Scope
Compared
- How each represents an asset and its state
- How each treats identity and lifecycle
- How governance and ownership are handled
Not compared
- Real-time telemetry pipelines or sensor integration
- Physics simulation or 3D visualization
- Specific IoT platforms
Terminology mapping
| OCOM | Digital Twin | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Object | Twin / asset model | Partial |
| Identity | Asset identifier | Similar |
| Metadata | Telemetry / properties | Partial |
| Lifecycle | Asset lifecycle | Similar |
| Evidence | Sensor history | Partial |
| Ownership | — | None |
Conceptual differences
| Aspect | OCOM | Digital Twin |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | Governance of objects across their life | Fidelity to a physical asset's current state |
| Subject | Any object, physical or abstract | A specific physical (or virtual) asset |
| Time | Governed history and evidence | Real-time or near-real-time state sync |
| Governance | First-class: ownership, policy, contract | Not defined by the model |
Concept coverage
| Concept | OCOM | Digital Twin |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time state sync | Out of scope | Covered |
| Identity | Covered | Covered |
| Lifecycle | Covered | Covered |
| Governance | Partial | Out of scope |
| Ownership | Covered | Out of scope |
| Evidence | Partial | Partial |
| AI retrieval | Partial | Partial |
Three OCOM cells read Partial rather than Covered (Governance, Evidence, AI retrieval), and the reason for each is recorded in the specification's own register: Governance is a Core Characteristic of every Object that no document defines as one (AO-023); Evidence has no Meta, Models or Language definition, its Definition being reserved for a future version (AO-021); AI retrieval is disclaimed by AI/Context/Context Assembly.md, which prescribes no retrieval algorithms (AO-048). Workflow and Event are defined normatively at the Models tier and carry no Core Vocabulary term record.
Covered: the model defines the concept explicitly. Partial: the concept appears indirectly or by convention. Out of scope: the model does not set out to describe it; a boundary, not a deficiency.
Interoperability
- A Digital Twin may be modelled as an OCOM Object with an identity and a lifecycle.
- OCOM may govern a fleet of Digital Twins, assigning ownership, policy and evidence around them, without replacing the twin's real-time state.
- The recommended composition is the Digital Twin for live state and OCOM for governance around that state.
References
- OCOM Object
- OCOM Identity
- OCOM Ownership
- Digital Twin concepts (e.g. ISO 23247)