The purpose of the following text is basing the presentation on a grounding framework.
The framework seeks to make related high abstract concepts, assumptions and believes explicit so discussions could be grounded in.
The grounding framework enables shared comprehensive understanding for meaningful and insightful discussions.

Digital Engineering

Digital Transformation is not Digital Engineering.
Digital Transformation utilizes digital artifacts to transform a business (model, operations ...)
Digital Engineering (DE) develops digital artifacts which support creating and sustaining a complex system¹ during its lifecycle.
There are two main complementary digital artifacts used together in Industry 4.0 strategies which are Digital Thread and Digital Twin.

Digital Twin

A Digital Twin is a data asset.
It is a digital representation of the complex system itself.
A one source of truth is an implementation of a Digital Twin.

Digital Thread

The Digital Thread serves as the foundational framework that enables the creation and operation of Digital Twins.
A Digital Thread is a communication framework that connects data and information throughout a product's lifecycle.
Its purpose is ensuring continuity and traceability of data across the entire lifecycle of a product or system.
Digital Thread in a practical sense is an implementation of a data pipeline.

Human Data Interaction (HDI)

More and more information is transmitted every day, and a significant part of this information is expressed in the form of data. Unlike images or language, this data is not transparent to most of us. However, it is necessary to steer/fuel the services, automations and AI available to us. Data is increasingly being used to assist us in our tasks.

The terms, Data², information, and knowledge represent different stages of value creation.
Data is meangingless until it is processed, and actionless until contextualized with a purpose.

Characteristics of data, information, and knowledge (adopted from de Vries 2018).

The flow from data to information and knowledge is not uni-directional.
The knowledge gained may reveal redundancies or gaps in the data collected.

Human-data interactions include all devices aimed at improving the way we understand and use the information contained in data.
Through multiple interactions humans explore data and act accordingly.
These interactions will dramatically change the way we learn, the way we understand our environment (cognition).
As a result the the way we relate to others and ourselves (behavours) will change too.

Actions

HDI is about how people interacts with data and how they interact with other people through data intensive systems. data influence our cognition and as a result our behaviors. it is not about saving cost or time but collaborate and communicate better in a way that is cost less. According to (Kymmell, 2008)¹, human action and interaction has four foundationl concepts.
They are visualization, understanding, communication, and collaboration.

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The figure shows the connectivity among the concpets and how both generate and reinforce one another.
For instance, an alternative routes to gain collaboration can be approached through visualization, communication, or understanding.
As AI has become a common technology, a more inclusive term will be agent actions and interactions.
Agents – Commonly used in AI and robotics to describe both human and artificial decision-makers.

It provides spatialization of information by visually translating data. Thanks to visual metaphors, our brain itself is visually presented. It relies on the ability to fit a much larger amount of information. Interaction makes it possible to break very dense information into parts that are easier for a human being. Zoom, filter, browse, tilt, move, hide, etc. With this, users take an active stance that makes it easier for them to take ownership of information.

"collaboration is a purposeful relationship in which all parties strategically choose to cooperate in order to accomplish a shared outcome".

Collaboration at the conceptual level involves:

• Awareness – We become part of a working entity with a shared purpose
• Motivation – We drive to gain consensus in problem-solving or development
• Self-synchronization – We decide as individuals when things need to happen
• Participation – We participate in collaboration and we expect others to participate
• Mediation – We negotiate and we collaborate together and find a middle point
• Reciprocity – We share and we expect sharing in return through reciprocity
• Reflection – We think and we consider alternatives
• Engagement – We proactively engage rather than wait and see

AECO as a Context

BIM could be seen as the Digital Engineering efforts in AECO industry. Despite the accuracy of the previous statement, what is important is to identify stakeholder interests in the produced artifacts.

The need for efficiency and the profitability of owners, designers, and contractors are being challenged as our buildings and business processes become increasingly complex. The individual and collective goals of project team members need to harmonize, and not conflict with the overall owner’s goals; The goals for a construction project will generally reflect the needs and wishes of the owner. It is the task of the project team, the group of individuals working on the project, to understand and interpret these goals for the owner. The primary goal of all construction project team members needs to be project related and to help achieve the owner goals and business plan.

The main point of the previous analysis is to indicate that: Owner/operators of a the physical building value more the digital twin artifact. It is the virtual asset which will extend the servicibility of the physical one. The designer and contractors value digital thread artifact more. It is the virtual assets which could be reused and reflect upon for better future projects.

1. ^{^ a b}
   • a complex system mainly refers to a complex product as a car or a building.:w
   • Kymmell, W. (2008). Building information modeling: Planning and managing construction projects with 4D CAD and simulations. McGraw-Hill.
2. ^{^} Metadata is data about data so at conceptual level it is data.
3. [^ 2 ]

   A collaborative environment is also simultaneously a cooperative environment.