December, 2020CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM 19DIGITAL ENGINEERINGAround the globe, modern governments are seeking to establish smart cities for the future. By embracing new technologies, these cities aim to create more liveable, workable and sustainable communities that positively shape the lives of their citizens. The rise of smart infrastructure will be a key element to achieving this vision. The infrastructure of the future will combine physical assets with digital technologies through the Internet of Things(IoT) to enable capabilities such as real-time analytics, predictive maintenance and improve network management, to name a few. The true `smarts' behind smart cities and smart infrastructure, however, is an emerging concept known as the digital twin. Put simply, digital twins are virtual representations of physical assets, systems or overall networks that combine digital modelling with real-time data sensors to enable informed decision-making. While the concept of the digital twin has been around for some time, it is now taking shape in the infrastructure sector as asset owners combine the physical and digital worlds. This kind of technology is no longer aspirational. Digital Engineering (DE) provides the techniques and solutions for building digital twins and smart infrastructure and is rapidly being adopted across infrastructure projects globally.A Digital Twin ­ leaping towards smart infrastructure By `building our assets twice', first as digital assets and then physical assets, DE provides powerful insights that simulate and optimise what we build Simon VauxBy Simon Vaux, Director Digital Engineering, Transport for NSWCXOINSIGHTS
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