The Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap 2035 was debuted by transport minister Jesse Norman at the inaugural Connected Digital Twins Summit
A new Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap 2035 will set out the path to optimising traffic flows and reducing infrastructure maintenance.
In a keynote speech at the inaugural Connected Digital Twins Summit, hosted by Connected Places Catapult and the Digital Twin Hub, the transport technology and decarbonisation minister Jesse Norman said:
“The UK is a global leader in transport technology partnering with industry.
“The Vision and Roadmap for Digital Twins shows how the Department for Transport is supporting innovative digital twin technologies for a cleaner, greener and more efficient transport system.”
The roadmap outlines four strategic priorities:
- strategy and innovation
- enabling environment
- people, skills and culture
- technology and data
These areas of focus for transport stakeholders to engage and align with will aid in efforts to:
“Enable a trusted ecosystem of connected digital twins for multi-modal UK transport networks. This will facilitate effective decision making to optimise solutions and deliver efficient, safe, and environmentally conscious mobility for people and goods.”
Digital twin investments are predicted to supercede $48bn by 2026
Growth of the digital economy is part of the Government’s net zero targets.
Federated networks of digital twins are believed to increase resilience and safety standards, as well as offer the potential to collaborate with the transport sector.
Research from McKinsey Digital, published last year, shows that 70% of C-suite technology executives at large enterprises are already exploring and investing in digital twins, with market research firm Markets and Markets estimating digital twin investments of more than $48bn by 2026.
SME case studies sponsored by the Vision and Roadmap team include:
- Slingshot Simulations, which has developed a digital twin called Compass Engine to predict the impact of introducing changes to the highway network in urban areas, such as closing certain roads to reduce emissions.
- Digilab is building a digital twin called twinAir which monitors air pollution from road traffic in real time. The company has created what it calls a ‘physics informed surrogate’ for the city of Exeter that collects air quality data from the roadside. It then scales this information to provide a more accurate picture of traffic related pollution right across the city.
- OpenSpace is helping railway station operators harness digital twins to put passengers at the heart of decision-making. Its digital twin solution fuses real-time passenger detection, virtual spaces, analytics and visualisation to provide intelligence to help boost the customer experience, increase revenues and reduce costs.
Paul Wilson, chief dusiness officer at Connected Places Catapult and member of the Transport Research and Innovation Board, said:
“Connected digital twins are well placed to deliver significant economic, social and environmental impact and drive the UK as a science and technology superpower.
“This roadmap shows how we can go from pockets of excellence with this technology, to wider implementation across our towns and cities. Only then will we be able to realise this technology’s potential to deliver greener, multi-modal transport at scale.”
The Government is setting their sights on digital twin investment
In his keynote speech, Minister Norman also announced the winners of the UKRI competition to select a research leader for Digital Twins to Decarbonise Transport.
These include Professors Philip Greening of Heriot-Watt University and David Flynn of the University of Glasgow with their TransiT project, who will now work with stakeholders to the create a proposal for a national research hub that, if successful, will be supported by a UKRI investment of up to £20m over five years.
You can read more about the Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap 2035 here.
