ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of DTs – from their different applications, to how the usage of DTs can lead to varying concepts and definitions of DT technology across different industries. Initial DT technology was rooted in the aerospace and aeronautics fields, where the National Aeronautics and Space Administration designed and adapted a DT to match actual spacecraft conditions, employing it as a simulator to train astronauts and mission controllers. The manufacturing industry is known for its well-established DT technology. Healthcare is another sector that aptly demonstrates DT applications, from hospital processes to human organs or virtual patients. For smart city design and urban planning, DTs offer great potential when geographic and built contexts represent a city’s ecosystem by bringing together different data and information models. The concept of a DT was interchangeably referred to as a ‘conceptual ideal’ or the ‘mirrored spaces model’ in the context of Product Life Cycle Management in 2003.
