The Circular Digital Twin: Climate-Smart Soils as a Use Case

Abstract

This paper presents a circular digital twin for climate-smart soils supported by a community composting network within a UNESCO Geopark site. The research addresses the challenges of water use management and organic matter optimization, with the dual objective of promoting sustainable land management practices and enhancing carbon sequestration. Following the design science research paradigm, we develop a circular digital twin architecture, which is then demonstrated and evaluated in terms of technical risk and efficacy, as well as human risk and effectiveness. This work advances the digital twin body of knowledge by presenting a solution that closes the loop of the food supply chain, improving soil management. For practitioners, our work provides an accessible and detailed demonstration and evaluation framework for digital twins in climate-smart soils, revealing how carbon sequestration can be deployed at a regional scale.