The idea of digital twins is emerging as a game-changer in many businesses, but especially with asset management. Digital twins provide organizations the ability to have a virtualized version of their building and the actual assets within. This article will examine some of the ways 3D laser scanning services and digital twins make a difference with the data gathering and asset management process.
Producing Digital Twins
The capacity to produce a digital twin is something that used to be tremendously difficult and expensive. But modern laser scanning hardware and software is making it more practical for industries such as asset management and preventive maintenance. In a matter of days, a scanning team can acquire the necessary data to provide what can be called a digital twin. Within the digital twin, assets can be labeled and further enhanced by adding documents and other information.
3D Laser Scanning for Digital Twins
Laser scanning for digital twins is done in a slightly different way than for other purposes such as scan-to-BIM. When scanning to create a digital twin, the process is optimized for maximum coverage in order to get as much of the building scanned as possible in a day. Also, onboard cameras are utilized to capture panoramic images throughout the scan scope area.
Metadata
Engineering design data, labels, documents, procedures, logs, etc. are collected for building assets. In the past, these were stored separately such as in a document management system (DMS) somewhere. But with the digital twin, these things are kept at the location of the asset’s digital twin, making finding them a non-issue.
Physical Asset-Related Data
The digital twin created by laser scanning has the advantage of having dimensionally accurate models and point clouds. This allows the digital assets to be modeled to any desired degree of accuracy. The digital twin can serve as an engineering and design resource in addition to asset management, making it even more valuable.
The Human Touch in Digital Twin 3D laser scanning services
Humanizing the process is crucial to making the collection of digital twin data more approachable and interesting. This is done by understanding how people benefit from the digital twin and how it makes their jobs easier. Rather than force people to conform to an information system to find information, the digital twin gives a person freedom to navigate an environment and find information in a more natural way.
The digital twin can also be used to enhance planning. For instance, consider a manufacturing plant utilizing digital twins to optimize production lines. The plant’s technicians and engineers can collaborate within the digital twin to test and rehearse workflows prior to making changes in order to optimize the result. Teams can work together that are separated by large distances in the real world. By showcasing these collaborative efforts, the role of humans in the digital twin ecosystem is brought to the forefront, making the concept more relatable and appealing.
Another way to humanize digital twin 3D laser scanning is by demonstrating its real-world impact. For example, digital twins can be used to simulate and predict the effects of natural disasters on infrastructure, allowing city planners and emergency responders to develop more effective strategies to protect communities. By emphasizing the potential of digital twins to save lives and preserve the environment, the technology becomes more approachable and understandable.
Conclusion
Digital twin 3D laser scanning services are making us re-think the way we do asset management. By creating virtual replicas of buildings and physical assets, many more things become possible to improve the way things work. Digital twins make it easier to humanize the process of collecting and locating asset information. In some way, we are all facility managers of our own homes and offices. It is entirely possible that digital twins may soon become ingrained in our daily lives, advancing development and promoting a more sustainable future.
