digitaltwinconsortium/dtc-glossary

A glossary of terms related to digital twins and digital twin technology

dtc-glossary

A repository for collaboration on a glossary of digital twins and digital twin technology from the Digital Twin Consortium.

Criteria for including terms

Sometimes less is more. Some relevant questions to ask about a candidate term include:

• Does the term add value in the form of clarification or context that is not available in a common dictionary?
• Does the term provide a place to reference other DTC-defined content?
• Does the term solve a terminology problem for the author of a digital twin use case or some other product of the DTC?
• Is the term industry-specific?
  • The glossary is not intended to cover industry-specific domains for which one might build a digital twin system.
  • For example “bridge abutment”, “rotator cuff”, “supply chain”, “financial asset”, etc. probably belong in a different glossary.
• Is the term implementation-specific?
  • This glossary is not the place to describe the terms of a particular implementation approach.
  • We may have entries for types of technology relevant to digital twins, and those entries may list (and link to) specific examples.
• Does the definition apply across all industry domains?
• Is the term really necessary? What problems would be caused if it were omitted?

Template for new entries

Before submitting new entries, author's should first reference: Github's Contributor Guidelines.

Only the formal definition following the template > A {term} is a {broader term} that {differentiating clause}. is required--other content is optional.

{Term}

A {term} is a {broader term} that {differentiating clause}.

{Elaboration. In other words... Analogous to...}

{Examples... Examples include...}

{Counter-Examples... ____ is not a {term}}

{Motivation. Why {term} is important for digital twins...}

{Pictures: }

Alternate terms

• {synonym term} {Explanation of synonym}
• {non-term} {Explanation of why it is not preferred}

Narrower terms

• [{narrower term 1}(#narrower-term-1)]
• [{narrower term 2}(#narrower-term-2)]

Related terms

• A {term} {relational verb phrase} a {related term}.
• A {term} {relational verb phrase} a {related term}.

*Back to the (Table of Contents)(#Table-of-Contents)

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{Term}

A {term} is a {broader term} that {differentiating clause}.

{Elaboration. In other words... Analogous to...}

{Examples... Examples include...}

{Counter-Examples... ____ is not a {term}}

{Motivation. Why {term} is important for digital twins...}

{Pictures: }

Alternate terms

• {synonym term} {Explanation of synonym}
• {non-term} {Explanation of why it is not preferred}

Narrower terms

• [{narrower term 1}(#narrower-term-1)]
• [{narrower term 2}(#narrower-term-2)]

Related terms

• A {term} {relational verb phrase} a {related term}.
• A {term} {relational verb phrase} a {related term}.

*Back to the (Table of Contents)(#Table-of-Contents)

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### Formal Definition

The formal definition should be a complete sentence following the template

`> A {term} is a [{broader term}](#broader-term) that {differentiating clause}.`

For example

`> A kangaroo is a marsupial that lives in Australia, hops, and is a good boxer.`

(but create a hyperlink to "marsupial" if it is defined elsewhere in the glossary.)

### Context

This section includes elaboration, examples, counter-examples, motivations, pictures and clarifies the meaning and usage of the term.

### Alternate Terms

These can use complete sentences to indicate if the alternate term is non-preferred or to explain the context in which the synonym is commonly used. If there is an entry for the alternate term, link to it.

### Narrower Terms

These are hyperlinks to entries "lower" in the taxonomic hierarchy. For example, the entry for "kangaroo" might list the "narrower" terms: "red kangaroo", "eastern grey kangaroo", "western grey kangaroo", and "antilopine kangaroo".

### Related Terms

These should be complete sentences that describe how the {term} relates to some other term. For example:

```markdown
- A digital twin is implemented in a [digital twin system](#digital-twin-system).
- A digital twin has a corresponding [physical twin](#physical-twin).
- A digital twin is part of a [cyber-physical system](#cyber-physical-system).

Non-Preferred Term

You may include entries for non-terms or synonyms simply as a place to link back to the primary entry.

## {Non-Preferred Term}

Use [{term}(#term)] instead.

*Back to the (Table of Contents)(#Table-of-Contents)

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