSNR) decision, and the recommendations set out in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s recent Transmission Acceleration Action Plan.
There is clear benefit in ensuring alignment and interoperability between an energy system data sharing infrastructure and the cross-sector Integration Architecture being developed by the National Digital Twin Programme.
This agreement will initially focus on developing integrated high-level technical design and architecture, which identifies the interfaces between components of the future energy system data sharing infrastructure. It also aims to scope the technical, process, and policy requirements for achieving and developing an integrated Minimum Viable Product that both programmes can use to practically demonstrate connected digital twins.
Shubhi Rajnish, Chief Information Officer at the ESO said:
“We are excited to sign this Memorandum of Understanding with the National Digital Twin Programme, led by the Department for Business and Trade, to look at the components for developing an energy sector data sharing infrastructure.
“This collaboration is a significant step for energy digitalisation and the goal of enabling secure and resilient exchange of data across the sector, to support the delivery of a zero-carbon energy system in Great Britain by 2035.”
Our Virtual Energy System Programme
The ambition of the Virtual Energy System (VirtualES) programme is to enable the creation of an ecosystem of connected digital twins of the entire energy system of Great Britain, that will operate in synchronisation to the physical system. It will include representations of electricity and gas assets and link up to other sectors. This ecosystem of connected digital twins will enable the secure and resilient sharing of energy data across organisational and sector boundaries, facilitating more complex scenario modelling to deliver optimal whole-system decision making.
Creating the VirtualES is a socio-technical challenge that requires a collaborative and principled approach, aligned with the National Digital Twin Programme, and other energy sector digitalisation programmes.
Learn more about the Virtual Energy System here: https://www.nationalgrideso.com/future-energy/virtual-energy-system
About the National Digital Twin Programme
The National Digital Twin Programme is the government-led programme committed to growing national capability in digital twinning technologies and processes throughout the country. A primary purpose of the programme is to develop the standards, processes, and tools that will build the foundation of a functioning market in digital twins and create growth, ensuring that digital twins use technology and processes that are accessible to any organisation, whether from the public or private sector, irrespective of size.
Read more...
Tim Watson, Director of the Cyber Security Centre at Loughborough University and Programme Director, Defence and Security at The Alan Turing Institute has been confirmed as the chair the Apollo Protocol Executive Board.
Announcing the membership of the board, Tim commented,
“We have brought together a variety of views and experiences in the board, who will be supported by an even broader range of voices in our steering group. This open approach supports our vision of a common language for data across all sectors and industries. I’m excited about the road ahead for collaborative, cross sector activities which can deliver genuine progress. We’ll be sharing more in the coming months.”
Tim will be working alongside Vice Chair Jonathan Eyre of AMRC to lead the board whose members were also announced today:
Hugh Boyes, security expert at Bodvoc Ltd
Su Butcher, construction product data advocate at Just Practising Limited
Iria Carreira, Senior Product Manager at Autodesk
Simon Evans, Global Digital Energy Leader at Arup and Strategic Board Member at the Digital Twin Hub
Henry Fenby-Taylor, director at Athenophilia Ltd
Ian Gordon, Data Advisory at Arup and former Head of Data at Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal
Ali Nicholl, Head of Engagement at IOTICS
John Patsavellas, Senior Lecturer in Manufacturing Management, Cranfield University,
Paul Surin, Head of Digital and IT at Trojena
Neil Thompson, Director, Digital Integration & Delivery at AtkinsRéalis and Digital Lead for Construction Leadership Council.
The board has been meeting over the second half of 2023 and will be publishing a report on the initiative’s activities and outlining the road ahead in early 2024.
Follow the Apollo Protocol on Linkedin
Join The Apollo Protocol Network on the Digital Twin Hub
Apollo Protocol News Release.pdf
Read more...
Read our newsletter
The DT Hub's latest newsletter featuring the National Cyber-Physical Infrastructure ecosystem, Gemini Call Live, Power of Digital Twins podcasts, Digital Twins for Senior Leaders training course, and more. Find it here:
https://mailchi.mp/cp.catapult.org.uk/news-from-the-digital-twin-hub-1063382
The Digital Twin Hub sends you every good wish for the festive season. We look forward to seeing you in 2024!
Bibby Marine and consortium partners are calling for expressions of interest from the DT Hub community to help with digital twinning and AI technologies as it begins work on the world’s first zero-emission electric Service Operation Vessel (eSOV).
