The Digital Twin Consortium® (DTC) established the Digital Engineering Working Group, which is focused on model-based development methodologies and digital threads across the digital twin lifecycle phases.
Leveraging members’ combined intelligence and expertise across all Object Management Group® (OMG®) consortia, the Digital Engineering Working Group will develop AI-based deliverables providing methodologies and frameworks for developing, deploying, operating, and maintaining digital twins throughout the system lifecycle.
“Digital twins demand continuous validation of their virtual-physical relationships throughout system lifecycles,” said Dan Isaacs, GM & CTO of DTC. “Digital engineering, with key attributes of model-based development and digital thread, from concept to decommissioning, provides a foundational framework for systematic verification of fidelity, accuracy, and predictive capabilities.”
The digital engineering-based deliverables, along with others, will provide organizations with frameworks and methodologies, including AI-based approaches, such as generative AI, for implementing, operating, enhancing, and maintaining digital twins throughout the lifecycle phases, including:
- Model Validation Architecture – Frameworks for quantifying and maintaining digital twin accuracy
- Assessment Frameworks – Including verification and validation procedures characterizing prediction accuracy and uncertainty quantification
- Operational Procedures – Including supporting digital twin calibration, setup, and through lifetime operation
- Lifecycle State Management – Approaches for tracking and synchronizing virtual-physical system evolution
“Digital twin interest and applications have exponentially exploded over the past decade, promising us efficiency and effectiveness that were previously unavailable,” said Dr. Michael Grieves, who originated the digital twin concept. “This requires we revamp the engineering processes and practices used to create, test, manufacture, and deploy these new physical and digital products. Digital engineering is transforming our old physical work into the digital realm. This will enable us to model and simulate more innovative designs, better manufacturing processes, and faster and far less expensively meet customer expectations than ever before.”
“Launching the Digital Engineering Working Group marks a pivotal step in unifying efforts across the lifecycle of digital twins—bridging digital transformation to generative AI readiness and delivering measurable ROI across the entire lifecycle,” said Dr. David McKee, Co-chair of the DTC Digital Engineering Working Group, CTO at Crysp Ltd, and Managing Partner at Counterpoint Technologies.
“As digital twin technologies evolved to solve the next set of challenges in operations and sustainment, it became evident that the advancements played a much broader role on the intersection with digital engineering workflows across the entire lifecycle,” said Vitor Lopes/Ansys Regional Manager – Systems & Digital Twins, and one of the co-chairs of the Digital Engineering Working Group.
