DIGITAL TWINS | DATA CAPTURE METHODS Using low-cost panoramic camera images attached to oor plans, the skeleton of a digital twin could be created Reality capture has a part to play in creating the digital twin, which could offer a means to access the golden thread of information More importantly from a digital-twin perspective, the software allows you to deliver web-based content back into the model environment for example, sensor data. It also clearly highlights the fth challenge: data security, which often pulls in the opposite direction to accessibility and ease of sharing. With the improvement of handheld, simultaneous localisation and mapping (Slam) technology, more routes to creating a digital twin retrospectively will become available. For fire safety, it could: Show clear escape routes for all occupants of the building, which dynamically respond to the building activities Highlight important features of fire safety and allow people to visually, or even automatically, check/compare what is actually present with what should be present for example, fire compartments and smoke detectors Provide a visual insight to the building for firefighters before they arrive at the scene Deliver a visual index to statutory information and the golden thread of information. Equally, with minimal reimagination into other sectors, it may: Offer the chance for a parent to look around a school if they couldnt make the open day Give an autistic person foresight of the potentially stressful environment they could face when going to an unfamiliar place Allow wheelchair users to have an improved experience of a hard-to-access listed building. Reality capture has a part to play in creating the digital twin, which could offer a means to access the golden thread of information mentioned in the Hackitt report. If we are to create digital twins retrospectively, I would recommend: Limiting disruption during the capture process and only capturing what is useful going forward Gaining an understanding of the limitation of each capture methodology and the time it takes versus the value it brings to the end user Planning how the digital twin will be presented (remember your audience) and how it will be kept current, as this will impact on trust, uptake and future maintenance Understanding where the data for the digital twin will come from, and making sure it can receive this data without creating copies (multiple sources of the truth) Considering the implications of sharing data, and its sensitivity or potential to create security loopholes in other connected systems. CJ DEREK LAWRENCE is associate director, Buildings Midlands, at Arup Trusted Technology Partner Silas Flytkjaer, Head of Strategic Business Development - Commercial www.sav-systems.com 42 November 2019 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov19 pp40-42 Digital twin.indd 42 25/10/2019 16:07