Digital Twins for Internet of Battlespace Things (IoBT) Coalitions
For military coalitions, this work provides a structured approach to manage Digital Twins across partners, but it is an incremental architectural proposal without empirical validation.
This paper proposes a three-tier architecture for integrating Digital Twins in IoBT coalitions, addressing interoperability, security, and resource allocation challenges. The framework uses hybrid model placement and software-defined networking to optimize performance, aiming to enhance situational awareness and decision-making in coalition warfare.
This paper presents a new framework for integrating Digital Twins (DTs) within Internet of battlespace Things (IoBT) coalitions. We introduce a novel three-tier architecture that enables efficient coordination and management of DT models across coalition partners while addressing key challenges in interoperability, security, and resource allocation. The architecture comprises specialized controllers at each tier: Digital Twin Coalition Partner (DTCP) controllers managing individual coalition partners' DT resources, a central Digital Twin Coalition(DTC) controller orchestrating cross-partner coordination, and Digital Twin Coalition Mission (DTCP) controllers handling mission-specific DT interactions. We propose a hybrid approach for DT model placement across edge devices, tactical nodes, and cloud infrastructure, optimizing performance while maintaining security and accessibility. The architecture leverages software-defined networking principles for dynamic resource allocation and slice management, enabling efficient sharing of computational and network resources between DT operations and primary IoBT functions. Our proposed framework aims to provide a robust foundation for deploying and managing Digital Twins in coalition warfare, enhancing situational awareness, decision-making capabilities, and operational effectiveness while ensuring secure and interoperable operations across diverse coalition partners.