MARCH 21, 2022 – The Digital Twin Hololab went live at Tyndall Air Force Base March 17 to showcase the base in a digital model as part of Installation of the Future efforts. The digital base will allow cutting-edge planning concepts and innovative technologies to be integrated and enable numerous capabilities for warfighters throughout the Air Force.
The Hololab is the primary interface with the Digital Twin of Tyndall AFB, said Lowell Usrey, Air Force Civil Engineer Center Natural Disaster Recovery Division branch chief.
The Digital Twin is a “near life-like, virtual representation of the physical world,” Usrey said. “This is the place where Airmen can interact with the model using virtual reality goggles or just a good old-fashioned computer screen.”
The Hololab demonstrates how these concepts and technologies have been incorporated to help create a more resilient, efficient and sustainable installation. The model itself is tied to the overall $4.9 billion rebuild schedule, enabling views of the installation at any given point in time.
“It’s more than a display,” Usrey said. “It is an open canvas that puts the virtual world into the hands of potential users to improve mission effectiveness and collect feedback to help improve the system.”
“We are making the Hololab accessible because we want to spread knowledge of how the Digital Twin will help us with our mission today, as well as spark conversations of how it can help us in the future,” said Col. Travis Leighton, NDR division chief.
Visitors will be able to explore what it’s like to operate the systems that are built into the virtual replica of the installation. For example, facilities operators can view the real-time condition of assets as they explore the model.
The Digital Twin is one of many new technologies being implemented to transform Tyndall AFB into the Department of the Air Force’s Installation of the Future.
For more information about the Tyndall AFB rebuild, visit the Air Force Installation and Mission Support website.
By Sarah McNair
Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Public Affairs