Digital Twins for Lighting Analysis: Literature Review, Challenges, and Research Opportunities

Light modelling, simulation, and photometric calculations are by now common tasks in the lighting design process. These practices contribute to the definition and comparison of suitable layout arrangements and help predict the impact of lighting devices. Those tasks demand the use of tools to support the simulation of different scenarios, the analyses of their pros and cons according to different criteria (e.g., health and safety, perception, aesthetics, energy consumption, and costs), and decision-making. Digital twins have emerged as relevant technologies to simulate and visualize different ``what-if'' scenarios associated with physical entities and processes. In this paper, we investigate the state-of-the-art research concerning the use of digital twins for supporting lighting analysis in the urban/outdoor context. We also present and discuss challenges and research opportunities related to the design, implementation, and validation of digital twins in this domain.