Digital twins of chemical products

Abstract

This disclosure relates to apparatus and systems for generating digital twins associated with chemical products and their respective computer program elements, computer implementations for generating digital twins associated with chemical products and their respective computer program elements, methods for providing such digital twins and chemical products associated with their respective apparatus and computer program elements, uses of digital twins, chemical products associated with such digital twins such as digital twins, and computer implementations for generating such digital twins and digital access elements associated with their respective computer program elements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and system for generating digital twins associated with chemical products and respective computer program elements, a computer-implemented method for generating digital twins associated with chemical products and respective computer program elements, a method for providing such digital twins and chemical products associated with respective apparatuses and respective computer program elements, the use of digital twins, chemical products associated with such digital twins such as digital twins, and a computer-implemented method for generating digital access elements associated with such digital twins and respective computer program elements.

Background Art

[0002] Background Art In the supply of chemical products, it is necessary to meet many different regulatory requirements depending on the chemical products. For example, in the automotive supply chain, chemical companies use the International Material Data System (IMDS) to provide standardized information. In such a system, it is possible to collect data along the entire automotive supply chain. Participants in the automotive supply chain register for the IMDS service and maintain product entries in a centralized database provided and hosted by a third-party provider.

[0003] Systems such as IMDS are static with respect to data, error-prone, and cumbersome to handle or maintain. Due to the highly specific and centralized setup of such systems, the generation, exchange, and sharing of digital twins of chemical products is a laborious task. Therefore, it is necessary to simplify the generation, exchange, and sharing of digital twins of chemical products.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] Summary of the Invention In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for generating a digital twin of a chemical product, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by one or more computing nodes, the following steps are taken: - Receiving a request to generate a digital twin, wherein the request includes data relating to a chemical product and data relating to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. - Collecting data associated with a chemical product from one or more distributed data sources based on received data related to the chemical product, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data related to the production and / or use of the chemical product. - To provide the collected data and, optionally, a decentralized digital twin identifier associated with the data owner, - Obtaining at least one embodiment model associated with a chemical product (based on received data related to at least one embodiment model), - By applying each acquired mode model to the collected data, a digital twin dataset is generated. - A device comprising one or more computer-readable media configured to perform the following: generate a digital twin including a provided decentralized identifier and at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset.

[0005] In another aspect, the disclosure relates to an apparatus for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product, the apparatus is - At least one data collection unit configured to receive requests to generate a digital twin, wherein the request includes data relating to a chemical product and data relating to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product, and is configured to collect data relating to the chemical product from one or more distributed data sources based on the received data relating to the chemical product, wherein the data relating to the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product, - At least one decentralized identifier provider configured to provide the collected data and a decentralized digital twin identifier optionally associated with the data owner, - At least one embodiment agent configured to acquire at least one embodiment model associated with a chemical product (based on received data related to at least one embodiment model) and to generate a digital twin dataset (for each acquired embodiment model) by applying each embodiment model to the collected data, - A provided decentralized identifier, and at least one digital twin generator configured to generate a digital twin that includes at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset.

[0006] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a system for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product, wherein the system - A data source layer configured to provide data associated with a chemical product from one or more distributed data sources, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product, - A service layer configured to optionally collect data provided by one or more distributed data sources, optionally transform the collected data, and provide the collected or transformed data. - A consumer layer that consumes data provided by one or more distributed data sources or provided by a service layer, and is configured to generate a digital twin in accordance with a computer implementation method for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, or by an apparatus for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, - A connector layer comprising at least one decentralized data-providing network node configured to optionally provide access to the generated digital twin and / or at least one digital twin dataset contained in the digital twin by at least one decentralized data-consuming network node associated with a decentralized network participant.

[0007] In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a computer-aided method for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product, wherein the method is: - Receiving a request to generate a digital twin, wherein the request includes data relating to a chemical product and data relating to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. - Collecting data associated with a chemical product from one or more distributed data sources based on received data related to the chemical product, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data related to the production and / or use of the chemical product. - To provide the collected data and, optionally, a decentralized digital twin identifier associated with the data owner, - Obtaining at least one embodiment model associated with a chemical product (based on received data related to at least one embodiment model), - By applying each acquired mode model to the collected data, a digital twin dataset is generated. - Includes generating a digital twin that includes a provided decentralized digital twin identifier and at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset.

[0008] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to an apparatus for providing chemical products associated with a digital twin, the apparatus is - A requester configured to generate requests for generating a digital twin, wherein the request includes data related to a chemical product and data related to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product, - At least one apparatus or system for generating a digital twin of the physical entity of a chemical product disclosed herein, - comprising at least one assignor configured to assign a physical identifier associated with a chemical product to a decentralized digital twin identifier included in the digital twin.

