Work

Reference architecture and ontology framework for digital twin construction

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Digital twins, revolutionizing product and process management in manufacturing and transportation industry, face integration challenges to their application to the process of building construction. A significant obstacle is the lack of guidance on implementing essential data management layers. We propose a novel reference architecture for digital twin construction, focusing on the internal data structures required to address this gap. The architecture provides a concept for managing planning information, raw monitoring data, and derived information and knowledge as a holistic system. Moreover, we introduce the Digital Twin Construction Ontology, forming the internal data schema needed for interoperability between platform services. Unlike existing ontologies, the DTC Ontology facilitates direct comparison of the planned project evolution with the project status. To assess the proposed data structures, we conducted a case study using the ConSLAM dataset. This study showcases the practicality and relevance of the developed system architecture and data structures in real-world settings.

Source: Automation in Construction

DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106111

Authors: Jonas Schlenger, Kacper Pluta, Alwyn Mathew, Timson Yeung, Rafael Sacks, André Borrmann