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，了解资产的准确现状对于以下方面至关重要：（1）规划未来的基础设施投资以适应业务扩张;（2）监测资产因气候变化引起的不利天气事件而造成的损失;以及（3）确保工作现场环境对员工来说是安全的。数字孪生是对现有流程、产品或服务的虚拟建模，可以支持公司应对这些挑战。这些“双胞胎”是由先进的仪器创建的，这些仪器可以精确地捕捉自然和建筑环境和系统的物理尺寸、特征、组成和运动。一旦收集到这些数字“数据”，就可以创建高度准确的模型（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，翻新，减灾，环境监测或人类安全。北大西洋学院支持数字孪生的研究能力源于与纽芬兰和拉布拉多、魁北克和安大略公司的重大合作，目前包括价值300多万美元的先进成像和激光扫描设备，包括能够在GPS拒绝环境中飞行的自主无人机和一套广泛的高光谱传感器，包括一个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，建筑公司和航空航天维护，维修和大修运营商将能够开发新的矿山监测模型，快速识别飞机凹痕并提高飞机安全性，增强水坝完整性评估，并改进建筑设计流程。鉴于现有CNA高光谱、地面和自主激光雷达无人机技术的移动的性质，CNA拥有非常好的装备，可以提供支持、专业知识和下一代高素质人才，帮助行业进行数字化转型所需的创新，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.