SEPTEMBER 2025AEROSPACEDEFENSEREVIEW.COM8In My OpinionBy Patrick Ryan, SVP and CTO, ABSUNDERSTANDING THE DIGITAL TWIN: FROM CONCEPT TO REALITYAsset owners in the marine and offshore industries are increasingly adopting digital tools to manage design, production, operations, maintenance, and recycling. This digitalization fuels interest in a process that starts with 3D plan drawings, advances through product lifecycle management, and creates a digital twin.Digital twins can support informed decision-making throughout a vessel's lifecycle. While widely discussed, many owners and shipbuilders still lack a clear understanding of their full potential, functionality, and value in improving safety, efficiency, and lifecycle management, from maintenance to end-of-life.Models and Simulations as Digital Twin PrecursorsDigital models and simulations have long supported phases of an asset's lifecycle, from conceptual design to decommissioning. Traditionally, these models were created for specific stages and then set aside as the asset progressed.With digitalization, these models can now be sustained and updated throughout the lifecycle, enhancing their value and paving the way for digital twins. Digital twins build on these models by providing asset-specific insights, particularly during the operational phase.For instance, a simulation used in the design phase to predict performance under expected loads and conditions can evolve into a digital twin that monitors real-time performance under actual operating conditions.Essentially, a digital twin is a specialized form of simulation that represents a unique physical asset rather than a generalized system. A single design model can support multiple digital twins, each customized for an individual asset derived from that original design.What Are Digital Twins?The distinction between a digital model, a simulation, and a digital twin is often unclear, leading to confusion and limiting the industry's ability to fully leverage the concept. Rather than focusing on strict definitions, it's more productive to ask whether the digital twin serves its intended purpose.The idea of using a twin to support decision-making is not new. Historically, physical twins were used to represent real systems in a more accessible form--allowing users to model, simulate, and test outcomes.One well-known example is military sandboards, which represented battlefields. These were regularly updated based on real-time reports and used to simulate strategies or mock wargames.This early form of twinning provided decision-makers with a way to test different approaches without expending real-world resources. Today's digital twins follow the same principle--offering a dynamic, efficient way to better understand, predict, and improve physical system performance.
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