A devops framework for the systematic engineering and evolution of digital twins for built assets

Digital twins (DT) constitute complex software systems that need to be continuously modified/updated to meet evolving user requirements and priorities, and support continual improvement. Because their aim is to monitor and improve different system aspects, their development requires the collaboration of people from different domains of expertise, e.g., the development of a DT for built assets may involve the collaboration of experts in software engineering, thermal comfort, air quality, energy consumption, building security, etc. Consequently, DTs need to be engineered to enable the fast and secure integration and deployment of new code, the systematic and iterative evolution of their components, and the independent development of different system aspects by those experts. In this paper, we present JuNo-OPS, a DevOps framework for the engineering of DTs for built assets. The framework is being developed, tested, and validated in the context of various DT projects at École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), including the development of a DT for a multi-functional room and a DT for a climatic chamber. We focus on two main aspects of DT engineering: the DT architecture; and the DevOps infrastructure used to support the development, continuous integration, and continuous delivery of the DT software. We also discuss challenges and next steps related to the development and evolution of the framework.