An overview of digital twins in water systems
Short summary:
Digital twin (DT) technology for water systems is currently blooming. How are DT applied in water systems and why did they become so popular? In this article, the framework of DT and crucial technologies to build them such as space-based satellites, modern communication technologies, artificial intelligence, etc. are revealed to present how DT functionality is implemented. Application scenarios of DT from global to regional are shown with typical examples for modeling the global water cycle, regional floods, and urban water supply systems. Though DT offers a valuable solution in the context of water systems, attention needs to be given to accuracy, interoperability and data security of DT. DT can be smart systems, helping in comprehensive analysis to support decision making.