Digital Twin as a Service (DTaaS) in Industry 4.0: An Architecture Reference Model

Abstract Recent findings have shown that Digital Twin served multiple constituencies. However, the dilemma between the scope and scale needs a sophisticated reference architecture, a right set of technologies, and a suitable business model. Most studies in the Digital Twin field have only focused on manufacturing and proposed explicit frameworks and architecture, which faced challenges to support different integration levels through an agile process. Besides, no known empirical research has focused on exploring relationships between Digital Twin and mass individualization. Therefore, the principal objective of this study was to identify suitable Industry 4.0 technologies and a holistic reference architecture model to accomplish the most challenging Digital Twin enabled applications. In this study, a Digital Twin reference architecture was developed and applied in an industrial case. Also, Digital Twin as a Service (DTaaS) paradigm utilized for the digital transformation of unique wetlands with considerable advantages, including smart scheduled maintenance, real-time monitoring, remote controlling, and predicting functionalities. The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between Digital Twin capabilities as a service and mass individualization.