Challenges in Developing Digital Twin Systems: Insights from a Case Study

The United States faces significant challenges with its aging infrastructure, which is both deteriorating and expensive to maintain and rehabilitate. Bridges, being core components of connecting communities and facilitating trade, receive considerable attention from the public and government agencies. However, the traditional ways of monitoring bridge health conditions, often reliant on visual inspections, are inadequate for ensuring their sustained performance. In recent years, the concept of digital twins offers innovative solutions that have the potential to transform the ways the industry can monitor the structural performance of bridges. This approach pairs physical assets with their digital counterparts, leveraging real-time data and simulations to improve the life cycle performance. For example, digital twin technology can enhance the management workflow of bridges and strengthen the decision-making process for replacing bridge components and addressing emergencies by providing real-time status and forecasting future performance. Previous reviews on digital twins in literature have predominantly concentrated on theoretical frameworks and potential industry applications. These studies have not yet engaged in the issues related to implementation and the insights gained from real-world case studies. This research provides insights gained through meetings with stakeholders, practitioners, and professionals involved in a DT proof of technology project. The findings from this research reveal several key design interfaces—both technical and organizational—that pose challenges to the successful implementation of DT systems. This paper aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by providing a detailed analysis that highlight the challenges of interoperability and interorganizational collaboration in the creation of system of systems level DTs.