Souvik Barat

Souvik Barat is a distinguished principal scientist at Tata Consultancy Services Research India, visiting researcher at Middlesex University London and an Adjunct Professor at Walchand College, Sangli. He has 25 years of experience in industrial research and his research interests include Digital Twin technology, Modelling and simulation of complex systems, Artificial Intelligence, Model Driven Engineering, Software Product Lines, Business Process Management and Reinforcement Learning.

He is actively involved in developing digital twins for complex business and societal systems. His work on digital twin for business systems led to best TCS Innovation award in 2019 and contributed towards conceptualization of TCS TwinX product that won Gold Stevie award under AI/ML category in 2021. His effort towards modelling city to systematically return to a new normal without compromising public health safety is extensively used by city-based health care organizations and municipality corporation. As part of visiting researcher, he is contributing towards various social and healthcare related research initiatives at London Digital Twin Research Centre.

Title of the Talk:

Unlocking the Potential of Digital Twins for a Sustainable and Better Future

Abstract of Talk:

In today's competitive and inherently uncertain business environment, organizations face significant pressure to achieve tangible business outcomes. The relentless pursuit of ever-increasing operational efficiency and productivity has given rise to technologies tailored for automating well-defined tasks and processes, establishing themselves as the de facto solutions. As automation firmly establishes itself as a cornerstone, the application of technology is now shifting from the automation of repetitive tasks to the facilitation of intricate decision-making processes. Within this landscape, there is a growing need for technology capable of supporting evidence-based informed decision-making by comprehensively addressing the concerns of involved stakeholders with conflicting and collaborative objectives in the face of uncertainty and dynamism.

This presentation aims to shed light on the transformative potential of digital twin technology as a powerful tool for enabling in-silico experimentation toward evidence-based informed decision-making in the face of uncertainty and dynamism. We delve into a diverse array of case studies, ranging from business scenarios showcasing how digital twins have helped conceptualize and tailor products and services to meet the ever-changing consumer preferences of a telecommunications company, to impactful use cases such as effectively controlling the spread of infections during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in an Indian city. The presentation further explores the substantial potential of digital twin technology as an instrument for creating a brighter, more sustainable future for both enterprises and society as a whole. This includes opportunities like controlling diseases, setting up sustainable food supply chains to reduce waste, managing floods, ensuring continuous water supply, improving healthcare in rural areas, and making crop production more efficient, among other.