Towards Fusing Data and Expert Knowledge for Better-Informed Digital Twins: An Initial Framework

Data-driven Digital Twin approaches have gained popularity in research literature, particularly in relation to Industry 4.0 achievements. Data-driven Digital Twins process widely available real-time data in an automated manner to extract models from various systems of interest. However, these model extraction approaches commonly lack systematic integration of expert knowledge from human experts, such as engineers. Combining valuable expert knowledge with data-driven model extraction approaches is a highly complex task that can significantly contribute to more accurate models within shorter time periods. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the research done on fusion of data and expert knowledge for Digital Twins to identify and describe the current gap. Resulting from our findings, we propose an initial framework for integrating expert knowledge and data for Digital Twin model extraction. Subsequently, we provide an overview of the main challenges and opportunities in fusing data and expert knowledge in the context of Digital Twins.