Bentley deepens ties with digital twin consortium

Bentley Systems has become a founding member in the Digital Twin Consortium. Having been a groundbreaker member since the consortium’s launch in May of 2020, Bentley will deepen its collaboration as a founding member and become a member of its steering committee.

One way that Bentley is helping advance the Digital Twin Consortium’s mission is through defining the terminology used to describe digital twins. Casey Mullen, an architect, who works in strategic technologies at Bentley Systems, has contributed his expertise as a lead author of the Digital Twin Consortium’s definition of a digital twin. Mullen helped unveil the new definition during a panel discussion at the IOT Solutions World Congress on December 3, 2020.

The consortium’s digital twin definition is:

A digital twin is a virtual representation of real-world entities and processes, synchronised at a specified frequency and fidelity.

• Digital twin systems transform business by accelerating holistic understanding, optimal decision-making, and effective action.
• Digital twins use real-time and historical data to represent the past and present and simulate predicted futures.
• Digital twins are motivated by outcomes, tailored to use cases, powered by integration, built on data, guided by domain knowledge, and implemented in IT/OT systems.

“I’ve enjoyed collaborating with representatives from diverse industries in the consortium’s Technology, Terminology, and Taxonomy Working Group to develop a set of practical definitions to inform those who are acquiring or implementing digital twins,” said Mullen.

Bentley recently announced US$100 million of venture funding to accelerate the development of infrastructure digital twins.

As a founding member, Bentley is also contributing its advice and technology expertise to the Digital Twin Consortium’s steering committee. Adam Klatzkin, vice president, iTwin Platform, at Bentley Systems, and Mullen are helping advance the Digital Twin Consortium’s strategic roadmap, working groups, and governance as members of the consortium’s steering committee.

Dr. Richard Soley, executive director, Digital Twin Consortium, said, “The consortium looks forward to high-level guidance on digital twin technologies and continued contributions based on Bentley’s experience and knowledge of the infrastructure industry.”