DIGITAL TWINFRAMEWORK A PRACTICAL GUIDE MAY 2025 DIGITAL TWINFRAMEWORK A PRACTICAL GUIDE MAY 2025 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) © 2025 Asian Development Bank6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, PhilippinesTel +63 2 8632 4444; Fax +63 2 8636 2444www.adb.org Some rights reserved. Published in 2025. ISBN 978-92-9277-296-3 (print); 978-92-9277-297-0 (PDF); 978-92-9277-298-7 (ebook)Publication Stock No. SPR250158DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/SPR250158 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policiesof the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for anyconsequence of their use. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers does not imply that theyare endorsed or recommended by ADB in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, ADB does notintend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. This publication is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. By using the content of this publication, you agree to be boundby the terms of this license. For attribution, translations, adaptations, and permissions, please read the provisionsand terms of use at https://www.adb.org/terms-use#openaccess. This CC license does not apply to non-ADB copyright materials in this publication. If the material is attributedto another source, please contact the copyright owner or publisher of that source for permission to reproduce it.ADB cannot be held liable for any claims that arise as a result of your use of the material. Please contact pubsmarketing@adb.org if you have questions or comments with respect to content, or if you wishto obtain copyright permission for your intended use that does not fall within these terms, or for permission to usethe ADB logo. Corrigenda to ADB publications may be found at http://www.adb.org/publications/corrigenda. CONTENTS TABLES, FIGURES, AND BOXESivFOREWORDviACKNOWLEDGMENTSviiiABBREVIATIONSixEXECUTIVE SUMMARYx INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL TWINS 11 1.1What is a Digital Twin?21.2Foundations of a Digital Twin31.3Key Misconceptions51.4Key Enabling Technologies61.5Maturity Levels of Digital Twins101.6Digital Twins in the Infrastructure Sector11 2DIGITAL TWIN LITE 2.1Digital Twins for ADB: Start “Lite”142.2Why Digital Twin Lite?152.3Taking Building Information Modeling to the Next Level with a Digital Twin Lite162.4What Makes a Digital Twin Lite Different from a Full-Scale Digital Twin?172.5Approach to Digital Twin Lite Development182.6At What Stage of the Project’s Life Cycle Should a Digital Twin Be Implemented?202.7How Can a Digital Twin Lite Be Beneficial to Development Finance Institutions21and Developing Member Countries? 3ROAD MAP TO DEVELOPING A DIGITAL TWIN 22 APPENDIXES 1Key Challenges and Misconceptions About Digital Twins472Use-Case Library523Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence624Other Classifications of Digital Twins645Range and Complexities of Digital Twins686Needs Assessment727Problem–Solution Alignment748Best Practice—Detailed Technical and Investment Case769List of Technology Providers8010Gemini Principles8511About SPADE8712About DestinE8913The Future of Digital Twins in Asia and the Pacific91 BIBLIOGRAPHY TABLES, FIGURES, AND BOXES Tables 1Similarities and Differences of a Digital Twin Lite and a Digital Twin152Similarities and Differences Between Building Information Modeling and a Digital Twin Lite173Deliverables and Payment Schedules37A2.1Overview of Common Use-Cases in Water and Urban Development52A2.2Overview of Common Use-Cases in Transport55A2.3Overview of Common Use-Cases in Energy57A2.4Overview of Common Use-Cases in Other Sectors60 Figures 1Scaling Up Individual Units of a Digital Twin52Illustration of the Differences Among Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning,9and Generative Artificial Intelligence3Evolution from Building Information Modeling to Digital Twin Lite164Digital Twin Lite As a Proof of Value185Value Creation of Digital Twins vs. Traditional Computer-Aided Design206Overview of the Digital Twin Road Map237Digital Twin Strategy Canvas248List of Possible Solutions and Their Corresponding Benefits269Autogenerated Maturity Level2810Autogenerated List of Past Success Stories2811Illustrative Scale of the Infrastructure Assets3012Range of Digital Twin Costs3013Range of Digital Twin Benefits3214Digital Twin Scalability Matrix4215Inverse Relationship of Funding and Ownership of Digital Twins45A3Symbiotic Evolution of Digital Twins and Artificial Intelligence63A4.1Data Flows for a Digital Mo