Digital twin (DT) systems aim to create virtual replicas of physical objects that are updated in real time with their physical counterparts and evolve alongside the physical assets throughout its lifecycle. Transportation systems are poised to significantly benefit from this new paradigm. In particular, DT technology can augment the capabilities of intelligent transportation systems. However, the development and deployment of networkwide transportation DT systems need to take into consideration the scale and dynamic nature of future connected and automated transportation systems. Motivated by the need of understanding the requirements and challenges involved in developing and implementing such systems, this paper proposes a hierarchical concept for a Transportation DT (TDT) system starting from individual transportation assets and building up to the entire networkwide TDT. A reference architecture is proposed for TDT systems that could be used as a guide in developing TDT systems at any scale within the presented hierarchical concept. In addition, several use cases are presented based upon the reference architecture which illustrate the utility of a TDT system from transportation safety, mobility and environmental applications perspective. This is followed by a review of current studies in the domain of TDT systems. Finally, the critical challenges and promising future research directions in TDT are discussed to overcome existing barriers to realize a safe and operationally efficient connected and automated transportation systems.
翻译:运输系统准备从这一新模式中大大获益,特别是DT技术能够增强智能运输系统的能力;然而,整个网络范围的运输DT系统的开发和部署需要考虑到未来连接和自动化运输系统的规模和动态性质;由于需要了解开发和实施这种系统所涉及的要求和挑战,本文件为运输DT系统提出了一个等级概念,该系统从单个运输资产开始,直至整个网络范围TDT的建设。为TDT系统提出了一个参考结构,可用作在所介绍的等级概念范围内以任何规模开发TDT系统的指南。此外,根据参考结构,从运输安全、机动性和环境应用的角度说明TDT系统的效用,提出了若干使用案例。随后审查了目前在TDT系统领域的研究。最后,讨论了TDT的关键性挑战和未来研究方向。