Developing Digital Twin Data Structure and Integrated Cloud Digital Twin Architecture for Roads

Abstract

The systems that support construction and maintenance planning for delivering the road digital transformation lack the up-to-date road data and digital processes to leverage them. Digital Twins recently disrupted the infrastructure sector and can now serve as a fundamental building block to help address this problem. Digital twin differs significantly from a static design-stage BIM model. It can span across the road’s lifecycle for reflecting the physical twin’s properties, updating data continuously, and improving connectivity. However, no implementation of such digital twin solutions exists on the horizon for infrastructure. The important item that has not been defined yet is workable digital twin data structures and cloud architecture. This study aims to develop a proof-of-concept digital twin data structure and an integrated cloud architecture that are able to support road products and processes. The outcomes of this research are the proposed data structures and developed road digital twin integrated cloud architecture. As reliable references, these data structures benefit people by applying digital twin technologies to facilitate road construction and O&M processes and improve the decision-making processes.