Shades of Digital Twinning
Figure 2: The IoT Family Tree
software life-cycle management, version
control and version compatibility are also
important. Hence, a device shell is also
needed.
Why Rock the Boat?
The importance of distinguishing between a
device twin and a device proxy is that they
have different roles in the overall IoT
architecture. They are both digital models,
but the proxy is more of a data model
whereas a twin is more of a behavior model
of a device. It is useful to have a proxy in the
cloud, especially a shadow, for each device
in the field; but it may not be necessary to be
able to simulate or visualize each and every
device in a factory. Furthermore, merely
collecting data is insufficient for obtaining
the full value of IoT. Behavior must also
change based on the data. This means that
IIC Journal of Innovation
Data mining and cloud services have had a
huge impact on IT systems. Connecting edge
devices with the cloud promises to bring
similar advantages to OT systems. Digital
twinning is an important part of this story,
but device proxies and device shells are also
important. Having full control of device
software is essential to close the loop of
collecting data, learning from data and
updating behavior. This is where the device
shell comes into play. Full updates cannot be
done in a running system. Updates must be
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