数字孪生的5个最佳实践

数字孪生在民用基础设施领域已经取得了实质性进步，新加坡、迪拜的数字孪生体就是两个极好的例子。

软件开发商Bentley Systems公司的Keith Bentley曾在一篇文章中指出，数字孪生是自个人电脑问世以来IT为基础设施行业带来的价值贡献最大的机遇，而且被广泛应用于各行各业，为企业提供了维护洞察和优化制造供应链的各种方式。

The infrastructure industry, however, can sometimes be its own worst enemy by falling for common objections and barriers to adoption throughout both digital twin strategy and implementation. These objections often include, “But we’ve always done it this way” (resistance to change), “It works just fine as is” (accepting the status quo which may be a sub-optimal solution), “Let’s wait until post-build” (pushing things off until later), “Let’s start with the metaverse” (being distracted by shiny objects), and more.

然而，基础设施行业有时也会成为自己最大的敌人，在整个数字孪生战略的制定和实施过程中，普遍会遇到一些常见的反对意见和障碍。

这些反对意见通常包括：“我们一直都是这样做的”（抵制变革）、“现在这样就很好”（接受现状，而现状可能是不是最优解决方案）、“等建好后再做吧”（推延）、“我们从元宇宙开始做吧”（被闪亮的东西分散注意力）等。

To counter these common objections, here are five best practices for digital twin implementation that may help you evangelize the most productive approach to seize opportunities for your organization.

在实施数字孪生时，针对这些常见的反对意见可以实行以下五项最佳实践。这些实践可以帮助推广最有效的方法，为组织抓住机遇。

抢在竞争对手之前成为早期采用者

One of the most common barriers to adoption is that service providers or clients may be quite happy with the current system, approach, and way of working. If we take the example of bridge inspection, some of these IT systems, or bridge management systems, were first introduced in the late 1980s, leaving a lot to be desired to leverage the latest technology.

采用数字孪生最常见障碍之一是服务提供商或客户可能对当前使用的系统、方法和工作方式非常满意。以桥梁检测为例，一些IT系统或桥梁管理系统是在20世纪80年代末引入的，远未充分利用最新技术的优势。

For service providers, as a counterargument to “But, we’ve always done it this way,” if you’re not bringing emerging technology to your customer, someone else may beat you to it. Sooner or later these legacy systems will be replaced with more powerful digital twin solutions, providing a complete system of record with visibility into how assets are performing including past, present, and future indicators.

对于服务提供商来说，在反驳诸如“但我们一直都是这样做的”一类的论点时可以提出，如果你不把新兴技术带给客户，别人可能会抢在你前面。传统系统迟早会被功能更强大的数字孪生解决方案所取代，数字孪生解决方案将提供完整的记录系统，包括过去、现在和未来的各种指标，资产的运行情况一目了然。

For the service provider, by being an early adopter before your competition, you can gain key learnings even if exploring the technology and conducting pilots. According to Martin Rapos, CEO of AR/VR platform Akular, which converts 3D models into digital twins, the impact of every dollar spent early is an order of magnitude higher than if you spend it five years down the road as a follower. Beyond buildings and bridges, use cases range from remotely driving bulldozers in mines, virtual training on large, specialized equipment, specialty manufacturing design, as well as restaurant design, parking monitoring, and airport operation. All companies that practice and plan with live twins are getting an edge over their competition.

服务提供商如果能在竞争对手之前成为早期采用者，即使只是技术探索和试点也能获得关键经验。

AR/VR平台Akular（一个将3D模型转换为数字孪生的平台）首席执行官Martin Rapos认为，早期投入的一美元的影响力比作为追随者在五年后投入的一美元要高一个数量级。除了建筑和桥梁之外，数字孪生使用案例还包括在矿山中远程驾驶推土机、对大型专用设备进行虚拟培训、专业制造设计以及餐厅设计、停车监控和机场运营等。

所有实践和计划使用实时孪生系统的公司都在竞争中占据了优势。

## Don’t accept the status quo of siloed solutions

不要接受孤立的解决方案现状

It’s often easy to say, “It works just fine as is.” If we take the example of building management systems, many organizations have most of what they need, such as access control, security cameras, HVAC, and so on, but the question is are they integrated or is this a sub-optimal solution.

有些人往往会说“现在这样就很好”。如果我们以楼宇管理系统为例，许多组织已经拥有所需的大部分功能，例如门禁控制、安全摄像头、暖通空调等，但问题是现存方案是不是整合在一起的解决方案以及是不是一个次优方案。

It’s important to think about how a digital twin may be able to integrate these existing elements for a common operating picture and single system of record. This can often lead to improvements in efficiency, performance, and cost savings by way of a holistic view of building operations. In addition, it can lead to enhanced occupant experience and comfort, since the digital twin is able to coordinate preferences for temperature, lighting, and air quality.

要考虑数字孪生系统如何整合这些现有元素，形成一个共同的运行视图和单一的记录系统，这一点很重要。这通常可以帮助对楼宇运营的全面了解，从而提高效率、性能并节约成本。

此外，由于数字孪生系统能够协调用户对温度、照明和空气质量的偏好，因此还可以提升用户体验和舒适度。

By acting as a centralized platform for communication and collaboration, the digital twin can also help to break down the human silos in decision-making and offer real-time insights and simulations. To make the business case compared to the status quo, it’s important to itemize all of these and ensure the full benefits of the digital twin can be articulated and understood.

