PECM Issue 43 2020 | Page 160

PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES 3D MODELS ITOTIC LABS A true digital win Enterprises have been visualising data through 3D models for years, but a model, even a sophisticated one, isn’t a twin. 3D models at their best are visualisations of data and information which enable better decisions and are often limited to discreet, static diagrams of physical assets or infrastructure. A true digital twin of an asset or source is able to interoperate and behave as its real- world counterpart, securely and intelligently interacting with other twins to share and consume data and controls. As companies continue to develop and embrace digital transformation and Enterprise 4.0, they are faced with an ever- broadening capability gap. As the number of interactions within enterprises and across complex supply chains increases so does the challenge. Data and controls are locked in a complex fractured, fluctuating ecosystem of siloes that prevent the interactions demanded of us and the digital driven growth in selective data sharing between product and service. The answer is digital twins and meaningful interactions between them. Twins that are a comprehensive interoperable version of any The value of the Iotic approach is that it’s made it easy for the team to connect different applications and help them work together. thing, with all its data and controls through its whole lifecycle, semantically defined and machine readable. Twins that create an event stream, a river of news, throughout their lives from specification to BOM (Bill of Materials) amendments, installation to operation. Interrelating data and controls from siloes to provide a single point of access. Machine readable twins can securely and programmatically interrelate. Abstracted from their siloed sources, they can safely enable interoperability that will power the next generation of services, driven by sophisticated and holistic algorithms and AI. We have seen the adoption of digital twins by organisations such as Rolls Royce Power Systems, which has placed an emergent twin-based interoperable ecosystem at the heart of its vision to deliver the next generation in customer service. Sean Gigremosa, Technical Product Manager, explains: “The issue was that we didn’t see our products the way customers do. We saw the world based on our technology and process, infrastructure and delivery methodology. We harnessed digital twin technology to provide a virtual composite of the entirety of an asset’s data and controls, one that could meaningfully interact with other twins to provide a single source of truth that helps suppliers become service providers and customers partners.” Colin Everson, Head of Innovation at BAM Nuttall, said: “We have all of this equipment on site but no information about it, we just didn’t collect or use it anywhere. Many suppliers offer us an app to monitor their bit of kit, but that’s not much use to us. The value of the Iotic approach is that it’s made it easy for the team to connect different applications and help them work together.” For further information, please visit www.iotic-labs.com 160 PECM Issue 43