Hybrid models with real-time data: Characterising real-time simulation and digital twins

Abstract

Real-time Simulation (RtS) and Digital Twins (DT) are terms generally associated with hybrid models that use real-time data to drive computational models. Additionally, in the case of DTs, real-time data is often used to create virtual replicas of the physical system as it progresses through real-time. There is an increasing volume of literature on RtS and DT; however, the field of OR/MS is yet to coalesce on accepted definitions and conceptualisations. This has arguably led to the cascading usage of these terms. The objective of the paper is threefold: (1) distinguish between RtS and DT, (2) present RtS-DT conceptualisation in four dimensions, and (3) present methodological and technical insights on developing RtS with limited data. We argue that the evolution of conventional simulation models to fully-fledged hybrid DTs may necessitate a focus on a transitional stage; namely, RtS models primarily driven using historical distributions with limited real-time data feeds.