On models and digital twins
Marc Böhlen · 2024
In Chapter 6, I discuss models in Earth sciences, geography, culture, business, and AI, and the relationship between models and maps. Unlike the map, the model cannot be scrutinized by all and often remains opaque to inquiry. Models reveal their particularities and limitations only in operation, when faced with new data and unexpected circumstances. From models, the chapter transitions to digital twins typically used in engineering to couple simulations to sensor data from the real world. I describe why Tuvalu, a small island in the South Pacific Ocean, chose to position itself as a candidate for a large-scale digital twin model. The chapter ends with a discussion on sim2real, the process of modeling the real world in simulations, and reflects on how the latest Earth simulation models are likely to impact how we imagine climate change and how we respond to its consequences.