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<p>Digital Twins (DTs) hold transformative potential to enhance resilience and efficiency in water systems, yet their implementation remains fragmented across sectors and geographies. Despite growing technological momentum, the absence of consolidated evidence on practical maturity and sustainability impacts continues to limit broader adoption. This systematic review evaluates DT applications in sustainable water management, using the PRISMA framework to address these critical gaps. Quantitative analysis reveals a predominant focus on urban water infrastructure (62.5%), with the remaining 37.5% addressing natural systems. A notable maturity gap exists within the field: while water distribution networks demonstrate the highest proportion of fully operational, real-world deployments, applications in other domains remain largely confined to theoretical frameworks or simulation-based prototypes. Geographically, research output is led by Asia, driven primarily by rapid digitalisation initiatives in China, and Europe, while low-income regions remain significantly underrepresented. Despite proven operational benefits, widespread deployment is hindered by data availability constraints, integration challenges, and institutional fragmentation. Key gaps persist in cybersecurity provision, cost–benefit evidence, and social equity metrics. To bridge these gaps, the paper proposes targeted research agendas, including open-source platforms for low-income utilities and standardised data ontologies, to transition DTs from isolated experimental pilots into scalable, core operational assets.</p>

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A systematic literature review of digital twin applications for sustainable water systems in natural and built environment

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月17日

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  • Mehwish Qureshi,
  • Zhenan Feng,
  • Vishal Kumar,
  • Mohsen Besharat,
  • Ruggiero Lovreglio

摘要

Digital Twins (DTs) hold transformative potential to enhance resilience and efficiency in water systems, yet their implementation remains fragmented across sectors and geographies. Despite growing technological momentum, the absence of consolidated evidence on practical maturity and sustainability impacts continues to limit broader adoption. This systematic review evaluates DT applications in sustainable water management, using the PRISMA framework to address these critical gaps. Quantitative analysis reveals a predominant focus on urban water infrastructure (62.5%), with the remaining 37.5% addressing natural systems. A notable maturity gap exists within the field: while water distribution networks demonstrate the highest proportion of fully operational, real-world deployments, applications in other domains remain largely confined to theoretical frameworks or simulation-based prototypes. Geographically, research output is led by Asia, driven primarily by rapid digitalisation initiatives in China, and Europe, while low-income regions remain significantly underrepresented. Despite proven operational benefits, widespread deployment is hindered by data availability constraints, integration challenges, and institutional fragmentation. Key gaps persist in cybersecurity provision, cost–benefit evidence, and social equity metrics. To bridge these gaps, the paper proposes targeted research agendas, including open-source platforms for low-income utilities and standardised data ontologies, to transition DTs from isolated experimental pilots into scalable, core operational assets.