Introduce Yourself

[Ben Snalam]

Hey Everybody!
 

• Who are you? – I’m Ben Snalam – I’m a kiwi living in London with my formative professional years working for a small Distribution Network Operator in New Zealand – doing all sorts from substation design, control room operation and a fair bit of systems integration and asset management system migration. My educational background is a mix of power and software engineering.
• What is your industry and profession? I’m now in Transport, working for TfL as an Asset Strategy Manager, looking specifically at our digital systems used for asset management and how they are deployed across the asset lifecycle.
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? I’m looking forward to leveraging the CDBB and Digital Twin Program work in TfL’s own digital journey and aligning our long term strategy to the NDT vision.
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? I’m keen to learn off the experiences of other a little further down the road than us and contributing to the community once we’ve got a few more things to share.
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? Not yet, but I’m looking forward to 😊
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? Not yet… watch this space!

[Francis Heritage]

Happy New Year!

 

Who are you? – I’m Francis Heritage, a Royal Navy veteran and Business Development Manager for the Defence arm of Faculty, an Applied AI company based in London.

What is your industry and profession? Faculty Science Ltd (Faculty) is the UK’s largest independent AI company (we recently outgrew the ‘SME’ label!). We provide a full range of data fusion/data science capabilities and provide bespoke AI services across every use case you can think of, including digital models, shadows and twins. We recently launched a new product called ‘Frontier’, which creates computational twins of complex business processes for the purpose of improving decision making. (faculty.ai/frontier)

Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? Professionally, to better understand DT use-cases and subsequent applications of AI/ML.

Why have you decided to join the DTHub? To find potential partners and clients where our AI/ML experience might help to make a difference; to network; and to increase my own knowledge of an increasingly important field that is rapidly evolving!

Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? The Defence Digital Twin event in Nov 2022.

Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? We have completed a computational Digital Twin of an NHS trust to improve A&E flow-through, as profiled in The Times in Dec 2022. It allows hospital managers to scenario plan and predict the likely outcome of each patient as they arrive, leading to a more efficient use of bedspace and other assets. We are also applying this product to other Government and non-Government clients. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ai-cure-for-bed-blocking-can-predict-hospital-stay-fpvjn5ql6

[Chris Gregory]

• Who are you?I’m the CTO of a small company with big ambitions called ELEVEN-I.  We are a sensor data collection, analysis, interpretation and act company aiming to bring structural health monitoring to wind turbine blades. I also have an interest in Digital Twins for nuclear.
• What is your industry and profession? Primarily wind industry but a lot of nuclear project experience. 
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? Our products provide data for digital twins in real time.  We measure various parameters to build a picture of the fatigue accumulation, bending modes, real loads and various other information which can be extracted from the data.
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? I think that what we are doing constitutes work in the field of digital twins and am keen to learn more and meet people with a shared interest.  Just defining what constitutes a digital twin is interesting.  It can mean many things.  Key is that a digital model exists in some form which reflects a time based reality. Models inherently have limited accuracy as they are based on measurements with limitations.  The next step for digital twins is to tag measurement confidence to the measurement data.  Understanding the measurement error, accuracy and precision is key to making good use of a twin.
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? Not yet but I certainly intedend doing so.
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? We worked on a Digital Twin with Cammell Laird and NNL on “Project FAITH” which was  a mock up of a nuclear fuel rod assembly.  All of our current wind products contribute to our digital models of wind turbines.

[Matthew Palmer]

Hi everyone,

Who? I recently became lead for Digital Science at the Plymouth Marine Labs (PML). Until recently I was Chief Scientist for the UK Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems facility. 

What? I am a marine scientist by training but am also an early adopter of disruptive tech to improve our capability to measure, model and understand our oceans and the their relationship with society. 

Where? PML uses a range of digital technologies and skills to meet its mission of “Research Excellence to support a sustainable ocean”. We are in the early stages of developing DTs for a range of applications and stakeholders that utilises a unique capability in both ocean ecosystem modelling, long term-observing systems that include fixed point, remote sensing and autonomous platforms, and integrated social and natural science approaches.

Why? To extend networks and contribute to the exciting debate on DTs and their use for a better and more sustainable future. 

[James Thorpe]

• Who are you? I’m Jim Thorpe and I run Experior Micro Technologies. At Experior we build and support custom Internet-of-Things and Digital solutions.
• What is your industry and profession? I’ve been working in technology for the past 30 years in a wide range of roles – electronics, RF, semiconductors and data analytics in both industry and academia.
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? I am interested in exploiting IoT and Digital Twin technologies to overcome social, environmental and industrial challenges.
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? I would like to learn from / share my knowledge with the wider DT community.
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? Not yet, but I look forward to doing so.
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? Yes, working with partners we completed our first IoT / DT project last year – a smart blue-roof demonstrator. The system uses a digital representation of the roof hydrology together with precision weather forecasting and local data gathering to provide rainwater attenuation, flood mitigation and support plant growth for biodiversity promotion in Manchester (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG9e-EeU39A).

[Paul Foster]

• Who are you?  Paul, CEO of OnePlan and VenueTwin, the official digital twin partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games – https://www.oneplanevents.fr/en/ 
• What is your industry and profession?  Digital twin software to design, operate and commercialise sports and entertainment venues and urban environments.
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? to improve operational planning efficiency, reduce carbon footprint and increase commercialisation of digital venue assets.
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub?  To meet some of the best minds in the digital twin sector and to seek out partnership opportunities.  
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events?  not yet.
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? 

