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

在整个纽芬兰和拉布拉多，中小型企业和大公司都面临着确保其资产和库存的完整性的严重挑战。在土著发展公司、测量、环境监测、采矿、航空航天和建筑设计等不同行业，了解准确的资产现状对于(1)规划未来基础设施投资以适应业务扩张，(2)监测气候变化引发的不利天气事件造成的资产损失，以及(3)确保工作场所环境对员工来说是安全的至关重要。数字配对是对现有流程、产品或服务的虚拟建模，可以支持面临这些挑战的公司。这些双胞胎是由先进的仪器创造出来的，这些仪器可以精确地捕捉自然和建造的环境和系统的物理尺寸、特征、组成和运动。一旦收集了这些数字“数据”，就可以创建高度精确的模型(或孪生模型)，使公司能够监控对象、结构或流程的微小变化，以便更好地为与这些资产相关的任何决策提供信息，例如，与翻新、减灾、环境监测或人类安全相关的决策。北大西洋学院支持数字孪生的研究能力来自与魁北克纽芬兰和拉布拉多以及安大略省公司的重大合作，目前包括300多万美元的先进成像和激光扫描设备，包括能够在GPS被剥夺的环境中飞行的自动无人机，以及广泛的高光谱传感器套件，包括带有集成高光谱激光雷达的无人机安装系统。有了这些仪器和现有的团队专业知识，勘探和采矿公司、建筑公司以及航空航天维护、维修和大修运营商将能够开发新的矿山监测模型，快速识别飞机凹陷并提高飞机安全性，加强水电站大坝完整性评估，并改进建筑设计流程。鉴于CNA现有的高光谱、地面和自主激光雷达无人机技术的移动性，CNA特别有能力提供支持、专业知识和下一代高素质的人员，帮助行业进行必要的创新，使其能够实现数字转型，并在21世纪保持竞争力。

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.