[0009] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a system for providing chemical products associated with a digital twin, the system is - Chemical production configured to produce chemical products from one or more input materials, - A requester configured to generate requests for generating a digital twin, wherein the request includes data related to a chemical product and data related to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product, - Apparatus or system for generating a digital twin of the physical entity of a chemical product disclosed herein, - An assigner configured to assign physical identifiers associated with produced chemical products to decentralized identifiers included in a digital twin.

[0010] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method for providing a chemical product associated with a digital twin, the method being: - The process of producing chemical products from one or more input materials through chemical production, - Generating a digital twin in accordance with the computer implementation method for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, or by an apparatus for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, or by a system for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, - This includes assigning physical identifiers associated with the produced chemical products to decentralized digital twin identifiers included in the digital twin.

[0011] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a computerized method for providing a chemical product associated with a digital twin, wherein the chemical product is produced by chemical production from one or more input materials, and the method is - Receiving a request to generate a digital twin, wherein the request includes data relating to a chemical product and data relating to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. - Collecting data associated with a chemical product from one or more distributed data sources based on received data related to the chemical product, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data related to the production and / or use of the chemical product. - Based on the physical identifier associated with the chemical product, a decentralized digital twin identifier associated with the collected data, and optionally the data owner, and assign the provided decentralized digital twin identifier to the physical identifier, - Obtaining at least one embodiment model associated with a chemical product based on received data related to at least one embodiment model, - By applying each acquired mode model to the collected data, a digital twin dataset is generated. - Includes generating a digital twin that includes a decentralized identifier and at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset.

[0012] In yet another aspect, the Disclosure relates to an apparatus for providing chemical products associated with a digital twin, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, wherein the apparatus, when the instructions are executed by one or more computing nodes, is configured to perform a method for providing chemical products associated with a digital twin as disclosed herein.

[0013] In yet another aspect, the Disclosure relates to a computer implementation for providing access to a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product, wherein access to the digital twin by one or more decentralized data-consuming network nodes associated with decentralized participants of a decentralized network is controlled by a decentralized data-providing network node associated with the digital twin, and the digital twin is generated according to the computer implementation for generating the digital twin disclosed herein, or by an apparatus for generating the digital twin disclosed herein, or by a system for generating the digital twin disclosed herein, and the method is - Receiving a request from at least one decentralized data consumption network node to access the digital twin or a portion thereof in a decentralized data provision network node associated with a digital twin, wherein the request includes a decentralized identifier associated with the digital twin. - Optionally, authenticating and / or authorizing a request to access a digital twin or a part thereof by a decentralized data providing network node, - Providing access to the digital twin or a part thereof to a decentralized data consuming network node by a decentralized data providing network node based on a decentralized digital twin identifier and optionally authenticating and / or authorizing, including.

[0014] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to the use of a digital twin generated according to a computer-implemented form, or by an apparatus or a system for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, for processing a chemical product associated with the digital twin.

[0015] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a chemical product associated with a digital twin, the digital twin being generated according to a computer-implemented method, or by an apparatus or a system for generating a digital twin disclosed herein.

[0016] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a chemical product associated with a digital twin, the chemical product associated with the digital twin being provided according to a method, apparatus, or system claimed herein.

[0017] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a digital twin generated by an apparatus or a system according to a method disclosed herein.

[0018] In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for generating a digital access element associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, the method comprising - To generate a digital twin associated with a chemical product in accordance with a computer implementation method for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, or by an apparatus for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, or by a system for generating a digital twin disclosed herein, - Receiving requests to provide decentralized access element identifiers associated with digital twins of chemical products, - Provide a decentralized access element identifier upon request, and generate an access element that includes the provided decentralized access element identifier associated with the digital twin and access data. - Optionally, providing generated digital access elements for accessing the digital twin or a portion thereof by a decentralized data consumption network node, under the control of a decentralized data provision network node associated with the data owner of the digital twin or a portion thereof.

[0019] In yet another aspect, the Disclosure relates to an apparatus for or for generating access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, the apparatus comprising one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform a method for generating a chemical product passport associated with a digital twin of a chemical product when the instructions are executed by one or more computing nodes.

[0020] Another disclosure relates to a computer element, such as a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program, or a computer program product, which, when executed by a computing node or computing system, includes instructions that instruct the computing node or computing system to perform steps of a computer implementation method disclosed herein.

[0021] In another aspect of this disclosure, relating to a computer element such as a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program, or a computer program product, including an instruction, the instruction, when executed by the device or system disclosed herein, instructs the device or system to perform steps configured to be performed by the device or system disclosed herein.

