The Digital Twin (DT) has become a leading technological initiative driving the industry 4.0 advancements. During the last years, its application has extended significantly beyond from its foundational manufacturing roots. DT leverages on its core functionality, by replicating a physical system with all its characteristics and interactions in the virtual realm. These attributes perfectly adapt to the linear infrastructure sector that encompass the managing of essential assets like roads, railways, public transportation, and utility networks. Nevertheless, despite a primary apparent connection between this technology and the sector, various literature studies mention the lack of standardized frameworks for developing Digital Twin solutions in this industry. This research aims to fill this gap through three main steps. First, it assesses the extent of Digital Twin adoption among major European industry players, identifying current trends. Second, it systematically establishes the needs and use cases that DT solutions can address, drawing insights from both real-world market projects and extensive academic literature. Finally, the study proposes a novel Modular Digital Twin Framework tailored for linear infrastructure. This framework aims to provide a standardized, flexible methodology for DT development, enabling optimized implementation by defining configurable modules based on empirically identified market needs and validated by academic case studies.
Il Digital Twin (DT) è diventato una delle principali iniziative tecnologiche che guidano l’evoluzione dell’Industria 4.0. Negli ultimi anni, la sua applicazione si è notevolmente estesa oltre le sue radici originarie nel settore manifatturiero. Il DT si basa sulla sua funzionalità fondamentale: replicare un sistema fisico con tutte le sue caratteristiche e interazioni nel mondo virtuale. Questi attributi si adattano perfettamente al settore delle infrastrutture lineari, che comprende la gestione di asset essenziali come strade, ferrovie, trasporti pubblici e reti di servizi. Tuttavia, nonostante l’apparente connessione tra questa tecnologia e il settore, diversi studi in letteratura segnalano la mancanza di framework standardizzati per lo sviluppo di soluzioni Digital Twin in questo ambito. Questa ricerca mira a colmare questa differenza teorica attraverso tre passaggi principali. In primo luogo, valuta il livello di adozione del Digital Twin tra le principali aziende europei del settore, individuando le tendenze attuali. In secondo luogo, definisce sistematicamente i bisogni e i casi d’uso che le soluzioni DT possono soddisfare, basandosi su progetti di digitalizzazione di mercato reali e sull’analisi approfondita della letteratura accademica. Infine, lo studio propone un nuovo Modular Digital Twin Framework pensato per le infrastrutture lineari. Questo framework intende fornire una metodologia standardizzata e flessibile per lo sviluppo dei DT, permettendo un’implementazione ottimizzata attraverso la definizione di moduli configurabili basati su bisogni di mercato identificati empiricamente e validati da casi studio accademici.
Standardizing digital twin solutions for linear infrastructure: a modular framework based on academic case studies and market needs analysis
LETRADO FORERO, CRISTHIAN
2024/2025
Abstract
The Digital Twin (DT) has become a leading technological initiative driving the industry 4.0 advancements. During the last years, its application has extended significantly beyond from its foundational manufacturing roots. DT leverages on its core functionality, by replicating a physical system with all its characteristics and interactions in the virtual realm. These attributes perfectly adapt to the linear infrastructure sector that encompass the managing of essential assets like roads, railways, public transportation, and utility networks. Nevertheless, despite a primary apparent connection between this technology and the sector, various literature studies mention the lack of standardized frameworks for developing Digital Twin solutions in this industry. This research aims to fill this gap through three main steps. First, it assesses the extent of Digital Twin adoption among major European industry players, identifying current trends. Second, it systematically establishes the needs and use cases that DT solutions can address, drawing insights from both real-world market projects and extensive academic literature. Finally, the study proposes a novel Modular Digital Twin Framework tailored for linear infrastructure. This framework aims to provide a standardized, flexible methodology for DT development, enabling optimized implementation by defining configurable modules based on empirically identified market needs and validated by academic case studies.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2025_07_Letrado.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/240447