The More You Know: Digital Twins of Travelers

Kurzfassung

Despite increasing digitalization, rail operators and other mobility service providers often need more real-time information regarding the occupancy of trains and stations. Worse, only general assumptions regarding passengers’ specific destinations, individual needs, and current and past experiences can be made. Digital Twins of Travelers (DTT) address the issue by holding real-time digital representations of passengers throughout their journey from start to destination. Being informed about a passenger’s route instead of isolated sections enables customized real-time forecasts, accessibility information for each transfer location, and veridical updates about how much time may be spent there. For example, a traveler would benefit directly when parts of a journey must be rescheduled due to delays on the original route. When continuing with means of transportation different from those chosen initially, forecasts and other information can be immediately adapted to the new route. In the same scenario, mobility service providers would benefit by being informed about occupancy changes, allowing them to prioritize scheduled connections if necessary. DTT consist of a real-world twin, its digital counterpart, and an interchange component linking them. The digital twin represents how travelers experience current events, holds information regarding their individual itineraries’ progress, and can exchange information with mobility service providers. DDT's purposes range from supporting passengers in real-time by providing information relevant to their journey milestones, analyzing the effect of events such as delays on the travel experience, to helping to align transport services with the existing demand.