Digital twin non-fungible token (DT-NFT): Enabling data ownership in the AEC industry

Abstract

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has experienced an unprecedented surge in data growth, primarily propelled by the widespread adoption of digitalization technologies, including Digital Twins (DTs). This surge poses challenges in terms of data control and ownership. To address this, this paper presents a decentralized platform using blockchain-enabled dynamic Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to securely represent DTs. The framework, implemented as a decentralized application (dApp), utilizes a Decentralized Oracle Network (DON) and interconnected smart contracts to convert DT data into dynamic NFTs for a public marketplace. Demonstrated through a synthetic case study, the framework offers transparency, traceability, and immutability. It introduces sustainability-related implications, such as a building carbon credit market, and financial implications, like trading AEC knowledge and a proposed project financing method. This model ensures DT ownership in AEC but also builds trust for knowledge exchange, potentially serving as a foundational model for applications beyond the AEC industry.