[0022] Any disclosures, embodiments, and examples described herein relate to methods, systems, apparatus, digital twins, chemical products, uses outlined above and below, digital access elements, and computer elements. Advantageously, any benefits derived from any embodiment or example are equally applicable to all other embodiments and examples.

[0023] Embodiment The methods, apparatus, systems, digital twins, chemical products, uses, digital access elements, and computer elements disclosed herein provide an efficient, secure, and robust method for generating a digital twin of a chemical product having a highly defined data structure from various data associated with the chemical product, enabling the sharing and exchange of the digital twin between different participant nodes in the chemical value chain. Availability, integrity, and confidentiality are ensured by generating the digital twin using a hierarchical approach. In particular, the digital twin may be generated from data contained in multiple distributed data sources, such as different distributed databases. The digital twin may correspond to a digital representation of the physical entity of the chemical product. The digital twin may be linked to the chemical product via a link between a decentralized identifier contained in the digital twin and a physical identifier physically associated with the chemical product, thus enabling the sharing of chemical product data in a virtual world using the decentralized digital twin identifier contained in the digital twin. For example, a chemical product containing a physical identifier may be provided from a chemical producer to a chemical consumer, while a digital twin of the chemical product may be shared with the chemical consumer within a decentralized network by a decentralized data consumption network node associated with the chemical consumer, which requests access to the digital twin or a portion thereof at a decentralized data delivery network node associated with the chemical producer using a decentralized digital twin identifier linked to the physical identifier. Sharing of the digital twin or a portion thereof may be controlled by the data owner of the digital twin or a portion thereof, such as the chemical producer, via the decentralized data delivery network node. The decentralized data delivery network node may implement one or more authentication mechanisms to enable sharing or exchange of the digital twin or a portion thereof in a more flexible manner with multiple decentralized data consumption network nodes from different participants in the chemical supply chain accessing the digital twin or a portion thereof. Thus, the data owner can control access to the digital twin or a portion thereof by participant nodes or data consumption services in the decentralized network.Thus, a digital twin or a portion thereof can be securely shared under the sovereignty of the data owner within a decentralized network. In this way, more reliable and efficient further processing of chemical products supplied by upstream participants in the chemical supply chain can be achieved while retaining the digital twin or a portion thereof within the ownership of the chemical supplier supplying upstream participants.

[0024] The object of the present invention is to provide a digital twin of chemical products having a highly defined data structure that can be shared in a simplified and flexible manner from the chemical industry to participants in the chemical supply chain. These and other objects will become clear from reading the following description and are resolved by the subject matter set forth in the independent claims. Dependent claims refer to preferred embodiments of the present invention.

[0025] The following describes several embodiments of this disclosure as examples. Please understand that this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and / or examples.

[0026] In one embodiment, a digital twin of a chemical product may be a digital representation of the physical entity of the chemical product, having a defined semantic description of the physical entity of the chemical product. Thus, a digital twin of the physical entity of a chemical product is a digital version of the physical entity. Once created, the digital twin can be used to represent the physical entity of the chemical product in a digital representation of a real-world system. The digital twin can be uniquely linked to the physical chemical product, at least via a decentralized digital twin identifier. The digital twin can be created such that the form and behavior of the corresponding chemical product are identical. In addition, the digital twin can reflect the characteristics of the chemical product throughout its lifespan. For example, a sensor may capture real-time (or near real-time) data, such as transport or usage data, from the physical chemical product and relay it back to a remote digital twin. The digital twin can then be updated to maintain its correspondence with the physical entity of the chemical product. Thus, the digital twin can represent the current state of the physical entity of the chemical product at any given time. A digital twin may contain one or more digital twin datasets. At least one digital twin dataset may include at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of a chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product. Each digital twin dataset may include defined chemical product data. Each digital twin dataset may be associated with a decentralized digital twin identifier. Each digital twin dataset may be further associated with a digital twin dataset identifier. This makes it possible to uniquely identify each digital twin dataset included in the digital twin by using the digital twin dataset identifier associated with the digital twin dataset. The digital twin may include a decentralized digital twin identifier, digital twin datasets, and digital twin dataset identifiers associated with the digital twin datasets. The digital twin may further include chemical product identifiers.

