How to tell the difference between a model and a digital twin

Abstract “When I use a word, it means whatever I want it to mean”: Humpty Dumpty in Alice’s Adventures Through The Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll. “Digital twin” is currently a term applied in a wide variety of ways. Some differences are variations from sector to sector, but definitions within a sector can also vary significantly. Within engineering, claims are made regarding the benefits of using digital twinning for design, optimisation, process control, virtual testing, predictive maintenance, and lifetime estimation. In many of its usages, the distinction between a model and a digital twin is not made clear. The danger of this variety and vagueness is that a poor or inconsistent definition and explanation of…

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  Government of the United Kingdom