# Reshaping the Digital Twin Construct with Levels of Digital Twinning (LoDT)
## 2 Functional Architecture of Digital Twinning
### Terms and Definitions
Several of the principles in asset management and those identified in Figure 1 for DTs are corresponding. Purpose, value creation, alignment, curation, and trust align with some of the fundamental principles of asset management outlined in ISO 55000:2014 [27]. Just as the main role of assets is to generate value for the organisation, the digital twinning of those assets must also enable the creation of value. Alignment in asset management is essential to ensure that asset management plans, decisions, and activities enable the achievement of organisational objectives [27]. Likewise, the purpose of digital twinning is crucial in defining the type of digital solutions that are most appropriate and, consequently, the processes, people, and technologies needed to help achieve pre-established goals. Finally, in asset management, assurance aims to ensure that assets fulfil their function, which requires continuous monitoring, review, and improvement. Similarly, in digital twinning, it is necessary to ensure that digital solutions are reliable (through security, transparency, and quality of data, for example) and that there is curation (through accountability, governance, and regulation) to ensure that the purpose is achieved and the generated value is maximised. Another characteristic of DTs outlined in the Gemini Principles is evolution. According to the authors, a DT should allow for adaptation as technology and society evolve. This principle precisely reinforces the idea that it is more important to understand what kind of opportunities can be addressed by digital twinning and how it can evolve over time (based on organisational objectives and the needs and expectations of stakeholders) than to delve into detailed debates about the best definition for a DT. Having established the fundamental principles, it is now important to identify the structural elements that underpin the concept of digital twinning. To achieve that, the authors refer to the definitions proposed by some of the leading entities studying the concept of digital twins (Table 1). Figure 1: The Gemini Principles [26]. From the previous interpretations, the following structural elements of digital twinning can be extracted:  
* Physical entity: this can be a physical asset, a group of physical assets, or a process involving physical assets;
* Data: data is generated and exchanged between the physical and digital spaces, with different levels of automation and a certain frequency and precision, thereby ensuring synchronisation between physical and virtual spaces;
* Digital models: these models aim to represent the physical entity with a certain level of fidelity and, based on existing data, generate new data and information to support decision making;
* Decision making: the main use of DTs is to support decision making in view of realising value from the physical entity and the corresponding data and digital model. These elements are further integrated with processes, people, and technological resources, such as data acquisition and storage systems, enterprise management systems, and security systems. These interact with the digital space and ensure data security, openness, curation, and federation, among other aspects.