The Composition of Digital Twins for Systems-of-Systems: a Systematic Literature Review

TL;DR

This systematic review analyzes recent literature on Digital Twins for Systems-of-Systems, highlighting composition challenges, V&V methodologies, and the need for standardized, formalized approaches to improve integration and reliability.

Contribution

It provides a structured classification of V&V approaches and identifies gaps in formalization and standardization for Digital Twin composition in complex systems.

Findings

Composition mechanisms are discussed but lack formalization.

V&V approaches are mostly semi-formal or simulation-based.

Formal verification methods are underutilized in current studies.

Abstract

Digital Twins (DTs) are increasingly used to model complex systems, especially in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and System-of-Systems (SoS), where effective integration is key. This systematic literature review investigates DT composition and verification and validation (V&V) methodologies. Analyzing 21 studies from 2022-2024, we examined composition mechanisms, SoS characteristics, and V&V formality, scope, and challenges. While composition is discussed, formalization is limited. V&V approaches vary, with semi-formal methods and simulations dominating; formal verification is underutilized. Key technical challenges include model uncertainty and integration complexity. Methodological challenges highlight the lack of standardized DT-specific V&V frameworks. There is a need to move beyond model validation to address integration and cyber-physical consistency. This review contributes a structured classification of V&V approaches and emphasizes the need for standardized, scalable V&V and rigorous composition methodologies for complex DT implementations.