[0027] In one embodiment, a chemical product may be a chemical product obtained from at least one chemical reaction. A chemical product may include a natural chemical product. A natural chemical product may include any chemical material produced by nature without human interaction or intervention, i.e., any untreated chemical material found in nature, such as plants, microorganisms, animals, the earth and the sea, or any chemical product found in nature and extracted using a process that does not alter its chemical composition. A natural chemical product may include biologics such as enzymes and naturally occurring inorganic or organic chemical products. A natural chemical product may be separated and purified before use, or may be used in an unseparated and / or unpurified form. A chemical product may be a synthetic chemical product. A synthetic chemical product may include a chemical product produced by human interaction or intervention. A synthetic chemical product may be produced using the same chemical reactions that occur in nature, or using different chemical reactions. A chemical product may be any inorganic or organic chemical product obtained by the reaction of inorganic and / or organic chemical reactions. Inorganic and organic chemical reactants may be natural chemical products or synthetic chemical products. A chemical reaction can include any chemical reaction commonly known in the art in which reactants are converted into one or more different chemical products. A chemical reaction can involve the use of catalysts, enzymes, bacteria, etc., to achieve the chemical reaction between reactants. A chemical product can be produced from one or more input materials by chemical production. A chemical product can include raw materials. A chemical product can include chemical materials produced by reacting at least two raw materials. A chemical product can include components. A chemical product can include component assemblies. A chemical product can include the final product.

[0028] In one embodiment, a physical entity may relate to a physical embodiment of a chemical product. A physical entity may be any chemical product in a chemical supply chain. A physical entity of a chemical product may be a raw material or basic substance, a chemical product, a chemical material, a chemical composition, a chemical mixture, a component, a component assembly, a finished product, or a combination thereof.

[0029] In one embodiment, data associated with a chemical product may be distributed across several data sources, hereafter referred to as distributed data sources. A distributed data source may be a collection of data stored at different locations on a computer network. Each location may exhibit some degree of autonomy, not only providing services for the execution of local applications but also participating in the execution of global applications. For example, a distributed data source may be a distributed database. A distributed database may be created by dividing and distributing data from an existing database across different locations, or by merging several existing databases. Each data source may contain only fragments of data associated with a chemical product. This results in the data fragmentation. Two common types of data fragmentation are horizontal fragmentation, where (possibly overlapping) subsets of data tuples are stored at different locations, and vertical fragmentation, where (possibly overlapping) subtuples of data tuples are stored at different locations. More generally, data associated with a chemical product may be fragmented into a set of relationships (tables in a relational database distributed across multiple locations).

[0030] In one embodiment, the model may include a semantic description of each digital twin dataset associated with the digital twin. The semantic description may include the structure of at least some of the digital twin datasets and / or the characteristics of the digital twin datasets. The characteristics of the digital twin datasets may include data types. The characteristics of the digital twin datasets may include possible or acceptable values ​​and / or value ranges. The characteristics of the digital twin datasets may be physical units of parameters described by the values ​​contained in the digital twin datasets.

[0031] In one embodiment, a digital twin dataset may correspond to a data structure obtained when each aspect model is applied to collected data associated with the physical entities of a chemical product. A digital twin dataset may include values ​​and / or value ranges defined in the aspect model used to generate the digital twin dataset. Thus, each digital twin dataset includes the data structure and data defined by the aspect model used to generate it. This ensures that each digital twin dataset has a defined structure and includes defined data, thus simplifying data exchange and the processing of exchanged data relating to chemical products. In one embodiment, a digital twin dataset may be a dataset suitable for representing at least a portion of the collected data. A digital twin dataset may represent at least a portion of the collected data. A digital twin dataset may include a subset of the collected data. A digital twin dataset may refer to a selection of data points within the collected data.

[0032] In one embodiment, the decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized access element identifier may include any unique identifier uniquely associated with the digital twin and / or digital twin dataset, and optionally the data owner. The decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized access element identifier may connect the physical entity of a chemical product to the digital twin. The decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized access element identifier may include one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or digital identifiers (DIDs). One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be associated with the digital twin and / or digital twin dataset. One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be further associated with a chemical product. The decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized access element identifier may be generated by the data owner or on behalf of the data owner of the digital twin data. The decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized access element identifier may include authentication information. Access to the digital twin generated from the data or to parts of the digital twin, such as digital twin datasets contained within the digital twin, may be controlled by the data owner, via decentralized digital twin identifiers and / or decentralized passport identifiers, and the digital twin (and therefore chemical product) and its unique association with the data owner. This is in contrast to a centralized authorization scheme, in which identifiers are provided by such centralized authorization and access to the data is controlled by such centralized authorization. In this context, decentralized refers to the use of decentralized identifiers in embodiments controlled by the data owner. Decentralized digital twin identifiers and / or decentralized passport identifiers may include or be associated with one or more identifiers used in a decentralized network, enabling data exchange over the decentralized network.For example, a decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized passport identifier may include, or be associated with, a digital twin dataset identifier of a digital twin dataset, such as a UUID of a digital twin dataset. Any combination of UUIDs and DIDs is possible. For example, a decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized passport identifier may be a DID, while a digital twin data identifier may be a UUID. In another example, a decentralized digital twin identifier and / or decentralized passport identifier, as well as a digital twin data identifier, may all be UUIDs. Data exchange may include the discovery of a decentralized identifier and, optionally, identifiers associated with the decentralized identifier of participant nodes in a decentralized network, the authentication of participant nodes in a decentralized network, and / or authorization of data transfer via peer-to-peer communication between participant nodes in a decentralized network. A decentralized identifier may be associated with any participant in the supply chain, including chemical raw material suppliers, intermediate chemical product manufacturers, intermediate product manufacturers, component manufacturers, component assembly manufacturers, or final product manufacturers. Decentralized identifiers may be associated with machines, systems, or devices used in the manufacture of raw materials, basic substances, chemical products, intermediate products, components, component assemblies, or final products, or with collections of such machines, devices, and / or systems.

