Tunnel 4.0: Managed digital twin for tunnel operations

Many processes can be replaced by digital twins to increase efficiency by performing actions that would be difficult to perform in the real world. This concept attracts increasing attention, especially for tunnel projects where real-world testing requires tunnel closing during operation. Scenarios can be tested in a digital environment in full compliance to health and safety guidelines and without extra cost using a Digital Twin. It integrates various data repositories, processes, and applications such as BIM, Asset Management, Traffic Management & Control, and Traffic Simulation to test and validate potential interactions around the asset - not only for scenario testing, but also for functionalities such as maintenance and operator training, design verification, and operation optimization. Furthermore, each of these activities and processes have their own toolchain and dataset, and use-cases are limited to the individual application. To employ the connectivity of this integration, it is necessary to create a single digital representation of the entire asset in which all project participants fulfill their responsibilities throughout the project life cycle. This paper explains the proposed "Managed digital twin" for tunnel operations with a case study of an existing tunnel project in Germany.