Digital twins in civil engineering
Citation Link: https://doi.org/10.15480/882.17243
Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2026-03
Sprache
English
Author(s)
TORE-DOI
Volume
31
Start Page
266
End Page
300
Citation
Journal of Information Technology in Construction 31: 266-300 (2026)
Publisher DOI
Scopus ID
A plenitude of digital twin reviews have been published in recent years, most of which, however, focus on project-specific digital twin implementations or specific application areas within civil engineering. The architecture, including the composition of internal elements, and schemas of digital twins have not been studied yet in a universally applicable and systematic manner. In this study, a multivocal review of digital twins in civil engineering is conducted, combining a systematic literature review and a gray literature review to capture both peer-reviewed literature and industry practices. To achieve a shared understanding of digital twins in civil engineering, a systematic survey of definitions, schemas, system architectures, and internal elements of digital twins is conducted. Drawing from the results of the review, (i) a definition, (ii) a pattern for a schema, and (iii) a reference architecture for digital twins are proposed, serving as a blueprint for facilitating digital twin implementations in civil engineering.
Subjects
definitions
digital twins
multivocal literature review
reference architecture
schema
system architecture
DDC Class
624: Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering
Funding(s)
Publication version
publishedVersion