Do you know what digital twins are? They are perfect copies of an object or process, but in the digital world. These can be cars, buildings, or even much more complex entities like cities or even entire planets. Once a digital twin is established, it is possible to simulate different scenarios, predict the future, optimize processes, and detect problems before they occur in real-time.
Digital twins have been with us for some time now and represent one of the disruptive technologies that is changing our world. They are used in numerous areas of life, from agriculture and energy, in the development of smart cities, monitoring and predicting climate change, to simulations and testing of new devices and treatments in healthcare.
They rely on data analytics, high-performance computing, machine learning and deep learning algorithms, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies. Behind them are vast amounts of data collected from sensors, IoT devices, and other digital systems. The environment that manages these data, “communicates” with computing infrastructure, and runs simulations is called the Digital Twin Engine.
Managing massive and often highly diverse data, distributed advanced computing infrastructure, and complex simulation software is the topic of the keynote lecture "Implementing Digital Twin Technology of the Earth System in Destination Earth", which will be delivered by Ph.D. Nils Wedi, Head of Digital Technologies for Destination Earth at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Through the example of a digital twin of planet Earth, you will learn more about how digital twins work, their advantages and disadvantages, their future applications, and the possibilities they offer in addressing today’s greatest societal challenges.
More information about Ph.D. Nils Wedi is available on the conference website.
The SRCE DEI 2025 conference will take place on March 26 and 27, 2025, at the University of Zagreb.
