What platform do you use?

We do not sell digital twin platforms. We are a software-agnostic systems integrator who works with many platforms.

We do not endorse specific platforms or vendors, but we do invest in our partnerships and our capabilities to deliver best-in-class solutions using platforms from vendors such as Microsoft, AWS, Google, Unity, Unreal, Nvidia, Autodesk, Esri, and Oracle. 

What software do you sell?

We are not a software vendor and we do not re-sell any software packages. We can help you develop requirements for your business needs, support your evaluation proces, and implement or manage the implementation and integration of software.  However, we do not  endorse any individual vendors or make money on selling you software.

One of our service offerings is developing custom software for clients on established technology platforms that can be built bespoke to client requirements, integrate with existing systems, and be maintained efficiently in-house or by us as a managed service.

Which systems can you integrate?

Any and every system used throughout the lifecycle of the built environment. We have not yet met a platform or software package that has stumped us. We focus first on the problem you want to solve, the processes you want to transform, and the stakeholders who will be impacted. Then we determine which systems need to be integrated and how best to deploy that for you.

What clients do you work with?

Most of our projects are confidential because of the nature of the project and proprietary use cases of the clients. We work exclusively with owners and most are “serial builders” who have large portfolios of built assets and long-term capital plans.

I don’t even know where to start. How can you help me?

One of our most popular solutions is a gap analysis and roadmap. We help our clients uncover the potential of digital twins by evaluating current business processes and a desired future state. We deliver a roadmap and help you prioritize and maximize your existing investments.

How much does annual maintenance cost?

We don’t require our clients to sign annual maintenance contracts. We train your team to operate and maintain the solutions we implement, or we can offer our managed services to serve as an augmentation of your staff.

When do you get involved in projects, during design, construction or operations?

Ideally, we would help you from the beginning during site selection and design, but we can get involved at any point in the building lifecycle. Our solutions are all driven by your use case, which can be at any point in the asset lifecycle.

What is the difference or relationship between a 3D Model (BIM) and a Digital Twin?

BIM is an enabling technology for digital twin solutions, as are GIS, IoT, Reality Capture, Mixed Reality, etc.

Our perspective on the digital twin concept and related terminology is shaped by our work with the Digital Twin Consortium.  A digital twin is a “virtual representation” a physical thing that must be “synchronized” with the physical world in support of a “use case”.  The “virtual representation” can be a model of structured information representing what a thing is (i.e. this is an Air Handling Unit with this specification and this history of work orders and historical performance measurements) or a model of an algorithm that computes impact on that thing given changes in time/conditions (i.e. this change in external temperature and building users will affect the performance of an Air Handling Unit in this way). 

 What ultimately makes it a digital twin is that it is aligned to match the physical thing through some “synchronization” process (i.e. sensors track performance of Air Handling Unit, actuators allow you to control settings of Air Handling Unit).  And the “use case” of the digital twin (i.e. is my Air Handling Unit performing as it should be based on physics-based simulation studies?) dictates what information/computation is needed from the virtual representation, and what is required from the synchronization process.

BIM is often used in digital twin system implementations to provide: (1) a foundational engineering data set of building/system/space/assets related to the physical twin; and the (2) visual/spatial/relational context of those building /system/space/assets.

What advice would you give a company that has a campus environment where many of the buildings will never have a model, and where we will also have some buildings that will be state-of-the-art and have significant BIM integration?

We would recommend starting all conversations about digital twins with use cases and data.

Once use cases are identified it informs requirements for a digital twin system and specifications for the models (BIM, point clouds, geospatial, IoT historians, etc.) you will need for your digital twin.  Then an analysis of factors related to value and scalability of those use cases will drive recommendations and ultimately an implementation roadmap.  Those factors will take into account what processes, data and systems already exist within the organization.

It is important to remember that the fidelity of the model(s) in the digital twin, the frequency of their “synchronization” with the physical twin, and the digital twin UI/UX (it doesn’t have to be a 3D model) are all dictated by your desired use cases.

Does every digital twin integrate data directly into the model? Do I need all of my data in the digital twin?

You should only integrate with the systems and models that provide the data you need for your desired use cases. 

 We use the term digital twin system to describe the system-of-systems required to deliver digital twin use cases. This would typically include: model(s) that make up the digital twin; data management infrastructure that provides a digital thread; a presentation/application layer that enables the use cases; integration with existing IT/OT/IoT systems to consume and/or push data; and some security/administration capabilities. We use best of breed platforms so that the solution is both bespoke and easily supported by partners or internal resources.