1. https://www.oneplanevents.fr/en 
2. https://www.venuetwin.com/case-studies/

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[Ian Grinbergs]

• Who are you? Ian Grinbergs – Chief Digital and Information Officer for SRUC Scotland’s Rural College.
• What is your industry and profession? I spent most of my career in Mining, Oil and Gas in Australia; primarily in Manufacturing Execution Systems and Automation.  Having returned to the UK I’m now hoping to bring that learning into Food systems and the Natural Economy.
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? As part of the Digital Transformation Program I am leading, we are looking at how Digital Twins and associated technologies can be leveraged to benefit food systems and rural and natural economies. 
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? I believe bringing the education, research, government and business sectors together is a powerful way to solve challenges within the natural economy.  I think this Hub, in context of the application of digital twins, does that very well.
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? Not yet
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? Nothing I can share on here, but let’s talk.

[Kjell Kolstad]

Hello and great to meet everyone here! Here’s my quick intro:

• Who are you? VP of Alliances at Presagis – with a background in AI, autonomous vehicles, VR/AR, transportation 
• What is your industry and profession? Building geospatial digital twins with simulation capabilities for smart cities
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? Help cities and countries prepare better for the future, help mitigate climate change and disaster preparedness
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? Meet fellow minded people who are passionate about digital twins
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? Not yet, looking forward to join
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? See http://www.velocity5d.com and 

[Fabrizio Fornari]

• Who are you? I am Fabrizio Fornari
• What is your industry and profession? I am a Researcher in Computer Science at the University of Camerino, Italy. I am member of the PROcesses and Services Laboratory.
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? I am conducting research on Digital Twin, especially for what concerns the design and engineering of Digital Twins solutions.
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? I liked the spirit of this initiative, and I hope to get in touch with academics, researching on the Digital Twin topic, and also to get to know some practical applications of Digital Twins. 
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? Not yet.
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? Not using Digital Twins directly but I organise workshops (MIDas4CS-2023 and DT4BP-2023) and a special issue on Digital Twins to rise discussions on the topic.

[Asmae Ben Bahida]

      Hello everyone 🙂

• Who are you?  I’m Asmae Ben bahida, passionate about technology and innovation. I love to learn new things and currently focusing on how digital processes and BIM technology can support sustainability. And I’m very excited to have found this community to share knowledge and inspire each other.
• What is your industry and profession? I’m BIM expert consultant and civil engineering by training. I have also a background as an IT developer.
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? on my profession
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub?  As a BIM expert, joining DTHub offers an excellent opportunity to connect with a community of like-minded professionals and learn about the latest technological advancements, such as Digital Twin technology. DTHub provides a platform for professionals to collaborate and share knowledge on this cutting-edge technology, which has the potential to revolutionize the AEC industry. Being a part of this community allows me to stay informed about the latest developments in Digital Twin technology, exchange ideas, and contribute my expertise to the community.
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? Not yet, but looking forward to it
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? yes in my previous work and depending on how you define Digital twins in my previous 

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[Hani Youssef]

Who are you? My name is Hani Youssef.

What is your industry and profession? I work in the field of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry. (Senior BIM Mnager JLL – BIM Team Leader – KSA )

Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? I plan to use my new Digital Twin Knowledge professionally, specifically in the context of managing and delivering BIM projects.

Why have you decided to join the DTHub? I have decided to join the DTHub to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and advancements in Digital Twin technology, and to connect with like-minded professionals in the field.

Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? For BIM i have many participations and reaserch papers , but I haven’t yet had the opportunity to participate in any DTHub meetups or events, but I look forward to doing so in the future.

Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? Yes, I have worked on several BIM projects that utilized Digital Twin technology, including a major airport terminal expansion project and a large mixed-use development.

[Claire Palmer]

Who are you?  Claire Palmer I’m a university researcher interested in ontologies, information modelling and user interfaces.What is your industry and profession?  I work in Manufacturing Engineering and I’m a Research AssociateWhere do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally?  I’m interested in considering how creating the right user interface could be used to improve Digital Twin uptake and use.Why have you decided to join the DTHub?  I’d like to keep up-to-date with Digital Twin developments.
 

[Daniel Giddins]

• Who are you? Daniel Giddins
• What is your industry and profession? BIM Consultant at Symetri, background in Architecture, consulted long term for major practices including Grimshaw and KPF. Currently pursuing a Masters in BIM at University of Portsmouth, writing my dissertation on Digital Twins and blockchain use in asset material reuse.
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? Want to develop a skillset in Digital Twin technology (coding, communication protocols, model interaction and standards and practices). 
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? Digital Twin is a new and expansive topic; having news, information and learning material in a single space seemed like a good ides.
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? not yet…
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? coming soon

[Matteo Dariol]

• Who are you? Matteo Dariol, business development and sales manager with a strong technical background
• What is your industry and profession? everything digital, from IoT, AI, Digital Twin, to digital business model innovation
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally? Mainly professionally: my company, Bosch, has developed an innovative solution based on Digital Twin and AI technologies, and I am helping to scale this project up
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub? Because I am moving my first steps in the DT world and would like to create my own network of experts, partners and customers
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events? No, not yet
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins? At Bosch “we make machine speak”. We have developed a new solution called IAPM, Integrated Asset Performance Manager, using Digital Twin as underlying technologies. We would like to explore its potential not only in the manufacturing world, but also in other industries. 

[Yu ZHENG]

• Who are you?  Ph.D. student research on HBIM applies to Heritage Conservation
• What is your industry and profession?  Build Heritage Conservation – conservator
• Where do you plan to use your new Digital Twin Knowledge? Personally/professionally?  Apply DT in the heritage conservation decision-making process  
• Why have you decided to join the DTHub?  Research needs
• Have you participated in any of our meetups, or events?  not yet
• Do you have any examples of work that you have done using Digital Twins?  3D information model of ancient wooden structure