Digital twin maturity assessments, grounded in international standards, are a powerful catalyst for infrastructure organisations seeking to manage, maintain, and optimise their most critical assets. The recent ISO/IEC 30186:2025, "Digital twin – Maturity model and guidance for a maturity assessment," introduces a much-needed framework for evaluating and improving how digital twins are designed, deployed, and leveraged throughout asset lifecycles.

This article introduces the concept of digital twin maturity assessments; outlines the ISO/IEC 30186 model and its key components; and provides context, practical examples, and New Zealand case studies to illustrate how digital twin maturity assessments can drive strategic value for asset-intensive organisations.

What Is a Digital Twin Maturity Assessment?

A digital twin is a dynamic, virtual representation of a real-world asset, system, or process, continuously updated with data from its physical counterpart. When implemented effectively, digital twins underpin predictive maintenance, elevate operational efficiency, mitigate risk, and support long-range planning.

The degree of value organisations attain from digital twins is strongly linked to maturity - the extent to which digital assets reflect, interact with, and accurately predict the behaviours of their physical equivalents.

In New Zealand, digital twins are increasingly leveraged to:

Optimise asset maintenance and replacement cycles
Enhance infrastructure planning with real-time and predictive analytics
Improve sustainability and circular economy outcomes
Support collaborative decision-making across government, industry, and communities

A maturity assessment evaluates where an organisation sits on its digital twin journey: from basic digital representations to highly integrated, trustworthy, and automated digital ecosystems. By benchmarking maturity, organisations can target investments, identify areas for improvement, and measure progress against global standards.

ISO/IEC 30186 sets out a comprehensive, vendor-neutral, sector-agnostic model and assessment methodology - making it an essential touchstone for infrastructure owners looking to future-proof their asset management practices.

Overview of ISO/IEC 30186 and Its Maturity Model

At its core, ISO/IEC 30186 defines a structured maturity model (Section 5), supported by explicitly defined assessment indicators (Section 6) and systematic assessment requirements (Section 7). The model frames six interrelated aspects, each providing a lens through which a digital twin’s maturity is evaluated:

General

The maturity model’s deliberate generic approach emphasises flexibility and wide applicability. Rather than one-off transformations, the standard champions iterative, measurable upgrades - allowing organisations to make practical improvements without high-risk “big-bang” projects.

Convergence Aspect

Convergence assesses the integration of diverse data streams, technologies, and organisational domains. Mature digital twins break down silos, combining IT, operational technology (OT), data, and process knowledge to form a coordinated, actionable digital ecosystem.

Key indicators include: degree of cross-domain integration, stakeholder involvement across the lifecycle, and harmonisation with internal and external standards.

Capability Aspect

Capability specifies the range and sophistication of functions that digital twins perform. As they mature, twins move from monitoring and reporting to predictive analytics, autonomous control, and strategic decision-support.

Key indicators: automation, analytics sophistication, breadth of asset systems modelled, and depth of decision-making support.

Integrated View Aspect

A highly mature digital twin delivers a holistic, contextual view encompassing spatial, temporal, and lifecycle data. Breaking barriers between technical and business activities, integrated twins improve asset management, daily operations, and future planning.

Indicators: completeness of information integration, the extent of holistic asset coverage, accessible asset data for multiple stakeholder groups.

Time Aspect

Time measures a twin’s temporal capabilities - do they simply mirror current states (“as-is”), or can they also replay history, simulate scenarios, and forecast the future? The best twins generate actionable insights spanning the past, present, and potential futures of assets.

Indicators: support for real-time operation, historic analysis, predictive modelling, and comprehensive scenario simulation.

Trustworthiness Aspect

Trustworthiness is the bedrock of digital twin value. It encompasses data quality, security, privacy, and reliability. Mature digital twins leverage robust governance, cyber-security, and continuous validation protocols.

Indicators: security controls, data provenance, accuracy checks, model validation processes, and auditable digital records.

Maturity Assessment Indicators

ISO/IEC 30186 provides structured, detailed indicators for diagnosing an organisation’s current level of maturity across each aspect.

Each maturity aspect features its own tailored indicator set, supporting a nuanced assessment beyond conventional tick-box exercises.

Convergence: How well does the twin interoperate with external partners? Is data uniform?
Capability: Are highly advanced analytics and automation deployed?
Integrated View: Do all relevant asset classes and operations participate in the digital twin?
Time: Does the twin support "what-if" simulation, or just passive monitoring?
Trustworthiness: Is data traceable, and is the twin regularly audited for cyber resilience?

Assessment scores range across progressive levels, with both qualitative descriptions and quantitative metrics enabling robust comparison and action planning.

Requirements for a Rigorous Maturity Assessment

ISO 30186 demands rigor to ensure objectivity and repeatability:

Clarity of Scope: Assets, system boundaries, and context must be defined upfront
Stakeholder Involvement: Involve IT, OT, business leadership, and end users in the assessment process
Evidence-Based Analysis: Ground all ratings in verifiable data, not assumptions or aspirations
Actionable Reporting: Reports must provide clear, practical recommendations - not just diagnostics

The standard allows organisations to choose internal assessment, third-party auditing, or a hybrid approach, depending on their needs and resources.

