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de Koning K, Broekhuijsen J, Kühn I, Ovaskainen O, Taubert F, Endresen D, Schigel D, Grimm V. Digital twins: dynamic model-data fusion for ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:916-926. [PMID: 37208222 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Digital twins (DTs) are an emerging phenomenon in the public and private sectors as a new tool to monitor and understand systems and processes. DTs have the potential to change the status quo in ecology as part of its digital transformation. However, it is important to avoid misguided developments by managing expectations about DTs. We stress that DTs are not just big models of everything, containing big data and machine learning. Rather, the strength of DTs is in combining data, models, and domain knowledge, and their continuous alignment with the real world. We suggest that researchers and stakeholders exercise caution in DT development, keeping in mind that many of the strengths and challenges of computational modelling in ecology also apply to DTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen de Koning
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Systems Analysis Group, P.O. Box 47, 6700, AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Broekhuijsen
- Nederlandse organisatie voor toegepast natuurwetenschappenlijk onderzoek - TNO, Department of Monitoring & Control Services, Eemsgolaan 3, 9727 DW Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ingolf Kühn
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse, 4, 06120 Halle, Germany; Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute for Biology/Geobotany & Botanical Garden, Große Steinstraße 79/80, 06108 Halle, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Otso Ovaskainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (Survontie 9C), FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland; Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland; Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim N-7491, Norway
| | - Franziska Taubert
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Ecological Modelling, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dag Endresen
- University of Oslo, Natural History Museum, Sars gate 1, NO-0562 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Dmitry Schigel
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility - GBIF Secreteriat, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Volker Grimm
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Ecological Modelling, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Am Mühlenberg 3, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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