More recently, widespread availability of high-speed networks, inexpensive sensors and AI-assisted platforms for unifying and using data have contributed to the expansion of digital twins, according to CEO Bert Van Hoof of digital twin technology company Willow.
While the technology has been deployed in fields like aerospace, manufacturing and government, the tools are gaining traction in higher education. Arizona State University (ASU), Georgia Southern University and the University of Texas, Austin, are all building campus-scale twins.
WHAT IS A DIGITAL TWIN
A digital twin is more than a virtual map of a building. It’s a model that combines several layers of information: spatial data represents the physical layout of infrastructure; static data details asset attributes, like HVAC unit type, room capacity or maintenance history; and live telemetry streams from sensors, energy meters, security systems and Wi-Fi networks feed the model in real time, Van Hoof said.
Without real-time feeds, twins don’t offer as much operational value, according to David Schwartz, director of the School of Interactive Games and Media at Rochester Institute of Technology.
“Our twins are only as good as the data we can acquire and the mathematical models we can build,” he said.
With the layered data, universities can make more informed decisions about campus operations to meet sustainability goals, enhance classroom scheduling and optimize maintenance schedules, Van Hoof said.
Karla Saldaña Ochoa, an assistant professor in the University of Florida (UF)’s School of Architecture who works on digital twin technology, said universities can also use digital twins to simulate scenarios like natural disasters.
“You connect the physical with the virtual and the ability to simulate scenarios,” Saldaña Ochoa said. “For example, include information of weather conditions or gravity [to help project possible futures].”
CREATING A UNIVERSITY TWIN
At Northern Arizona University, one of Willow’s clients, there are 128 buildings to coordinate, Van Hoof said.
“We take all the spatial data about the campus, static data about equipment and spaces, and all the live data from building systems, [Internet of Things] systems schedules, like classroom scheduling,” he said. “It enables simple scenarios like occupancy-based HVAC control, which sounds very straightforward and simple, but you just can’t do it with traditional systems.”
A digital twin for Georgia Southern University, another Willow client, unified 11 distinct data repositories, including HVAC, energy meters, occupancy tracking, utility bills and work-ticket systems, according to a case study on the implementation.
With the digital twin, facilities staff can see energy-use patterns, track hot spots and automate maintenance scheduling, helping the university save roughly $1 million in operational expenses over the course of nine months, the case study said.
Operational culture is also important. Facilities teams must be willing to trust insights coming from the twin, Van Hoof said.
“We always start with the scenarios with human in the loop,” he said. “Somebody can verify whether this is safe and to their standards.”
CHALLENGES AND SCALE
Aging buildings may lack the infrastructure necessary to make a digital twin worth it, and the digital twin demands significant computational power, according to some research in the field.
Additionally, institutions with strong facilities leadership, medium to large building portfolios, basic telemetry infrastructure and the will to integrate multiple systems will see greater returns, Van Hoof said.
Some universities are using digital twins for purposes beyond operations. The University of Florida, for example, is involved in mapping whole cities to model flooding and assist disaster response. While the UF campus is part of a twin model in Gainesville, the scope of the work reaches beyond internal use, Saldaña Ochoa said.
Other institutions are extending twins into community and regional simulations. At ASU, the digital twin integrates with city infrastructure to support traffic, energy and emergency planning.
“We can create a digital twin and apply it at different levels,” Saldaña Ochoa said. “How could [it] benefit every student, faculty and staff member to help them make decisions in situations that are usually are driven by uncertainty?”
