A Categorization of Digital Twin and Model-Based System Engineering Interactions

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to provide a new categorization of the different types of interactions between model-based system engineering (MBSE) and digital twins (DTs). To achieve this goal, an overview of the relationships between these two concepts was obtained based on a representative set of articles. The search identified 444 unique and valid records, of which 16 were selected for analysis based on article screening and eligibility assessments. The selected articles were then analyzed to identify the types of DT-MBSE relations and the area of the case study. As a result, the types of relationships were classified into two main categories: MBSE-based DTs and DTs that use MBSE system models. Finally, we present a case study of the Perception system, a system of systems designed to monitor and generate strategic assets through satellite data collection, further developing the capabilities established by the AlfaCrux satellite mission. Specifically, the case study focused on collecting data from a tower with micrometeorological instrumentation in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. The modeling was performed on the Capella software using the Arcadia method. In the case study, the system and the digital twin were designed in parallel based on a five-dimensional DT model.