Abstract
The global water industry increasingly embraces digital asset management practices to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and reliability in water services. This shift is driven by several factors, including the need to address aging infrastructure, floods, droughts, rising operational costs, regulatory requirements, and the growing demand for water amidst climate change and population growth in developing and developed countries. Adaptation of digital asset systems by water infrastructure assets management (WIAM) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of water infrastructure systems. Integrating Digital Twin (DT) technology into WIAM creates virtual replicas of physical assets, enabling real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and informed decision-making. This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) to explore the optimal use of digital (DT) technologies in water infrastructure management. Utilising the PRISMA model, it systematically selected and analysed 12 published papers from 2014 to 2023, gathered from databases such as Emerald Insight, Engineering Village, Sage Journals, Science Direct, and Scopus. The descriptive analysis reveals that European countries, particularly Spain, Italy, and the UK, lead in this research area. In contrast, African countries are notably underrepresented, indicating a need for future development. The findings revealed that the benefits of integrating digital twin applications into water infrastructure asset management enhance performance by enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, informed decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and advanced water infrastructure planning and monitoring. It also supports risk management, technological integration, skill development, and sustainable practices, all contributing to optimal and efficient water infrastructure management.