Esri
Esri, the global leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, builds the most powerful mapping and spatial analytics technology available.
Post
Two Things to Know About Digital Twins
Talk of Digital Twins is popping up everywhere – with good reason. They are fantastic tools and desperately needed. My friend Dianne runs a small facility for a non-profit organization. Part of her responsibility is overseeing grounds maintenance. She is struggling with the irrigation system.
She needed to dig out the manual to make any adjustments with the old irrigation controller. This meant Dianne rarely made modifications. Then, a generous grant funded a brand new garden. It was a lovely upgrade – with a large assortment of colorful flowers and a new drip irrigation system.
The new system is more complex with three times more zones. Nonetheless, it is connected and operated with an app on her phone – no manual required! Basic adjustments like changing from low winter settings to high summer settings are thankfully straightforward.
However, when one plant started dying and needed more water – that was difficult. You see, the contractor who installed the buried lines is long gone. And documentation of the complicated arrangement is severely lacking. If a particular plant needs more water – where is it concerning the irrigation zones? Nobody knows.
The consequence? Dianne cranked up every zone by 50% -- inefficient, but it did add more water!
Dianne would prefer to optimize the system, not wastefully flood the entire garden for the sake of one dry plant. However, she's not a sprinkler expert; she needs better information to guide her. With good information and a meaningful interface, she could precisely increase the water only in the zone that supplies the troubled plant. Point to the plant – that one. Increase water – click!
A Digital Twin of the system would be perfect. It would show the details of zones and plants by location. It would also present them in a usable fashion. Consequently, the human-in-the-loop makes decisions without getting lost in the weeds of underlying details.
In reality, Dianne isn't getting a sprinkler Digital Twin anytime soon. However, her plight is not unlike an electric system of exploding complexity, shifting needs, and new digital systems.
Digital Twin for Utilities
Utility staff also struggle with increasing complexity. They require better information and interfaces to optimize their work. Digital Twins can help.
A Digital Twin is a virtual representation of the real world -- including physical objects, processes, relationships, and behaviors. For example, a sprinkler zone representation including flowers in their location fits the definition. Using the correct electric network data can also be a type of Digital Twin - a digital simulation of the physical assets. A comprehensive system model helps provide a robust understanding of the entire electric system – supporting vital workflows.
Every utility workflow is getting more complex. The addition of so many things like AMI, DERs, ADMS, and the connected mobile workforce means workflows need enriched underpinning. Employees must consider greater equipment detail, intricate connectivity, interdependencies, and multiple energy sources to make decisions. For example, looking up last year's peak load on a feeder is no longer adequate to make real-time judgments.
Historically, many electric system determinations have been very conservative – not necessarily optimal. This is because of their basis in somewhat generalized system modeling concepts. Unfortunately, these old-fashioned practices do not allow utilities to achieve their current goals. A Digital Twin is an advanced framework to align a utility's digital infrastructure with emerging technologies.
Two Things to Know about Digital Twins
- Utilizing a detailed electric system model enables a Digital Twin. Such a tool is a step forward from the straightforward facility mapping models of the past. Many utilities report their GIS contains the most complete network connectivity information. As a result, it is the ideal foundation upon which to build. The ArcGIS Utility Network was designed in response to utilities' input, modeling entire networks at a level of detail that was never before possible.
- Many forms of Digital Twins have been used for years. CAD, 3D visualizations, and distribution analysis programs are familiar examples. However, because of their specialized applications, they often exist in silos and do not integrate well. Using location as a common denominator, ArcGIS devours all kinds of data – including Digital Twins. ArcGIS can incorporate many different representations of the built and natural environments uniting them in a blended Digital Twin.
Wrap Up
Dianne's fictitious Digital Twin would be even more helpful if it accepted real-time weather inputs to optimize irrigation further. Likewise, real-time feeds of operational and environmental data increase the usefulness of utility Digital Twins. Because they present a complete picture, such tools allow utilities to optimize and achieve their modernization objectives. ArcGIS does just that.
To learn more about the ArcGIS Utility Network and its unique business value download our latest industry paper.
Get Published - Build a Following
The Energy Central Power Industry Network is based on one core idea - power industry professionals helping each other and advancing the industry by sharing and learning from each other.
If you have an experience or insight to share or have learned something from a conference or seminar, your peers and colleagues on Energy Central want to hear about it. It's also easy to share a link to an article you've liked or an industry resource that you think would be helpful.
Sign in to Participate