The Digital Twinning Initiative: Supporting Business Innovation, Asset Integrity, and Advanced Digital Skills at College of the North Atlantic

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Throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, both small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies are seriously challenged by ensuring the integrity of their assets and inventories. In sectors as diverse as Indigenous Development Corporations, surveying, environmental monitoring, mining, aerospace, and architectural design, knowing the precise current state of assets is critical to (1) planning for future infrastructure investment to accommodate business expansion, (2) monitoring assets for damages resulting from adverse weather events stemming from climate change, and (3) ensuring worksite environments are safe for employees.Digital twinning is the virtual modeling of an existing process, product or service that can support companies with these challenges. These "twins" are created from advanced instruments that can precisely capture the physical dimensions, features, composition, and movement of natural and built environments and systems. Once this digital "data" is collected, highly accurate models (or twins) can be created to enable companies to monitor minute changes in objects, structures, or processes to better inform any decisions related to those assets when related to, for example, a renovation, disaster mitigation, environmental monitoring, or human safety. College of the North Atlantic's research capacity to support digital twinning stems from major collaborations with Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Ontario companies and currently includes over $3 million in advanced imaging and laser scanning equipment including autonomous drones capable of flying in GPS denied environments and an extensive suite of hyperspectral sensors including a drone-mounted system with an integrated hyperspectral-lidar. With these instruments and present team expertise, exploration and mining companies, architectural firms, and aerospace maintenance, repair, and overhaul operators will be able to develop new models for mine monitoring, rapidly identify aircraft dents and improve aircraft safety, enhance hydro dam integrity assessment, and improve building design processes. Given the mobile nature of existing CNA hyperspectral, terrestrial and autonomous lidar drone technologies, CNA is exceptionally well equipped to provide the support, expertise, and the next generation of highly qualified personnel to help industry undertake the innovations required to enable their digital transformations and remain competitive in the 21st century.