First Digital Twins symposium held at ITC

On October 19 and 20, the University of Twente and Digital Twin GeoHub organised their first symposium, "Digital (T)win it". It was organised at the new building of the ITC Faculty, "Langezijds" and it is estimated that a total of 200 people attended the seminar in person and online during its two days.

The seminar was a practical overview of the field of Digital Twins, where cutting-edge 3D technology meets real-world applications. The expert speakers from Academia, Government and Industry shared their insights on the topic, paving the way for a future where technology reshapes our understanding of the physical world around us. The seminar incorporated talks, interactive sessions and games and was divided into two thematic days: Digital Twins Development and Applications.

  • What is a Digital Twin?

    The term Digital Twin covers many interpretations ranging from a general 3D model of an object to a highly detailed Building Information Model.

    The Digital Twin Geohub group defined it as "a digital replica of the physical living environments that supports decision-making through the seamless integration of a myriad of data and analytics techniques”. There is no standalone technology for Digital Twin implementation. Instead, there is an integration of multiple technologies, including big data, Information Modelling (BIM), Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Urban Decision Support Systems.

Two days of interaction 

During the first day of this seminar, learners participated in a workshop on Digital Twins and infrastructure, created their own Digital Twin city through gaming and held a panel discussion for fruitful collaborations. During the second day, participants interacted with Digital Twins through a gaming activity, attended open panel discussions and jointly discussed the possibilities with Digital Twins. The event included showcases from Sisi Zlatanova (Sydney), Dessislava Petrova-Antonova, Lidia Vitanova, Stanimira Nikolova (Sofia GATE Institute) and the Netherlands 3D Initiative.

More information about this project

The "Digital (T)win it" symposium took place almost a year after the Geohub was initiated by Mila Koeva, Wim Timmermans, Sander Oude Elberink, Claudio Persello, Pirouz Nourian, Faridaddin Vahdatikhaki (CME), and Leon Steenbergen. Click here to visit the Digital Twin GeoHub website.


H. García (Héctor)
Impact and Communications Officer