Towards a Digital Twin of Society

Abstract

This paper describes the potential for developing a digital twin of society - a dynamic model that can be used to observe, analyze, and predict the evolution of various societal aspects. Such a digital twin can help governmental agencies and policy makers in interpreting trends, understanding challenges, and making decisions regarding investments or policies necessary to support societal development and ensure future prosperity. The paper reviews related work regarding the digital twin paradigm and its applications. The paper presents a motivating case study - an analysis of opportunities and challenges faced by the German federal employment agency, Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA), proposes solutions using digital twins, and describes initial proofs of concept for such solutions.