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Is geospatial data the real game changer for digital twins?

In the podcast, the CEO of TwinMatrix Technologies explains the benefits and challenges of adding geospatial capabilities to digital twins.

David Essex
By
Published: 11 Aug 2025

Digital twins are often illustrated with stunning 3D graphics, but they technically don't require a visual component. The three essential elements of a digital twin are a physical entity or process, a virtual representation of it -- software that digitally captures its key characteristics -- and a communication link between the two.

But that's not the case for spatial digital twins, which are specifically built around geographic and spatial information. Few things are better than a map for helping people quickly grasp spatial relationships and interact with spaces and objects, such as rooms, buildings, machinery, roads and even entire cities.

One purveyor of such spatially aware digital twins, TwinMatrix Technologies, has worked with implementation partners to build and deploy a visually rich digital twin of Singapore Changi Airport, the world's 15th busiest airport.

TwinMatrix claims the airport cut $10 million from operational costs by using its digital twin technology to monitor and control every important object and space in the airport, from aircraft to terminals, baggage handlers, autonomous vehicles and retail stores. Workers in several dozen departments can access the software from their mobile devices. AI adds advanced analytics, decision-making and optimization.

In this episode of Enterprise Apps Unpacked, I interview Eric Liu, founder and CEO of Singapore-based TwinMatrix, on how his company's spatial digital twins work, how they're being used today and what it takes to implement them effectively.

Eric Liu, CEO, TwinMatrix TechnologiesEric Liu

Spatial twins combine live and static data

Liu said the twins contain two main types of data. Static data might be a computer-aided design drawing, 3D model of a building or simple floor plan. Dynamic information is live, real-time data coming from IoT sensors, GPSes, CCTV monitors and other devices.

But all that data isn't much use without an effective way to interact with it. That's where the experience layer of TwinMatrix SpatialVerse software comes in. Graphic visualizations summarize the data to help users understand the essential information at a glance, including the precise location of events that require attention. For example, the airport's fire department can quickly determine whether a smoke alarm is working improperly or reacting to a real fire and pinpoint exactly where it is located. Normally, they might lose precious minutes looking for the fire.

The map on the Changi Airport homepage is the digital twin itself but with limited access for the general public, according to Liu.

Other topics discussed in the podcast include the following:

  • The No. 1 misconception about digital twins.
  • Why cost is the biggest barrier to broader adoption of digital twins, and ways to address it.
  • How SpatialVerse low-code/no-code tools could democratize the technology by making it easier for nontechnical people to configure digital twins.

David Essex is an industry editor who covers enterprise applications, emerging technology and market trends, and creates in-depth content for several TechTarget websites.

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