Digital Twins: step-by-step

Digital Twins are a hot topic, increasingly making their mark in the horticultural sector. Curious about the current trends? We present a general step-by-step view of Digital Twins.

To start: what are Digital Twins? We define these as  digital representations of reality, which can be used to monitor, experiment, and make predictions about several crucial greenhouse operations. This can mean a lot of things in practice: from models of intricate leaf responses tologistic operations.

In general, there are 5 key stages of Digital Twins that can be outlined:

Descriptive Twin 

This first stage of a digital twin creates a digital representation of a system, without any live data and simulation possibilities. Think of a model of the construction of a greenhouse. 

Informative Twin

This stage incorporates (live) data into the descriptive model, offering real-time monitoring and feedback. Think of the integration of climate, plant and soil data to represent the status in the greenhouse. 

Comprehensive Twin 

This stage provides insights from the twin. This means that the interpretation of the model and the data in it is no longer (just) up to the user, but the Twin can create its own suggestions. For example, the Twin can suggest whether your plants are leaning vegetative or generative. 

Predictive Twin

Here, you can run simulations based on the Twin. Say you want to experiment with different lighting strategies, the Twin can predict what the outcome would be based on the greenhouse data and environmental predictions. 

Autonomous Twin 

The ultimate stage where the twin operates autonomously, making real-time decisions and adjustments to the greenhouse environment to ensure optimal growing conditions without human intervention.

These increasingly advanced Digital Twins have a high potential to revolutionise greenhouse operations. We are committed to making the horticulture industry more sustainable, efficient, and innovative. Together we can learn, grow and make this happen through technology.

Explore how we can collaborate to implement Digital Twin technology and stay ahead of the curve. Take a look at our Digital Twin propositions or book a call to discuss how to get started!