The project team is looking for knowledge and expertise in digital twin technology to be applied in pre- and post-build vessel design. This may be adapted from other industries (automotive/aerospace) to suit the marine industry. Through digital twinning and AI, it aims to make the eSOV more efficient and sustainable, with real-time data creating a clearer picture of the ship's impact - both on its operations and the world we live in.
The eSOV, with a powerful battery system and dual fuel methanol engines for back up, along with associated shore-charging facilities, will showcase leadership in UK content and design, deliver emission and cost savings. The project is the first of its kind and a huge step towards achieving the marine industry’s net-zero ambitions.
Bibby Marine CEO, Nigel Quinn said: “Designed in the UK, the vessel will be a game changer for our industry – supporting its ambitions to turn the UK into the world’s number one centre for green technology, create jobs and accelerate our path to net zero, by harnessing the best of British technologies. The vessel also offers the opportunity for customers to increase local content and will shine a light on UK innovation.”
The project is led by Bibby Marine with collaborators the Port of Aberdeen, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, Kongsberg, DNV, Shell and Liverpool John Moores University.
To get involved, please complete this short form.
Climate resilience digital twin tops Green Building, Infrastructure and Adaptation category
Work to develop CReDo – the Climate Resilience Demonstrator – has led Connected Places Catapult to scoop a sustainability award. It won the ‘Green Building, Infrastructure and Adaptation’ category at the Climate Innovation Awards in early December, organised by research and advisory firm Verdantix.
CReDo aims to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure assets such as energy, water and telecoms from climate threats including flooding and extreme heat, by sharing data in a digital twin. A prototype has been created in East Anglia which illustrates sites that could be affected by high water levels, and identifies assets that may fail or suffer along with cascading effects.
“It’s great to have an award-winning project within our stable that helps with climate adaptation, just as the COP28 climate conference is under way,” said Connected Places Catapult’s Ecosystem Director for Integrated Infrastructure, Chris Jones. “We’re at a point where we have proven the principles of CReDo, and can begin to scale up and solve more problems. This award feels like an endorsement to the approach we've taken, and sets us up for the next stage of work.”
Chris added: “We have shown we have the foundations for connecting data across organisations, to improve the climate resilience of assets in the face of a changing climate.”.
CReDo project partner CMCL’s Business Development Manager, Toby Greenwood said: “This recognition of CReDo as a collaborative and connected digital twin for climate resilience is splendid news for the entire team.
“CReDo has enabled us to express ourselves via some innovative technical milestones such as the distributed data architecture, information derivation framework and the semantic knowledge graph for enabling cross-sector interoperability. We are proud to have contributed to CReDo, and are excited with the prospects of transforming the connected digital twin to include new asset owners and sectors as well as additional climate events such as extreme heat.”
CReDo brings together asset owners Anglian Water, BT and UK Power Networks to share their data for an area of East Anglia, in order to develop a digital twin. The award nomination was made by flood resilience specialist Fathom which supplied flood data to the platform.
CReDo Engagement Lead, Sarah Hayes said: “It’s fantastic to see CReDo recognised for its potential contribution to the adaptation of infrastructure. At Connected Places Catapult we are looking for investment and partnering opportunities to scale up CReDo both in and outside of the UK, so please get in touch."
Fathom’s Account Manager, Peter Slater said: “It’s great to see CReDo recognised by Verdantix’s judging panel for its mission to future-proof the UK’s infrastructure against climate change through an interconnected approach to adaptation and mitigation. We’re proud to be part of the Digital Twin Hub community and are excited to continue collaborating with the other parties as the project evolves through Phase 2 and beyond.”
Future aims of CReDo
Going into next year, the CReDo project will look to work with more network operators and asset owners to integrate and connect their data, across further areas of the UK, and to explore more how working together can help improve decision making around climate adaption and resilience of infrastructure, in the face of not just flooding but extreme heat too.
Expansions to CReDo are being funded by both Ofwat and Ofgem Innovation funds, covering both the water and energy sectors and is looking to develop use cases for the transport sector in rail and roads.
CReDo Technical Lead, Elliot Christou (pictured receiving the award below) says the infrastructure sector is becoming more aware of the potential for digital twins – but there is still some way to go. “Everyone is on a journey to properly realise the value of digital twins; beyond just a visualisation tool for data, to becoming more about creating actionable and operational decisions.
“Through our work, we're trying to lower the barriers for data sharing, and show how valuable it can be to have a connected understanding of infrastructure to help with climate resilience and adaptation,” added Elliot, who is also Connected Places Catapult’s Data and Technology Team Lead.
