# Digital Twins' Application for Geotechnical Engineering:
## 2 The Current Situation of Digital Twins in Geotechnical Engineering
These included 3D mine visualization, digital mining workflows, cloud-based mine surveying and mapping services, vehicle positioning and scheduling systems, production ore blending optimization, and slope stability monitoring  
[PERSON] et al. [7] established a smart mining service framework encompassing four critical dimensions: intelligent sensing and smart equipment, edge computing and network services, digital twin knowledge modeling, and platform and application systems. This architecture demonstrates the potential to achieve real-time measurability, precise control, and data-driven decision-making for physical mining environments, thereby laying a technological foundation for advancing intelligent mining systems. Figure 6 shows the service framework of an intelligent mine based on a digital twin. [PERSON] et al. [42] and [PERSON] et al. [43] proposed a comprehensive framework for mining digital twins based on digital twin technology and parallel intelligence theory,  
Figure 6: Service framework of an intelligent mine based on a digital twin (reproduced from [PERSON] et al. [7]). including a conceptual framework, system architecture, core technologies, fundamental theories, and methodological systems. They further developed an evolutionary theoretical model of mining digital twins through the interactive coupling of physical models, simulation models, mechanistic models, and data models. This innovation achieves digital mirroring and model optimization of physical entities in intelligent, fully mechanized mining faces, enabling precise cyber-physical synchronization. Figure 7 shows an evolutionary example of a digital twin at the face of intelligent mining. Unlike intelligent mining systems or 5G-enabled mines, digital twin-enabled mining operations exhibit three defining characteristics: bidirectional mapping, real-time interaction, and data-driven optimization. These features enable superior technological inclusivity, effectively overcoming limitations inherent to single-technology solutions. The emergence of digital twin mines has been catalyzed by breakthroughs in core technologies such as dynamic digital twinning, low-cost wireless communication systems, geological digital twin entities, etc. [44]. The application of digital twins in the mining sector is becoming a critical technology for enhancing mine safety, production efficiency, environmental protection, and resource management. Through deep integration of the virtual and physical domains, digital twins enable real-time monitoring, optimized decision-making, and predictive maintenance, thereby accelerating the industry's transition toward intelligent, eco-friendly, and sustainable development. In the field of petroleum engineering:  
The application of digital twin technology in petroleum engineering is gaining increasing traction, demonstrating robust potential, particularly in oil exploration, extraction, production management, equipment maintenance, safety monitoring, and energy optimization. For instance, digital twins serve as the core technology for digital transformation and intelligent upgrades of offshore drilling platforms. By establishing digital twin entities of drilling platforms with sensing, analytical, and executive capabilities, this technology  
Figure 7: An evolutionary example of a digital twin at the face of intelligent mining (reproduced from [PERSON] et al. [42]). enables intelligent monitoring, diagnostics, and early warning safety systems for drilling platform equipment installations. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has developed an intelligent system for semi-submersible drilling platforms based on DT technology. This system achieves intelligent safety diagnostics, condition-based early warning for critical equipment, visualized safety control, etc. [45; 46]. As illustrated in Figure 8, the drilling platform digital twin architecture comprises the physical drilling platform, virtual counterpart system, twin data repository, offshore platform O&M services, and interconnected subsystem networks. [PERSON] et al.