[0033] In one embodiment, chemical properties may be properties of a chemical product that become apparent during or after a chemical reaction. Therefore, chemical properties may be any quality that can only be established by altering the chemical identity of a chemical product. Examples of chemical properties include heat of combustion, enthalpy of formation, toxicity, chemical stability in a given environment, flammability, oxidation state, corrosiveness, acidity and basicity, chemical product composition, recycled contents used to produce or manufacture a chemical product, bio-based contents used to produce or manufacture a chemical product, renewable contents used to produce or manufacture a chemical product, and pH value.

[0034] In one embodiment, the physical properties can be any measurable properties. Therefore, the values ​​of the physical properties describe the state of the chemical product. Examples of physical properties include absorption, brittleness, boiling point, capacitance, color, concentration, density, ductility, distribution, effectiveness, elasticity, charge, conductivity, electrical impedance, potential, flow rate, fluidity, hardness, heat capacity, inductance, intrinsic impedance, brightness, luminescence, gloss, mass, melting point, opacity, transmittance, dielectric constant, plasticity, pressure, radiance, resistivity, reflectance, refractive index, solubility, specific heat, strength, stiffness, temperature, tension, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, viscosity, volume, and wave impedance.

[0035] In one embodiment, the measured at least one physical and / or chemical property is acquired by a sensor configured to measure the physical and / or chemical property. The sensor may be included in a measuring device. The sensor may correspond to a measuring device. For example, the physical and / or chemical property may include properties provided by a sensor of a mobile device such as a camera, or a measuring device configured to measure at least one physical and / or chemical property.

[0036] In one embodiment, data associated with the production of a chemical product is collected before, during, and / or after the production of the chemical product. The collected chemical product data may be used to determine at least one physical and / or chemical property of the produced chemical product. For example, chemical product emission data may be determined based on chemical product data collected during the production of the chemical product. Data associated with the production of a chemical product may include chemical production data from the production of the chemical product. Data associated with the production of a chemical product may include monitoring and / or control data associated with the production of the chemical product.

[0037] In one embodiment, data associated with the use of a chemical product is collected via at least one identifier associated with the chemical product. The data may be collected during and / or after the use of the chemical product. The collected data may include at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product used. The measured physical and / or chemical property may include the aforementioned chemical and / or physical property. The data may be collected using a suitable sensor configured to measure the chemical and / or physical property. The sensor data may be correlated with the identifier associated with the chemical product. The chemical and / or physical property determined from the sensor data may be correlated with the identifier associated with the chemical product. The identifier may be a chemical product identifier. The identifier may be a decentralized digital twin identifier. The decentralized digital twin identifier may be linked to other distributed product identifiers according to the physical relationship of the chemical product entity with other physical entities, for example, with things produced using the chemical product or things produced from the chemical product. Thus, decentralized participant nodes in a decentralized network may be able to interpret the association of decentralized digital twin identifiers corresponding to the physical relationship of the physicochemical entity with other physical entities. Linking decentralized digital twin identifiers with other distributed product identifiers makes it possible to identify decentralized participant nodes that store collected data associated with the use of chemical products or determined physical and / or chemical properties. The collected data and / or determined chemical and / or physical properties may be provided by the decentralized participant nodes and stored in the digital twin. For example, a new dataset may be generated by applying an embodiment model associated with the use of a chemical product, and the new dataset may be used to update the digital twin.