数字孪生作为集中的沟通和协作平台还有助于打破决策过程中的人为壁垒，可以提供实时洞察和模拟。在与现状比较时，要做好业务论证就必须逐项列出所有这些内容，并确保数字孪生的全部优势都能得到阐述和理解。

## Start the design, build, operate lifecycle now现在就开始设计、构建和运营的生命周期

Rather than wait until post-build, consider initiating digital twins during the planning, design, and construction phases of your projects. At the planning stage, this can enable plan simulation and various what-if scenario testing prior to committing to real-world investment.

与其等到项目建成后再做，不如在规划、设计和施工阶段就启动数字孪生。在规划阶段，可以在承诺实际投资之前进行计划模拟和各种假设情景测试。

Part of the benefit of digital twins is they can address the full lifecycle from construction twins to operational twins. The digital twins, therefore, know far more than after-the-fact asset management systems, and the learnings and insights captured by the twin during design and build can improve operations and maintenance.

数字孪生的部分优势在于数字孪生可以涵盖从建设孪生系统到运营孪生系统的整个生命周期。因此，数字孪生知道的远比事后的资产管理系统要多，孪生系统在设计和建设过程中获得的知识和见解可以改善运营和维护。

According to Rapos, early incorporation allows for better data collection, more accurate modeling, and immediate feedback during the construction or development phase. It’s crucial to understand that digital twins aren’t just a final product, but a dynamic tool that evolves and adds value throughout the project’s life. Delaying its development can result in missed opportunities for optimization and innovation.

Rapos 认为，尽早纳入数字孪生系统可以在建设或开发阶段更好地收集数据、更准确地建模和即时反馈。

数字孪生不只是最终产品，而是在整个项目生命周期中不断发展和增值的动态工具，了解这一点很重要。延迟数字孪生系统的开发可能会错失优化和创新的机会。

## Craft your future vision but beware of shiny objects打造未来愿景，但要谨防闪亮东西的干扰

While the metaverse may be attractive, be sure to plan your technical implementation from the correct starting point. For example, start with the digital twin, your IoT integration points, and all the data you need to make informed decisions, and then add collaboration and visualization later on, as opposed to starting with the metaverse and trying to work backward.

虽然元宇宙可能很有吸引力，但一定要从正确的起点出发规划其技术实施。例如，从数字孪生、物联网集成点以及做出明智决策所需的所有数据入手，然后再添加协作和可视化功能，而不是从元宇宙入手倒过来做。

The metaverse may be a desirable future vision and end-state, but it’s often not ready for prime time in terms of the starting point or the core foundational platform, particularly for engineering-grade applications. It’s far more practical to start with a digital twin at the core of your technical architecture and think about the various data sources you wish to integrate. This provides you with real-time data from which to make decisions, as well as more advanced options such as AI-enabled defect detection, which is particularly beneficial for physical infrastructure, such as bridges and roadways.

元宇宙可能是一个理想的未来愿景和终极状态，但就起点或核心基础平台而言，元宇宙通常还没有准备好进入主流应用，尤其是工程应用。更实际的做法是，首先建立数字孪生的技术架构核心，再考虑整合各种数据源。如此则可提供用于决策的实时数据以及更高级的选项，例如人工智能缺陷检测，这对桥梁和道路等物理基础设施尤为有益。

## Ask the hard questions of the digital twin考虑其他数字孪生的重要问题

In addition to all of the above, it’s important to consider the ROI of the digital twin. If it’s a digital twin of a building, does it provide more than a NEST system or the existing siloed systems, for example. Also, what financial and non-financial benefits are anticipated, and what the near-term as well as longer-term benefits are.

除了以上几点以外，考虑数字孪生的投资回报率也很重要。

例如，一栋建筑的数字孪生系统是否比 NEST 系统或现有的孤立系统能够提供更多的功能。此外，还可以考虑数字孪生预计可以带来哪些财务和非财务效益以及近期和长期效益如何等问题。

One of the key benefits of digital twins is they allow you to incorporate multiple use cases into a single model. Construction use cases, for example, can range from cladding, concrete maturity, and logistics optimization, to health and safety of workers. The most effective way to get results quickly is to work with a platform that enables multiple use cases.

数字孪生的主要优势之一是可以将多个用例整合到一个模型中。

例如，建筑用例可以涵盖覆层材料、混凝土成熟度、物流优化、工人的健康和安全等各方面。快速获取结果的最有效方法是使用一个可以支持多种用例的平台进行工作。

Once you’ve prioritized your target use cases, you can determine how they contribute to the overall ROI in terms of cost savings, efficiency gains, revenue enhancement, risk mitigation, quality and performance improvements, strategic and long-term value, and environmental and sustainability impact.

一旦确定了目标用例的优先级别，就可以确定这些用例在节约成本、提高效率、增加收入、降低风险、改善质量和性能、战略和长期价值以及环境和可持续发展影响等方面对促进整体投资回报率的贡献。

With digital twins expanding across almost all asset types, even up to the level of entire cities and countries, all these best practices will be vital to get the most out of your projects and investments.

数字孪生正在渐渐扩展到几乎所有的资产类型，甚至整个城市和国家层面，所有这些最佳实践都将在项目和投资发挥最大潜力方面产生重要影响。