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On 01/07/2021 at 14:12, HenryFT said:
…with someone of your skills it would be interesting to know what you have found out in your research so far
I have just started exploring. So far it looks like the definition of DT is not nailed down completely. It is still a malleable concept. The definition and expectations change depending on what industry one is looking at. For some, a project is DT if it just communicates data from IoT devices in a simplex or duplex manner and then presents that data to the users via various channels; for others a full blown simulation that continuously syncs with the environment it is replicating constitutes DT. So the opinions and definitions vary.
One approach to standardisation of DT both for interoperability and use of common lingo would be to define “profiles” for DT standard as it is done by some of the other standards bodies, such as Khronos(which looks after graphics and other standards for computing devices: https://www.khronos.org). If we look at two graphics standards developed by them, OpenGL and Vulkan, we notice that there are two other complementary standards for safety-critical industries corresponding to these main standards, OpenGL SC and Vulkan SC.
A similar approach to DT standardisation could be taken. There will be a core standard that every DT project will have to follow and implement, and then there will be additional profiles for other use cases. That way the industries will know what profiles to look at for their specific use case.
When I think about the project* I have in mind, I realise that it will fit into the DT ecosystem. But then I start wondering how and where does it exactly fit and what exactly should I be looking at to exploit the benefits of DT standardisation. As the NDT endeavour is at a relatively nascent stage, it will help both for standardisation and implementation efforts to formalise the structure of the process itself from the start. This will not only help in quickly scaling the efforts in the future as more participants join, but it will also become easy to consistently evaluate all the outcomes of each effort.
These are just some initial thoughts I had after going through some of the available resources on DT Hub. But as these are early days, I am sure that as we move forward, some of what I have suggested above will naturally evolve as a formal practice(I see this already happening in some form with the Defence and BIM “networks”).
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* The project I am ideating on falls under the EdTech domain. I am thinking of using AR/VR/MR/XR for promoting TEAMS(Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths and Science) subjects using space exploration, science and technology as a theme, similar to what an Indian company Punekar Initiatives(https://www.punekarinitiatives.com) is doing; but without building theme-parks and instead using spaces available at local space and education organisations/institutions in the country. That will make it more scalable and adaptable; but also make it easily accessible to all students across the country.
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