Chris Jones says the technology is there and gaining traction within individual organisations, but that the importance of data sharing is an area that needs more focus. “When you start joining up data and looking across sectors, it opens up people's minds to be willing to share data which can lead to increased shared benefits.”
During 2024 the aim for CReDo is to move from pilot to a national scale across several sectors, and to develop opportunities for creating a commercially sustainable product.
“We risk catastrophic failure if we choose not to try to understand the complex network effects across infrastructure sectors and organisations,” adds Chris. “That is the problem that CReDo is addressing.”
To find out more about CReDo visit the project page.
Article by Mike Walter, Connected Places Catapult.
News about senior leaders’ training in digital twin capabilities.
An important part of our work at the DT Hub, through our governance and operations teams, is to get involved with the community, find out its needs and drive forward projects like the Gemini skills programme that will help make a difference. The Gemini activity is a good example of how we link with DT Hub working groups to realise change.
As a quick recap, the Gemini initiative is being developed by the DT Hub and the community to address the skills gap as a barrier to digital twin adoption.
But how do we know there is a skills gap?
We hear that it is a challenge faced by all industries and at different levels, with the strongest evidence noted in the government response to its Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Consultation in 2022. It reads:
‘Skills was highlighted as a critical enabler across the breadth of technical and non-technical. From data engineers, software and hardware developers, systems architects and security experts, to organisational change, legal, procurement, and cross-domain skills, there was recognition of both the existing and growing needs.’
Not only do we have this, but we also have a directive. The response highlights the convening power of the DT Hub to help advance the cross-sector vision for connected digital twins in its section on Frameworks, guidance and standardisation, and identifies Skills as a critical enabler, using the Cranfield Digital and Technology Solutions MSc as its case study.
This summer, the DT Hub formalised a partnership with Cranfield University, and, building out from Cranfield’s MSc, began a series of discussions with asset owners and infrastructure providers.
The team also went back to the policymakers and consulted with those in the wider industries where digital twins can provide solutions.
In working with these groups, we have been able to create a model that will deliver focused training at different levels.
You can see from this diagram, how the DT Hub is creating a skills development framework, built on existing skills and competency frameworks, from the Centre for Digital Built Britain and others, to address different depths and scales of learning.
Our recently launched Data and Digital Twins elearning course, and the Gemini skills training course, called Digital Twins for Senior Leaders, sit in the Awareness and Working areas of knowledge development.
Our recent focus has been on leaders and future leaders in roles that will influence decision-making and organisational change.
The senior leaders’ course addresses the digital twin skills gap by creating understanding and consensus in the market about digital twins, aligning demand and supply for digital twin competency and by encouraging systems thinking as a solution.
Of interest to the DT Hub community is how we can take the course and tailor it to specific sectors. We are creating a pilot programme and first cohort of a transport focused course.
The course will deliver the What, Why and How of digital twins, as required by senior leaders in the transport sector as it builds towards key Outputs in the TRIB Vision and Roadmap to 2035.
The training will be a starting element on the route to the Roadmap’s Skills and Capabilities Outcomes, to enable DfT’s vision. It will help leaders understand the critical importance of digital twins, considering areas where they give benefits, for example, infrastructure decarbonisation, autonomous vehicle safety, digital local roads, and how they will help to keep pace with the rate of digital change.
The support of DfT and the approach we are taking for this pilot will mean that we can focus on sector-specific use cases, and also bring in universal examples of good practice across other sectors. It paves the way for further bespoke cohorts, based on a core curriculum of learning.
The core course works across the Gemini Principles, Gemini Papers and outputs from CDBB, the National Digital Twin Programme, knowledge from the DT Hub community, including case studies and insight, plus research outputs from Cranfield, and recent elearning on Data and Digital Twins.
It brings in knowledge and expertise from academic and industry experts across the international field. Our intention is that this training becomes a baseline for competency in digital twin skills.
A few more words on the pilot and what the attendees will gain from it, far more than the Cranfield and Gemini certificate and digital badge.
The pilot course is bringing together groups of delegates from DfT, Network Rail, Arup and Anglian Water, as examples. Each week it answers important questions and give senior leaders, the skills and knowledge founded on the Gemini Principles and recognised frameworks. At the same time, it will allow them to build a business canvas, a real strategy and a value framework to take back to their businesses, and accelerate change.
The course runs online for an hour and a half each week across eight weeks. It will launch fully on 1 February 2024.
We are continuing to explore needs to structure further training across our skills model.
Please contact me if you would like further information, or register now on the Cranfield website.