Operation

Digital twin of the asset

The digital twin links the as-built model to operational data, sensors and management systems: the asset is monitored, simulated and maintained on a single basis.

At a glance

B1P Group's digital twin (BIM digital twin) is the as-built BIM model linked to the data of the asset in operation: monitoring systems and sensors, maintenance records, consumption, space occupancy. It helps operators of buildings, infrastructure and networks to monitor the condition of the asset, simulate interventions and make decisions based on data, starting from an information model that is kept up to date.

Definition

What is a digital twin?

A digital twin is the digital representation of a physical asset, connected to it by a flow of data: the BIM model describes geometry and components, the operational systems (sensors, supervisory systems, maintenance records) describe its condition over time, and together they make it possible to monitor, simulate and predict. Without the flow of data it is a static model; without the model it is a dashboard without context.

The term is used for very different things; for B1P Group a digital twin always starts from a verified as-built model and grows step by step, from the uses the operator actually has.

Deliverables: As-built model structured for linking to data, mapping between model objects and measurement points, integration with supervisory and maintenance systems, dashboards, update procedures
Standards: ISO 19650-3 for information management in operation, UNI 11337, the operator's exchange information requirements, exchange standards of the supervisory systems
Tools: Revit and Civil 3D for the models, Autodesk Forma and management platforms, integration with the operator's systems through their own formats and interfaces, IFC and COBie

Digital twin

What levels of digital twin are there?

From the simplest to the most complex: the as-built model with static component data; the model linked to maintenance records and documents; the model linked to near real-time data from supervisory systems (temperatures, consumption, system status); the model used to simulate scenarios (predictive maintenance, energy efficiency, flows).

Each level has a cost and a use; you move up a level only when the use justifies it. Most operators get the greatest value from the first two.

Digital twin

How is the model connected to operational systems?

By mapping the model objects to the measurement points and records in the operator's systems: each model component has an identifier that the supervisory, maintenance and space management systems recognise. Integration uses the formats and interfaces of the existing systems, without replacing them.

It is a data job before it is a software job: the mapping has to be maintained when the asset changes, which is why the update procedures are part of the deliverable.

Digital twin

What is it actually for?

To know where the troublesome components are and how often they cause problems, to plan maintenance on condition and not just on the calendar, to compare consumption across zones and periods on a geometric basis, and to test an intervention on the model before carrying it out on the asset. For infrastructure, to keep inspection data and the condition of the civil structures along the line together.

The digital twin is useful to an operator who has data to connect; to those who do not have any yet, B1P Group suggests starting from the asset information model and the procedures, which are the prerequisite for everything else.

Levels

Which level is right for you?

The four levels of the digital twin, with what they require and what they deliver.

Level	What it requires	What it delivers
Asset information model	Verified as-built model, static component and space data	Geometric and information database of the asset
Model linked to records	Integration with maintenance and documents	Work history and due dates on the model
Model linked to systems	Mapping of measurement points, interfaces with supervisory systems	Near real-time condition of the asset, alarms in context
Model for simulation	Sufficient historical data, calculation models	Maintenance, energy and flow scenarios

Related services

What does it combine with?

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about digital twins

Is a digital twin also useful for an existing asset with no model?

Yes, but you start from the model: BIM modelling from a survey and a simplified asset information model, then the link to the data. Starting from sensors without a model produces dashboards without context.

Which sensors are needed?

Those the operator already has or has reason to install: the digital twin does not impose a set of sensors, it integrates the existing ones. In the initial analysis we assess which data exist and which would be worth collecting.

How long does it take to have a useful digital twin?

The first two levels, the asset information model and the link to the records, take months; the link to supervisory systems depends on the existing systems. The work is planned level by level, with a usable result at each step.

Who owns the data?

The operator. B1P Group structures the model and the integrations, delivers open formats and documentation, and does not tie the operator to a platform of its own.

Contact

Want to follow your asset in operation through its data?

Tell us which systems you have and what you want to see: we will propose the right level of digital twin.

Request a meeting B1P Group's BIM consultancy