The market related to digital twins is anticipated to bring about significant economic value. This is achievable by fostering an open and dynamic market environment, which not only improves the performance of existing infrastructure but also paves the way for innovation in new infrastructure, thus boosting national productivity.

The principle of Value Creation also implies a role for not only private, but also public investment in digital twins, providing widespread access to the benefits and aligning with the principle of Public Good [1]. Digital twins allow us to consider the interplay between resilience, efficiency, and cost from a comprehensive economic standpoint [2]. They enable decision-making that is faster and better, unlocking value and saving time through automation.

Digital twins can provide insights into how assets are utilized and decay over their lifecycle. They can support varying approaches to maintenance, repair, and overhaul, using data from the physical world to improve scenario modelling, predictive analysis and determine the optimum interventions.

Digital twins bring about a paradigm shift in how we perceive value, maximize efficiency, and manage risk, all while contributing to a sustainable future.

Mechanisms - how to embed Value Creation

Theory of change

Enabling an ecosystem of connected digital twins requires an industry wide socio-technical change [4]. We should evaluate what change is needed at individual, organisational, sectoral, national and international levels. A Theory of Change is a key tool to articulate the set of potential interventions that a national socio-technical change programme could take to transform outputs into intended outcomes, and ultimately high level impacts. To make change come to life it is important to understand what drives it, how the different levers fit together and impact each other, and the journey towards the ultimate destination. A theory of change captures the interconnected actors, levers, outputs, outcomes, impacts and enablers that comprise the connected digital twin ecosystem [4]. It provides a clear understanding of the drivers of change and the actors involved that must coalesce to realise an ecosystem of connected digital twins, from an individual to a national level, that enables people and nature to flourish together [4].

A Theory of Change can be applied for an organisation or a project, to model how the use of digital twins could impact sustainable outcomes for organisations, end users and society.

Benefits Realisation Framework

A Benefits Realisation Framework provides the mechanism to measure and report programme benefits and track programme progress to the high-level objectives outlined in the theory of change. A paradigm shift is required to break down silos in policy formulation and implementation. National leadership must recognise the built environment as a complex system of systems and manage it accordingly. Government intervention is needed to support the co-development of common national resources and building capacity through training and support. Asset owners and operators are key to change by creating new market opportunities for connected digital twins through clear procurement requirements that enable high data quality standards and interoperability of systems. Based on UK best practice, including HM Treasury’s Magenta Book, the Benefits Realisation Framework recommend Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the progress and benefits of connected digital twins, as well as governance arrangements to support data capture, management and dissemination. Ultimately, the Benefits Realisation Framework will make it easier to understand the transformative impact that connected digital twins is expected to realise [4].

Creating a digital twin Business Case

A prerequisite for developing the detailed business case may be getting buy-in from the rest of an organisation or from specific teams [6]. A Microsoft Word Template has been developed in the Digital Twin Toolkit to help put together the business case for a digital twin. A Digital Twin Roadmap and Checklist is also provided.

The Digital Twin Toolkit also suggests the HMT Green Book five case model as an effective guide, outlining how to build the business case. It also suggests using the ‘desirability, feasibility, viability’ approach when framing the need for a digital twin. The 5 Capitals Model offers a template for profiling value [6].

The Digital Twin Navigator [9] also offers a template to develop a digital twin strategy, a checklist for Strategic Outline Case (SOC), guidelines for Outline Business Case (OBC) and Full Business Case (FBC) and a template for a digital twin business case.

Designing an operating model

The Trust, Purpose, Value and Connected Digital Twins document highlights the need for a operating model for a connected digital twin. The operating model can be designed and mapped by asking the questions presented in the Trust, Purpose and Value around the following areas: Stakeholders, Data, Development and Operation and Sustainability [8].