How Digital Twin Maturity Assessments Improve Asset Management Outcomes

For infrastructure-intensive sectors - utilities, transport, water, energy - the benefits of effective digital twins include:

Asset Health and Risk Management: Advanced twins enable predictive maintenance and early warning, reducing outages and costly emergency repairs
Lifecycle Cost Optimisation: Enhanced modelling yields smarter long-term investment and maintenance decisions, optimising spend and performance
Silo Reduction: By prioritising convergence, assessments drive greater collaboration across IT, OT, and business units - streamlining processes and reducing disconnects
Agility and Resilience: With mature twins, organisations can model change before real-world impact - supporting fast, data-driven responses to demand spikes, supply chain disruptions, or regulatory shifts
Regulatory Compliance and Social Licence: Trustworthiness indicators guarantee privacy, security, and safety are embedded at every stage, not added as afterthoughts

Maturity assessments deliver a clear, objective view - eliminating wasted investment, focusing improvements on measurable outcomes to get the most from digital twins.

Example: Maturity Assessment for a Power Digital Twin

Annex A of ISO/IEC 30186 describes a maturity assessment conducted by Korea South-East Power Co. (KOEN) for its power plant digital twin.

Assessment Process:

Scoping: KOEN pinpointed plant systems and functions to assess
Indicator Application: Systematic ratings were assigned to each aspect using ISO 30186 criteria
Evidence Gathering: Results were substantiated by interviews, usage log reviews, integration tests, and cybersecurity audits

Findings:

Strengths (Level 4 Maturity): The assessment spotlighted areas of strong maturity, guiding where best practices could be shared across the business
Improvement Areas (Level 3): Identified gaps ensured investment would be targeted for maximum value

Outcomes:
KOEN developed a prioritised roadmap for improvement. By focusing on boosting digital twin maturity, expected benefits included improved asset health, reduced unplanned outages, and prompter, more resilient decision-making.

Digital Twins in Action: New Zealand Case Studies

Across New Zealand, digital twin technology is moving rapidly from concept to real-world deployment - reshaping the management of infrastructure, asset optimisation, and strategic planning. The following sector case studies illustrate examples of best-practice digital twin adoption in asset intensive organisations.

Wellington City Council - Underground Asset Register

Purpose: To build New Zealand’s first digital map of underground infrastructure in Wellington, improving visibility of buried services.

Approach: A shared online platform combining data from the Council and utility providers into a single, up-to-date digital register accessible 24/7 by infrastructure stakeholders.

Benefits: Enhances safety, reduces construction risks and delays, improves planning and coordination, and supports smarter investment and asset management for the city’s future.

KiwiRail - Digital Shields for Rail Corridor Safety

Purpose: Boost excavator safety and productivity in rail corridors

Approach: KiwiRail’s digital shields project uses laser scanning technology to construct a precise 3D virtual twin of rail work environments. “Digital shields” are digitally defined safety boundaries uploaded onto excavators; with GPS and sensors, the real-time position is always tracked. When an excavator breaches a digital shield, the hydraulic system locks out, preventing any contact with hazards.

Applications: Protects underground utilities and above-ground infrastructure, prevents damage to new assets

Benefits: Fewer safety incidents, lower risk of rework, and improved operational productivity

Hastings District Council - Toitoi Arts and Events Centre

Purpose: Elevate asset management and sustainability by modelling facility performance digitally

Approach: Using laser scanning and photogrammetry, the Council developed a detailed digital twin of Toitoi Centre. Sensors measure CO₂, humidity, energy, and water consumption; the digital twin calculates the lifecycle carbon footprint.

Benefits: Better-informed asset replacement, sustainability planning, and predictive maintenance. The digital twin system is being rolled out across all council buildings and major park assets.

Counties Energy - Distributed Energy Resources Digital Twin

Purpose: Model and optimise network-wide integration of solar PV, batteries, and EV chargers

Approach: Counties Energy’s DER digital twin simulates distributed energy resource performance under various network, demand, and supply conditions.

Benefits: Improved network planning, more targeted investment, and operational optimisation for reliability, sustainability, and cost reduction.

Conclusion

Digital twin maturity assessments, structured using ISO/IEC 30186, represent a foundational step on the journey to world-class asset stewardship. Assessing digital twins across key dimensions - including convergence, capability, integrated view, time-awareness, and trustworthiness - reveals their real effectiveness and value.

Ineffective digital twins risk adding operational cost without delivering meaningful benefits. By contrast, mature digital twins can unlock extraordinary strategic, financial, and service value - particularly when organisations undertake regular, standards-based maturity assessments. This not only enhances internal efficiency and resilience but supports national benchmarks for sustainable digital infrastructure for generations to come.

Digital Twin Maturity Assessments Using ISO/IEC 30186