Digital Twins (DT), as one of the emerging trends in digitalisation, have attracted a large amount of research in the past few years due to its ability to provide more accurate models and better predictions for various energy-related applications. In the context of demand response (DR), the real-time bidirectional communication characteristic of DT allows for functions such as real-time energy forecast and decision-making aid, which provided high potential in DR applications due to the nature of DR being highly time-sensitive. The objective of this paper is to explore the concept and application of DT in the domain of DR, as there are currently limited numbers of review on this topic. It was identified that most work in this area shows promising results but is still exploratory. The main application of DT in the domain of DR is using DT as an enabling tool by leveraging the real-time and data processing function of DT for monitoring and decision-making, and providing a medium for better visualisation. Future studies can experiment with applying DT frameworks to larger case studies and apply more elaborate DT with higher maturity levels.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has been influencing people’s lives and the cities. Not only people’s physical and mental health have been threatened, but also the city operation has been profoundly affected from different perspectives (e.g., social and economic) permanently. How cities can efficiently react and response to improve city resilience is an urgent issue to be addressed. The healthcare system as a vital part of the city systems is confronting intense pressure and many challenges under this emergent public health crisis of COVID-19, which might cause huge impacts on the whole city’s operation. Also, human beings as the direct victims of this public health crisis, their behaviour changes impacts on the healthcare system and the city could have been inevitable but have been neglected. In this context, this paper intends to study the citizen healthcare accessing behaviours changes in the post-pandemic era, and to unearth their impacts on the healthcare system and the city operation. For this purpose, first, a framework of influential factors for healthcare accessing was established based on a bidirectional “capability, opportunity, motivation, and behaviour” (COM-B) model and the comprehensive literature review. In which, 43 factors that would influence citizen healthcare accessing behaviour were identified and classified. Thus, based on the proposed framework, two cases (i.e., UK and China) were analysed in depth and compared based on a questionnaire survey to evaluate the factor importance and relationships under different scenarios. And the most influential factors based on analysis results are classified into 12 aspects (e.g., healthcare capability, policy support, information updating etc.). Further, a novel behaviour-healthcare system-city model based on the COM-B model was developed to rethink and indicate the relationships among citizen behaviour, healthcare system and city operation. The research results can be used by policymakers and researchers to improve the city resilience by enabling immediate responses to city systems and citizens behaviours confronting city emergencies.

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, companies and organizations need to adopt an integrated approach to ensure cost-effective and optimal asset operation and utilization while minimizing downtime and risk. Asset operations and maintenance (O&M) play a pivotal role in infrastructure and industrial systems’ overall performance and longevity. This chapter provides a concise overview of the key considerations and functions in asset O&M. It first reviews the importance of asset O&M in enhancing the operational efficiency of assets. Second, this chapter discusses five primary functions of O&M, including (1) maintenance and repair; (2) security management; (3) documentation management and control; (4) work order management; and (5) emergency response and management, and their corresponding definitions, key function or elements, potential digitalization benefits, and current challenges. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in asset O&M for university students, scholars, and professionals, enabling them to equip themselves with solid asset O&M knowledge and real-world practice.