Digital Twin Framework for Road Infrastructure Management

Digital twin (DT) technology has garnered increasing attention across various sectors, particularly in the construction and road infrastructure domains. To fully realize its potential and systematically apply it in practice, adherence to a formalized approach is necessary. However, numerous DT-related standards and models currently exist, creating uncertainty in the selection of appropriate frameworks. Moreover, no widely accepted standard or reference model has yet been developed in the field of road infrastructure management. Therefore, this study examined the current standards and models employed in the adoption and implementation of DTs in road infrastructure management, focusing on their dimensions (layers) and functional components. A bottom-up approach was adopted by comprehensively reviewing the existing literature on road networks, bridges, tunnels, and other civil infrastructures and urban DTs. Ultimately, a DT framework was developed, comprising five core layers with their respective components and functionalities, to facilitate network-level integrated road infrastructure management. Moreover, the proposed framework’s implementation scenario enhances its applicability in the field. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for researchers and practitioners involved in DT implementation in infrastructure management and supports future standardization efforts in this domain.