Skills and competencies for Value Creation

There is a pressing need for organisations to have critical skills to deal with information management challenges and cross industry collaborations. To achieve this there is a need for national upskilling in digital and business skills, for technical and non-technical areas [4]. Competency scorecards are tools presented in the Skills & Competency framework [5] that can be used to identify skill and competency gaps more efficiently in a collaborative activity, build cross functional teams and understand strengths and weaknesses to make sure there is right mix of roles and skills to support needs, develop a resource plan and pipeline of skills needed over a specific time frame to drive intervention [5]. Relevant skills for the Gemini Principle of Value Creation are a Commercial Mindset and Business Analysis [5].

Ethical considerations

The concept of Value Creation carries significant ethical implications covering both ethical values (e.g., fairness) and prudential values (e.g., efficiency) [3]. The Ethics report highlights the ambiguity that arises when different actors in the digital twin ecosystem hold varying expectations of value. For instance, a corporate organization's perception of value, potentially centred around profit, could be starkly different from a government or local community's perspective, which might focus more on social benefit [3]. This disparity, without clarity, risks creating confusion and frustration.

Therefore, it is imperative to establish an understanding and agreement on the terminology and methods to achieve a fair distribution of value [3]. Stakeholder engagement, along with representation in the development and deployment process, can greatly assist in this endeavour.

Examples

The case study outlined below demonstrates the practical applicability of digital twins in the context of the Value Creation Gemini Principle.

Case study

The case studies outlined below demonstrate the practical applicability of digital twins across various industries and sectors in relevance to the Gemini Principle of Value Creation.

• The Climate Resilience Demonstrator (CReDo)

Please see the DT Hub case study register (Case Studies - DT Hub Community (digitaltwinhub.co.uk) for further evidence of successful outcomes with digital twins.

References

[1] The Gemini Principles. Available at: https://digitaltwinhub.co.uk/files/file/12-gemini-principles/. Accessed 29 February 2024

[2] The Gemini Papers: Why Connected Digital Twins. Available at: https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/files/gemini_papers_-_why_connected_digital_twins.pdf Accessed 29 February 2024

[3] Digital Twins, Ethics and the Gemini Principles. Available at: Digital_Twins_Ethics_and_the_Gemini_Principles.pdf (utwente.nl) Accessed February 28, 2024.

[4] Gemini Papers: How to Enable at Ecosystem of Connected Digital Twins? Available at: The Gemini Papers - DT Hub Community (digitaltwinhub.co.uk). Accessed February 28, 2024.

[5] Skills and Competency Framework. Available at: Skills & Competency Framework - Public Resources - DT Hub Community (digitaltwinhub.co.uk) Accessed February 28, 2024.

[6] Digital Twin Toolkit. Available at Digital Twin Toolkit - Public Resources - DT Hub Community (digitaltwinhub.co.uk) Accessed February 29, 2024.

[7] Digital Twin Toolkit Business Case Template. Available at Digital Twin Toolkit - Public Resources - DT Hub Community (digitaltwinhub.co.uk) Accessed February 29, 2024.

[8] Trust, Purpose, Value and Connected Digital Twins. Available at Trust, Purpose, Value and Connected Digital Twins - Member Resources - DT Hub Community (digitaltwinhub.co.uk) Accessed February 29, 2024.

[9] Digital Twin Navigator. Available at Digital Twin Navigator - Public Resources - DT Hub Community (digitaltwinhub.co.uk). Accessed February 29, 2024.

Further Reading

• The Gemini Principles

• Our Vision for the built environment

• Data for the Public Good

• Flourishing systems

• Skills and Competency framework

• Pathway towards and IMF

• Digital Twins, Ethics and the Gemini Principles

• Digital Twin Navigator

• The Cyber-Physical Infrastructure Vision

• Our Shared Understanding

• Trust, Purpose, Value and Connected Digital Twins

• Gemini Papers: what are connected digital twins?

• Gemini Papers: why connected digital twins?

• Gemini Papers: How to enable an ecosystem of connected digital twins?