Seven Metaphors to Understand Digital Twins of Built Assets

Digital twins have raised the attention of practitioners in the fields of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, and Facilities Management (AEC/FM). The term broadly refers to the cyber part of cyber-physical systems used for representing and managing real-world assets. This qualitative study explores how Finnish AEC/FM practitioners describe digital twins of assets in the built environment. Our findings are primarily derived from the interpretive analysis of semi-structured interviews with project managers and C-level executives during 2018 and 2019. The results of this analysis are discussed within the existing literature about digital twins, complex software ecosystems, and Service-Dominant (S-D) logic. We observed that digital twins were often explained using simple metaphors that could be easily understood by practitioners. We identified seven of such metaphors, each associated with a key attribute of digital twins. We argue that digital twins are the basis of complex software ecosystems, resulting from the increased expectations of AEC/FM stakeholders about the role of Building Information Modeling and other software solutions in their daily operations. Under an S-D logic perspective, digital twins are a resource applied by multiple interdependent actors to integrate information, co-create value for their entire network, and jointly deliver new products or services.

Automated summary

The term "digital twins" has drawn the attention of practitioners in the AEC/FM fields, who describe it using simple metaphors to explain its key attributes. Digital twins are seen as the basis of complex software ecosystems, supporting Building Information Modeling and other software solutions to integrate information and co-create value. Under a Service-Dominant logic perspective, digital twins are resources utilized by multiple interdependent actors to deliver new products or services.