[0038] In one embodiment, the digital twin is generated by decentralized participant network nodes of a decentralized network. Decentralized participant nodes may communicate with decentralized data-providing network nodes that provide access to the digital twin. Decentralized participant nodes may be associated with decentralized data-providing network nodes that provide access to the digital twin. The decentralized network may be a distributed peer-to-peer communication network. The decentralized network may include participant network nodes associated with participants in a chemical supply chain and may be configured to perform data transactions. Decentralized participant nodes may include network nodes of the decentralized network. Network nodes associated with participants in a chemical supply chain may be associated with raw material chemical suppliers, intermediate chemical manufacturers, intermediate component manufacturers, component manufacturers, component assembly manufacturers, or final product manufacturers. Data transactions may be based on a transaction protocol that includes an authentication and / or authorization mechanism. Based on the authentication and / or authorization mechanism, peer-to-peer communication may be established between decentralized network nodes associated with participants in a chemical supply chain. One or more authentication mechanisms may be associated with or linked to decentralized identifiers contained in the digital twin and / or digital access elements. One or more authentication mechanisms associated with decentralized identifiers contained in a digital twin and / or digital access element may be accessible by decentralized data-serving network nodes and / or decentralized data-consuming network nodes. The decentralized configuration enables more efficient use of computing resources and enhances control by data owners of the decentralized network.

[0039] In one embodiment, a decentralized data-serving network node and one or more decentralized data-consuming network nodes may be part of a decentralized network. The decentralized data-consuming network nodes and the decentralized data-serving network nodes may be considered decentralized participant nodes of the decentralized network.

[0040] Chemical products may be produced by chemical production from one or more input materials. Materials may include raw materials, intermediate chemicals, or chemical products received from suppliers. Chemical production may be a chemical production network comprising multiple interconnected processing steps. A chemical production network may be an integrated chemical production network having interrelated production chains. A chemical production network may comprise multiple different production chains sharing at least one intermediate. A chemical production network may comprise multiple stages of a chemical value chain. A chemical production network may comprise multiple production chains producing chemical products as outputs from one or more input materials as inputs. A chemical production network may comprise multiple layers of a chemical value chain. A chemical production network may comprise an arrangement of physically interconnected production sites. Production sites may be in the same location or in different locations. In the latter case, production sites may be interconnected by dedicated transport systems such as pipelines, supply chain vehicles such as trucks, supply chain vessels, or other means of freight transport. Chemical production may be controlled by an operating system. An operating system may be configured to perform the methods disclosed herein. An operating system may comprise the apparatus and systems disclosed herein. Chemical products may include physical identifiers. These physical identifiers may be present on the packaging of the manufactured chemical product. Physical identifiers may be codes such as QR codes (registered trademarks) or embossed codes, or NFT tags. The physical identifier may be assigned to a decentralized identifier in the digital twin to associate the generated digital twin and the chemical product dataset contained therein with the physical entity of the chemical product.

[0041] In one embodiment, data related to a chemical product includes one or more chemical product identifiers associated with the chemical product. These one or more chemical product identifiers may include a batch number, chemical product name, chemical product ID, part number, lot number, or a combination thereof. The lot number may be assigned to the chemical product at the time of production. The chemical product identifiers enable the unique identification of the physical entity of each chemical product, and therefore link all data associated with the identifiers to the physical entity of the chemical product.

[0042] In one embodiment, data associated with at least one embodiment model includes an identifier associated with each embodiment model. The identifier enables unique identification of each embodiment model. The identifier may include an ID, a name, or a combination thereof.

[0043] In one embodiment, data associated with a chemical product includes chemical product data. Chemical product data may include data related to the use of a chemical product, data related to the production of a chemical product, one or more chemical product identifiers, chemical product names, chemical product compositions, measured and / or determined chemical and / or physical properties of a chemical product, chemical product emission data, chemical product recycling content data, chemical product bio-based content data, chemical product renewable content data, chemical product production data, chemical product declaration data, chemical product safety data, certificates of analytical data associated with a chemical product, certificates associated with a chemical product, or a combination thereof. Data related to the use of a chemical product may include, for example, data related to further processing of a chemical product by using the chemical product as a reactant in a further chemical reaction, and / or data related to the use of a chemical product, for example, data related to the use of a chemical product in a processing process and / or within a manufacturing process. Data related to the manufacture of a chemical product may include any data related to the manufacture of a chemical product at any stage in the chemical supply chain. The data may include chemical production data from the production of a chemical product. Production data may include monitoring and / or control data associated with the production of a chemical product. Production data may include measurement data related to product quality, preferably the quality of chemical products, at any stage in the chemical supply chain. At least one chemical product identifier may correspond to a chemical product identifier included in the received request. This may allow the collected data to identify the chemical product to which it is associated.

