The Smart Campus as a Testing Ground for Smart Cities

Abstract

As part of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Smart Campus Initiative, a multidisciplinary team of faculty from engineering and architecture colleges, are developing a digital twin of Cal Poly Campus that can represent and optimize the day to day college life and activities. In this paper, we have discussed the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of Cal Poly digital twin, and provide a set of recommendations for the application of Digital Twin in the higher education. A digital twin is a digital model, simulation and representation of a physical object. The application of this technology expands from built environment disciplines such as construction, and planning, to manufacturing and health care. The underlying concept of digital twin as a “dynamic software model of a physical thing or system” creates under‐explored opportunities in various disciplines. The research team tested a model of digital twin by combining RFID and BIM technologies in order to integrate different type of real‐time data, from environmental data to student movement, to create a useful tool for data driven decision making across campus units. This paper also discusses the benefits of students involvement in the process of developing campus digital twin through collaboration with companies such as Autodesk and Amazon Web Service (AWS). The presented pilot project results and discussions can be used for larger application at the other campuses and communities, while addressing a wide range of privacy, security, and ethical concerns.