Digital twins for government. Come again? Anyone coming from industry already senses what this is about: there, it’s completely normal to create digital twins of, say, factories or building plans. That way, the effects of changes can be simulated before they actually happen.

Exactly that is now starting in government too. Singapore is leading the way with its Smart Nation Initiative, but the EU Commission is also looking into it as part of its Smart City initiative. While right now it’s mostly about simulating things like traffic or energy grids, the next step is a clone of the administration itself, on various levels.

Why? Because it lets you estimate far better what consequences a change in law will have, and where problems and bottlenecks will crop up. That way, they can be fixed before anything even starts. That saves time, money and nerves. Because up to now, problems are usually tackled reactively. A new law gets passed, and only at some point does anyone notice it doesn’t quite work.

What do you think of this approach? What applications come to mind for you?

Image: This image was created with AI.

Sources

• European Commission, Local Digital Twins Initiative
• World Economic Forum, Digital Twins & Smart Cities Reports
• OECD, Smart Cities and Digital Government Studies
• GovInsider, Public Sector Digital Twin Reports

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