Abstract
As commercial eVTOL services move toward a 2026 launch in UAE, China, and USA, the aviation industry requires a "Digital Shadow" capable of predicting and mitigating risks in high-density urban airspaces. Synthesized from a PRISMA-guided Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of over 2,000 papers conducted with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), this tutorial presents a blueprint for DT-enabled Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).
We decompose deployment into three phases: (i) Vertiport network design, where DTs model demand and node throughput; (ii) Corridor formulation, where DTs simulate safe separation buffers; and (iii) Operations management, where DTs enable "what-if" analysis for strategic deconfliction. The session highlights how the DT acts as the "brain" for AAM, providing a sandbox for regulatory compliance and safety-critical decision-making.
While IoT/ISAC provides the data and sensing, only a Digital Twin can provide the predictive foresight required for high-density AAM. To move from conservative legacy separation to autonomous, high-density operations, the industry needs a systemic "Virtual Sandbox." This tutorial positions the DT as the essential tool for bridging the gap between real-world environmental uncertainty and the rigorous safety requirements of civil aviation.
Tutorial Topics
The AAM Digital Twin Architecture
Data ingestion from IoT/ISAC for state synchronization. Defining the synchronization loop between physical IoT assets and their Digital Twin counterparts, and how the DT becomes a real-time "Digital Shadow" of the urban airspace.
Phase 1: Vertiport Network Twin
Demand-driven network design and virtual feasibility checks for vertiport site selection. Modeling AAM demand via cellular heatmaps and Intelligent Transport System (ITS) data; simulating vertiport node capacity including turnaround times, charging cycles, and passenger boarding flows.
Phase 2: Corridor Twin & Safety Physics
Dynamic Corridor Twins—modeling the geometric expansion of safety buffers based on predictive Total System Error (TSE = √(NSE² + FTE²)). Simulating how urban micro-climates, wind shear, and wake vortices impact virtual safety geofences.
Phase 3: Operational Twins & Strategic Orchestration
Operational Orchestration—using DTs for dynamic capacity balancing and emergency rerouting simulations. Strategic deconfliction and "what-if" analysis for arrival/departure management across the entire U-space ecosystem.
Roadmap, Standards & Regulatory Paths
Current state of DT standardization (ISO/IEEE), the transition from Static to Live Twins, and regulatory paths for "Digital Sky" certification. How aviation authorities (GCAA, FAA) expect the DT to serve as an automated "Regulatory Shadow."
Notice: A PDF copy of the presentation will be made available to attendees through the conference website.
Schedule
The following is the tentative time schedule for the tutorial (total: 3 hours).
| Time Slot | Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 – 00:30 | The AAM Digital Twin Vision: Introduction to AAM and the role of the DT as a predictive "Digital Shadow." Defining the synchronization loop between physical IoT assets and DT. |
| 00:30 – 01:10 | Phase 1 – The Vertiport Network Twin: Modeling AAM demand via cellular heatmaps and ITS data; DT-based feasibility checks (land, power, topography) and vertiport node capacity simulation. |
| 01:10 – 01:50 | Phase 2 – The Corridor Twin & Safety Physics: Translating the "3D tube" into a dynamic virtual buffer; breaking down the error budget (TSE = √(NSE² + FTE²)) and simulating environmental factors on virtual safety geofences. |
| 01:50 – 02:30 | Phase 3 – Operational Twins: Strategic deconfliction and "what-if" analysis for arrival/departure management; DT-based dynamic capacity balancing and emergency contingency planning. |
| 02:30 – 03:00 | Roadmap, Standards & Q&A: Current DT standardization (ISO/IEEE), transition from Static to Live Twins, and regulatory paths for "Digital Sky" certification. |
Organizers' Biographies
de Catalunya, Spain
Evgenii Vinogradov (Senior member IEEE) is currently a Ramon y Cajal Fellow and Research Director at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain), as well as a Visiting Professor at KU Leuven (Belgium). He received his Ph.D. degree from UCLouvain (Belgium) in 2017. His research focuses on 6G wireless communication networks and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) systems.
He actively participated in the SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) project PercEvite and a bilateral project between Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, granting him a deep understanding of aviation regulators' needs and goals. Dr. Vinogradov has extensive experience in knowledge dissemination, having organized multiple AAM and 6G-focused workshops and delivered 8 highly attended tutorials on aerial communications for both flagship IEEE conferences (including ICC, GLOBECOM, and VTC) and industry professionals.
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Institute, UAE
Debashisha Mishra is a Senior Researcher at the Autonomous Robotics Research Center, Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a leading UAE-based scientific research organization. He obtained his M.Tech. degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad and completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the Université de Lorraine (France).
His research interests include networked robotics, advanced air mobility, and next-generation cellular networks, including 5G and beyond. His scholarly contributions have been published in areas such as UAV networking, wireless communication, and autonomous mobility systems, reflecting a sustained focus on communication-enabled robotic and aerial platforms.
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Institute, UAE
Jennifer Simonjan is a Research Director at the Autonomous Robotics Research Center of Technology Innovation Institute (TII), where she leads the Networked Robotics research group. She obtained her master's degree and her Ph.D. magna cum laude in Computer Engineering at the University of Klagenfurt (Austria) in 2019, with a focus on distributed and self-organizing sensor networks.
Following her doctorate, she worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, conducting research in wireless communications and networking. Since joining TII in 2022, her research has focused on wireless communication and networking solutions for autonomous robotic systems, including applications in Advanced Air Mobility and networked multi-robot systems.
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Institute, UAE
Enrico Natalizio (Senior member IEEE) is currently Chief Researcher of the Autonomous Robotics Research Center with the Technology Innovation Institute (UAE) and a Full Professor with the LORIA laboratory at the Université de Lorraine (France). He obtained his master's degree magna cum laude and his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering at the University of Calabria (Italy) in 2000 and 2005 respectively.
His research interests include UAV communications and networking, robot and sensor communications with applications in disaster management and infrastructure monitoring, and IoT privacy and security. He is an associated editor of Elsevier Vehicular Communications and Computer Networks. He has been ranked in the top-2% worldwide scientists of the Stanford University's bibliometric study for the year 2024.
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