Digital Twin+ for hkust campus

 

 

What is the project?

An extension of the Digital Twin for HKUST Campus project, this project explores the different uses of HKUST’s digital twin, a digital replica of HKUST’s living and nonliving physical assets and systems.

By centralizing data from a variety of internet of things (IoT) systems and incorporating it into HKUST’s digital twin, Digital Twin Plus offers real-time information to a broad spectrum of campus users.

 

What is the problem this project is trying to address?

Digital Twin Plus aims to be the platform that centralizes all IoT data and information which is currently scattered among different systems and platforms, bringing convenience to the operations of Campus Development Office (CDO) and Campus Management Office (CMO).

Doing so also draws attention to the campus’s major subcomponents, such as water fountains, vending machines and trees, allowing both management staff and facility users to know locations and conditions of these assets quickly and easily.

Lastly, Digital Twin Plus incorporates panoramic images and virtual views of campus spaces into a digital model, making indoor navigation intuitive and accessible for campus users.

 

How does this project support our sustainable smart campus as a living lab vision?

There are already many systems on campus that provide physical and digital data about the campus and its assets. Digital Twin Plus gathers all of them into one place in a smart way — since it does not involve a new data collection system, there is no need to migrate existing data or retrain the current staff, minimizing the time and cost for implementing Digital Twin Plus.

With real-time data of on-campus assets, Digital Twin Plus can also help HKUST become more sustainable. By analyzing user and frequency data of an asset, resources can be managed more effectively by being distributed to the right place at the right time. This can boost user satisfaction and utilize available resources, reducing wasted or unused supplies.