The Role of Interoperability for Digital Twins

The concept of Digital Twin (DT) has gained popularity as a digital representation of physical entities that interact with their real-world counterparts in (near) real-time through sensors and actuators. DTs can be applied across different sectors, offering benefits like simulation, remote monitoring, and predictive maintenance, which are relevant capabilities of smart systems. However, achieving the full potential of DTs requires addressing interoperability challenges posed by the complex networks of devices and systems that play different roles in DTs. This paper presents a research agenda aimed at enhancing DT interoperability grounded in four perspectives, which reflect knowledge fields in computer/information science, i.e., architecture of distributed systems, model-based system engineering, ontology-driven conceptual modeling, and linked data with semantic web. This paper highlights how leveraging on existing standards, such as modelling languages and ontologies, is important for improved DT interoperability. This becomes increasingly relevant for driving research directions related to ongoing initiatives such as the International Data Spaces and the Digital Product Passport.