[0044] Emission data may include any data related to the environmental footprint. The environmental footprint may refer to an entity and its associated environmental footprint. The environmental footprint may be entity-specific. For example, the environmental footprint may relate to a product, a company, a process such as a manufacturing process, raw materials or basic substances, chemical products or materials, components, component assemblies, finished products, combinations thereof, or additional entity-specific relationships. Emission data may include data related to the carbon footprint of a chemical product or product carbon footprint (PCF). Emission data may include, for example, data related to greenhouse gas emissions released in the production of a chemical product. Emission data may include data related to greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions may include emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, methane (CH4) emissions, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions, perfluorocarbon (PFC) emissions, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) emissions, combinations thereof, and additional emissions. Emissions data may include data related to greenhouse gas emissions from the activities of the entity or firm itself (production, power supply to plants, and waste incineration). Scope 2 may include emissions from externally supplied energy production. Scope 3 may include all other emissions along the value chain. Specifically, this may include greenhouse gas emissions from raw materials obtained from suppliers. Product carbon footprint (PCF) can sum up greenhouse gas emissions and removals from a series of interconnected processes associated with a particular product. Cradle-to-gate PCF can sum up greenhouse gas emissions based on selected processing steps, for example, from resource extraction to the factory gate where the product leaves the firm. Such a PCF may be called a partial PCF. To achieve such a sum, each firm providing any product may provide Scope 1 and Scope 2 contributions to the PCF of each product.

[0045] Recycled Contents Data, Bio-Based Contents Data, and Renewable Contents Data may include any data relating to recycled contents, bio-based contents, or renewable contents used to produce or manufacture the physical entities of chemical products.

[0046] Chemical product data may be stored in one or more distributed data sources. One or more distributed data sources may be associated with a chemical production that produces a chemical product from one or more input materials. Chemical product data may include different classes of chemical product data. At least one class of chemical product data may include chemical substance data, e.g., data required by regulations or regulatory data for chemical substances. Chemical substance data may include chemical product declaration data, chemical product safety data, and certificate of analysis data. At least one class of chemical product data may include emission data, recyclable contents data, bio-based contents data, and / or production data associated with the physical entity of the chemical product. Each class may be associated with access rules. The access rules for each class may differ from one another. This allows for defining access to the digital twin at a more granular level, thus improving security and preventing unwanted access by unauthorized, decentralized data consumption services to classes containing more sensitive information, such as the composition of chemical products.

[0047] In one embodiment, the data owner includes an entity that generates data associated with a chemical product, and / or the data owner is the data owner of the data and / or digital twin dataset associated with the chemical product. A data generation node may be coupled to an entity that owns the physical entity of the chemical product from which data is generated or from which data is generated. The data, in particular the chemical product data and / or digital twin dataset, may be generated by a third-party entity on behalf of the entity that owns the physical entity of the chemical product from which data is generated or from which data is generated. The data owner may be a chemical product manufacturer. Thus, the data owner may directly or indirectly own the chemical product data and / or digital twin dataset. The chemical product data and / or digital twin dataset may be stored in the data owner's database or a database associated with the data owner. The chemical product data and / or digital twin dataset may be stored in a database of the data owner or under the control of the data owner. The chemical product data and / or digital twin dataset may be stored in a database accessible by the data owner. The data owner may control access to the chemical product data and / or digital twin dataset, for example, through a decentralized data delivery network node associated with the data owner. Chemical product data and / or digital twin datasets may be associated with a data owner. A data owner may be the owner of chemical product data or a chemical product data owner. A data owner may be the owner of a digital twin dataset or a digital twin dataset. In this sense, a data owner should be broadly interpreted as an entity that has access to chemical product data and / or digital twin datasets and controls access to chemical product data and / or digital twin datasets by decentralized data consumption network nodes of a decentralized network.

[0048] In one embodiment, collecting data associated with a chemical product includes collecting such data from one or more distributed data sources, each containing a data instance associated with the chemical product. A data instance may be associated with the aforementioned chemical product data. For example, a data instance associated with a chemical product may include at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product. Distributed data sources may include a master database, operational database, data warehouse, or other data sources used to store data associated with chemical products. Using distributed data sources to store data associated with chemical products enables improved synchronization, platform autonomy, fault tolerance, scalability, location transparency, site autonomy, and enhanced security.

[0049] In one embodiment, collecting data associated with chemical products is, - To provide one or more distributed data sources that include data associated with a chemical product, wherein at least one of the distributed data sources includes data instances associated with the chemical product. - Determining one or more chemical product identifiers associated with a chemical product (based on received data related to the chemical product), - This includes using the determined chemical product identifier to collect data associated with the chemical product from the provided distributed data source. Determining one or more chemical product identifiers may involve retrieving such identifiers from received data related to the chemical products. For example, a request may include one or more chemical product identifiers associated with a chemical product, such as a batch number. Determining such identifiers may involve retrieving such identifiers based on received data related to the chemical products. For example, a request may include the name of a chemical product, and one or more chemical product identifiers may be retrieved from a database based on the received name.

