# Reshaping the Digital Twin Construct with Levels of Digital Twinning (LoDT)
## 2 Functional Architecture of Digital Twinning
### The Architecture  
From an organisational perspective, the digital twinning of physical assets aims to support and enhance confidence in asset management decisions, whether at a strategic, tactical, or operational level. This implies that digital twinning itself must undergo a process of continuous improvement to ensure that the solutions remain fit for purpose and aligned with the organisational objectives. For instance, the quality of data feeding into digital models is crucial for the quality of the decisions they support. According to [PERSON] [34], the use of poor-quality data costs companies an estimated 15% to 25% of their revenue. The Portuguese Association of Water Distribution and Drainage [35] states that the frequency of data collection, the parameters on which it focuses, its reliability, how it is processed, archived, and made available to users, as well as its capacity for integration with other data, are relevant factors for the success of implementing such a strategy. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l} \hline \hline
**Source** & **Definition** \\ \hline
[28] & A DT is a virtual representation of real-world entities and processes, synchronised at a specified frequency and fidelity. DT systems transform business by accelerating \\  & holistic understanding, optimal decision making, and effective action. DTs use \\  & real-time and historical data to represent the past and present and simulate \\  & predicted futures. \\ \hline
[29] & (...) simply having a model, or a simulation without real data, or a dashboard \\  & without feedback or control of a real entity is insufficient to be called a DT. You need \\  & all the criteria (...) to be categorised as a DT. \\ \hline
[30] & A digital representation of a physical asset or the service delivered by it, used to \\  & make decisions that will affect the physical asset. Any changes to the physical assets \\  & will be reflected in the DT. \\ \hline
[31] & A DT is a representation of a physical asset or system in a digital form. A DT allows \\  & visual performance insights through continuous data inputs. \\ \hline
[32] & A DT is a digital replica of an artefact, process, or service that is so accurate that it \\  & can be used as basis for taking _decisions_. The digital replica and physical world are \\  & often connected by streams of data. \\ \hline
[33] & [manufacturing context] fit for purpose digital representation of an observable \\  & manufacturing element with synchronisation between the element and its digital \\  & representation \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Definitions of the DT concept. Turning to the functional structure of digital twinning, the architecture proposed by the authors (Figure 2) is built upon the foundational elements of the model presented by [PERSON] in 2002 and the structural elements presented earlier. This architecture maintains the tripartite structure composed by the physical space (physical assets and their context), the virtual space (comprising digital assets), and the communication flows between the two. This architecture also adds detail regarding the activities that occur within these spaces in a cyclical operational perspective. Physical assets and their environment generate data, which is collected and then transmitted to the virtual space. The virtual space can be organised into three layers: data management, perception generation, and decision making [36]. The initial layer, data management, is responsible for integrating the data collected and communicated from the physical space, as well as their storage, cleaning, structuring, and other data processing and management activities. New data can be integrated with other existing data within the organisation in the form of other digital models and enterprise information systems. Ensuring data interoperability and security is essential for this purpose.