Who holds the "entrance" to the digital twin? — The number of people building the boxes has increased, but there are not enough people to pour reality into them

Who holds the "entrance" to the digital twin? — The number of people building the boxes has increased, but there are not enough people to pour reality into them

I have been seeing the term "digital twin" quite often lately. It refers to capturing real-world buildings or cities exactly as they are into a digital space to use for simulation and management.

However, when I look at the discussions surrounding this, I am always bothered by the same thing. Most of the focus is on "how to build it," meaning visualization and system integration. But I feel that the real bottleneck is not there. "What are we going to pour into that box?". The "entrance" to the digital twin is much more vacant. Today, I am writing about that.

Why do digital twin discussions always seem to be about the "box"?

When people hear "digital twin," I think many imagine beautifully moving 3D models or dashboards connected to sensors. Because they are visually flashy, the conversation tends to gather there.

But if you stop and think for a moment, the contents to put into that "box"—the data of the actual building—are often not even available in the first place. Even if you have a magnificent 3D model, whether it matches the actual dimensions and conditions and can be used for decision-making is another matter. The box has become magnificent, but the contents have not kept up. This is the landscape I see.

What matters now is a "usable" twin with "attributes"

There is another trend that has become clear recently. It is that a digital twin is not enough if it is just a "shape".

"This is a door," "This is a pillar," "This piping has these specifications"—only when such **attributes (information about meaning)** are attached can it be used for renovation planning, maintenance, and cost estimation. A mere 3D shape cannot reach that far.

Co-creation projects themed around this kind of "on-site DX" are also moving forward little by little. For example, "BAK (Business Accelerator Kanagawa)," an open innovation public offering operated by Kanagawa Prefecture. It is a prefectural project that supports co-creation between local startups and large companies/municipalities, and construction-related themes such as construction site DX and AI evaluation of building materials are actually being handled (Source: Kanagawa Prefecture, KANAGAWA STARTUPS). I personally feel that interest is beginning to shift from "twins that are just visible" to "twins that are usable."

But the entrance of "existing buildings without drawings" is vacant

Here, a major wall appears. To create a "usable" twin with attributes, you need accurate source data. However, for existing buildings—drawings do not remain. There are only old drawings. Or, after repeated renovations, they differ from the current situation. Such cases are not rare.

If it is a new construction, you can design it with BIM (3D model with attributes) from the beginning. But what we face in renovations is, naturally, existing buildings. How do we get this "site without drawings" into the entrance of a digital twin? I see this as the most vacant area.

That is precisely why "Scan to BIM," which scans the site and creates a model, is effective. However, one supplement. What you can get with a scan is mainly the "current shape and position." Giving meaning and attributes—such as "this is a door" or "this piping has these specifications"—is a separate process involving other documents or human confirmation and input. Capturing the shape and giving it meaning. Thinking of this two-stage structure separately is surprisingly important.

The system side is also moving little by little. In April 2026, "BIM drawing examination," which utilizes documents and IFC data output from BIM for building confirmation, began. As of 2026, IFC is used as a reference for examination such as grasping the shape of the building, but it is not the subject of examining the conformity to the Building Standards Act itself. Furthermore, the realization of "BIM data examination" is aimed for the spring of 2029 (Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism). While the box (twin) and the system are starting to move, the "entrance" that supplies reality to them has not yet caught up. That is how I feel.

Who holds the entrance?

To summarize, it is like this. The number of people building digital twin boxes and creating the foundation for visualization has increased significantly. But the people who accurately pour reality into them—the bearers of the "entrance"—still seem few to my eyes as someone working on-site.

Just to be clear, this is not to say that "scanning companies can do everything." Responding to systems and making design/confirmation judgments are the domains of architects and confirmation inspection agencies. The entrance is just one process in a large division of labor. However, if that one process is not filled, no matter how magnificent a twin you prepare, it will stop without the contents inside.

We will do the "entrance" side

At ONETECH, we are betting on this very side of the gateway. How do we somehow turn messy, drawing-less job sites into data? We capture the current state, add meaning to it, and connect it to BIM and drawings. It is not flashy. In fact, it is a humble pre-process. But if this part is not filled, the digital twin will end up as nothing more than a pie in the sky.

"Who holds the gateway?" To this question, I want to raise my hand and say, "We will do it." If you are struggling with digitizing job sites or Scan to BIM, please take a look at onetech.jp.

People tend to focus on the flashy "boxes." But the humble gateway that connects reality to digital is what will be most effective from here on out. Let's continue to have fun turning the job sites in front of us into data today as well.

WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY TODAY!

【Notice】 Joint exhibition recruitment for Vietnam's largest construction trade show "VIBE 2026" has been extended (until September 10th)
Thanks to the positive response, we have extended the recruitment for the joint exhibition project for Japanese companies until September 10th.
- Vietnam's largest construction trade show "**VIBE 2026**"
- Joint exhibition project for Japanese companies (We exhibit together, so it's safe even for your first overseas trade show)
- Participation from SMEs is welcome
- From 116,000 yen per table "I'm interested in Vietnam, but exhibiting alone is a high hurdle" — we especially welcome such SMEs. We will guide you through local networks together with our Vietnamese partners. For more details, please feel free to contact us at onetech.jp.

(Reference)
・Business Accelerator Kanagawa (BAK): Kanagawa Prefecture https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/sr4/cnt/f537611/bak01.html ／ KANAGAWA STARTUPS https://startups.pref.kanagawa.jp/program/bak-yak/
・BIM Drawing Review Application/Review Manual (First Edition, March 24, 2026 - Building BIM Promotion Conference): Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism https://www.mlit.go.jp/jutakukentiku/content/001990524.pdf

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