Digital Twins for Healthier Spaces: A Scalable Framework for Monitoring Indoor Environmental Quality

Abstract

With an increasing focus on sustainability, human health, and productivity, there is a growing demand for efficient methods to monitor and manage indoor environmental conditions. However, existing monitoring platforms often face challenges related to high costs and limited scalability. This study presents a practical approach to developing a Digital Twin specifically designed for assessing indoor environmental quality (IEQ). A university campus office space served as the proof of concept, illustrating the implementation of the proposed Digital Twin workflow. The platform demonstrated stability with less than 3% data loss. The IEQ dashboard, along with thermal comfort visualization for various clothing types in the 3D environment, highlights the platform’s effectiveness in monitoring IEQ and its potential to enhance indoor experiences. The proposed Digital Twin framework contributes to the growing body of knowledge by offering a scalable and cost-effective solution for indoor environmental monitoring. This study seeks to advance understanding of indoor environments and support data-driven decision-making to drive improvements.