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Abstract A digital twin is a digital representation of a physical asset and is critically dependent on data collection and transmission. The physical and digital parts need to communicate and exchange data with each other for the digital twin to perform its function and deliver value over time. Increasingly, the data utilized for digital twin solutions may be hosted in multiple locations such as third-party cloud services, in-house servers, other digital twins, or other sources. The different sources of data enable operations at scale and multiple new business opportunities. However, it also brings with it challenges related to data quality and cyber security. The capabilities of digital twins need interoperable solutions, which means that digital twins can connect, communicate, and exchange qualified data or services without requiring extra effort or adaptation. A formal certification of data products used for digital twins will improve trust and reduce risk. Data values and quality are changing and need to be fit for use within acceptable risk. Bad data, lack of data and security breaches can and will jeopardize business critical operations and need to be governed by strategies, and management of change processes and tools. There is a need for a system for continuous assurance and certifications of data quality and cyber security. The described system is currently under development for quality assurance and certification of data products for the maritime and the energy industry. The result could be a game-changer when it comes to trust and reliability for digital twins. Examples and reference cases of the independent and automated digital quality assurance and certification system for digital twins will cover management of changes, cyber security, data quality, or automated compliance assessments and statements. The use cases present technical and practical solutions and the system to meet the continuous assurance and certification requirements as well as learnings from ongoing projects.
Hansen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.