Embedded and Connected Digital Twins: The Path toward Embodied and Situated Software

In the "Internet of Things" (or IoT) millions of sensors generate immense amounts of data and the world is becoming more and more computer-controlled. How we control and exploit these possibilities remains a largely unanswered question. This is where our information systems lack the necessary domain knowledge (not about IT but about the real world of importance). This project elaborates the concept of an embedded and connected digital twin as a mechanism to capture domain knowledge and use that knowledge in a wide range of situations. These connected digital twins intertwine to form a web in which information systems move virtually and gather the necessary information as well as initiate the desired actions. On the one hand, the project aims to develop a generic information platform to coordinate "activities on resources". On the other hand, this project aims to apply this generic result to suitable fields: shipping (more precisely inland shipping) and the manufacturing industry. The emphasis is on coordination across organizational boundaries.