Towards Digital Twins for the Development of Territories

Management of territorial development is a complex and extremely important process that requires advanced technological solutions and efficient methods of regulating socio-economic systems. The digital twin technology holds enormous potential in this respect although some of its possibilities still remain unexplored and unexploited. This study aims to identify and describe the characteristics of the digital twin of a territory. To this end, the research literature on this problem is analyzed and systematized. A special emphasis is made on the theoretical foundations underlying the concept of digital twin and its main interpretations. The study also discusses the use of digital twins for territorial (urban) development and the features that distinguish city digital twins from their industrial counterparts. The idea of a digital twin of a territory, like digital twins in other spheres, is based on representing a real object (system) in a virtual environment. This virtual replica is created and constantly updated through automated collection and processing of massive amounts of data. Importantly, there should be a two-way flow of data between the real and virtual space. In the case of city projects, however, changes in the virtual environment do not provoke direct responses from its real-life counterpart. Some adjustments in the physical object may, occur, however, if local governments take into account the results of digital twin simulations in their decision-making. Digital twins of territories are sophisticated constructions, elaborated within the interdisciplinary frameworks, and open to the public. These projects are usually highly dependent on socio-economic processes and the degree of civic engagement.