[0050] Collecting data associated with chemical products may include retrieving such data from one or more distributed data sources based on chemical product identifiers and storing the retrieved data as datasets in data storage such as a database. The data may be retrieved via APIs connecting the data collection unit to each distributed data source. Collecting data may also include collecting such data from one or more distributed data sources into persistent or non-persistent logs. This may include event-driven collection of data in non-persistent logs based on updates to distributed data. The collected data may be provided as datasets from persistent or non-persistent logs to downstream data collectors such as databases.

[0051] In one embodiment, decentralized identifiers are provided by one centralized network node or by one or more decentralized network nodes. One centralized network node or one or more decentralized network nodes may be part of a decentralized network that includes multiple decentralized participant nodes. Decentralized identifiers generated by one centralized network node or by one or more decentralized network nodes may preferably be provided to decentralized network nodes that generate digital twins and at least one authenticated data registry network node, which are accessible by decentralized data providing network nodes and / or decentralized data consuming network nodes. This enables customized data sharing or exchange regarding chemical products and the chemical supply chains in which chemical products are supplied. In particular, decentralized data providing network nodes and / or decentralized data consuming network nodes may customize data sharing or protocol exchange based on anchoring decentralized identifiers to chemical product datasets. Authenticated data registry network nodes may be centralized registry network nodes such as a centralized file system, a centrally managed distributed database, and / or a centrally managed peer-to-peer network. The centralized configuration allows for greater control and standardization via the centralized network nodes. Authentication data registry network nodes can be decentralized registries such as distributed ledgers, decentralized file systems, distributed databases, and / or peer-to-peer networks. Decentralized configurations enable more efficient use of computing resources and enhance control by data owners. In addition, decentralized configurations are independent of centrally managed nodes and therefore increase the reliability and flexibility of the system.

[0052] In one embodiment, a decentralized identifier is provided upon receiving a request to provide the decentralized identifier. The request may include an owner or product identifier associated with the chemical product data owner or the chemical product, respectively. The request may be generated by a requester and provided to a decentralized identifier generator. The requester may be associated with a chemical production, such as a chemical production network, that produces the chemical product. The request may be triggered upon detection of a packaging unit of the produced chemical product. For example, a packaging line may have a labeling device that detects each packaging unit. Based on such detection, the requester may generate and transmit a request to provide a decentralized identifier to the decentralized identifier generator. The owner identifier may be a string identifier associated with the data owner name. The product identifier may be a batch number, lot number, chemical product name, or a combination thereof. The owner or product identifier may be provided via a barcode or QR code by a physical identifier provider, such as a barcode or RFID tag. Such communication may also be completed via ad-hoc WIFI, BLE beacons, and / or NFC. Communication may be performed via any available communication channel, including but not limited to web servers, ad-hoc Wi-Fi, BLE beacon signals, NFC, and barcode or QR code scanning. Owner or product identifiers may be provided from an ERP system that controls the chemical production that produces the chemical products. Through the owner identifier, the generated digital twin may be associated with the chemical product data owner by including the owner identifier. The owner identifier may be used in data transactions, such as sharing or exchanging chemical product datasets. The owner identifier may be provided to a transaction manager. Tracking data transactions may be simplified by providing decentralized identifiers and data owner identifiers to a transaction manager or data consumption service. Any transaction in the data ecosystem may be associated, for example, with the explicit name of the data owner.

[0053] In one embodiment, a decentralized digital twin identifier is associated with the physical entity of a chemical product. A decentralized digital twin identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the chemical product from which the digital twin is generated. A decentralized digital twin identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the chemical product to which the generated chemical product dataset is associated. A decentralized digital twin identifier may be associated with the physical entity to which the chemical product will be supplied, and the collected data / chemical product dataset is associated. For example, a decentralized digital twin identifier may be associated with physical entities such as components, component assemblies, and final products. A decentralized digital twin identifier may be associated with two or more physical entities to which the chemical product will be supplied, and the collected data / chemical product dataset is associated. For example, a decentralized digital twin identifier may be associated with the physical entities of components, component assemblies, and final products. By associating decentralized digital twin identifiers with different physical entity stages in the chemical supply chain, it becomes possible to virtually track chemical products supplied in the supply chain. Thus, a chemical product with its associated chemical product dataset can be tracked, for example, until the end of the final product's lifecycle.

[0054] In one embodiment, a decentralized digital twin identifier is a physical identifier associated with or assigned to a chemical product. The association of the physical identifier with the chemical product may be provided by a physical association with a physical product or physical entity. For example, the physical identifier may be associated with a physical entity of a chemical product. The physical entity may be a raw material or an intermediate product. The physical identifier may correspond one-to-one with virtual or physical identification information by physical association with a physical entity. In one embodiment, the physical identifier is physically attached to the chemical product via an identifier element. "Physical identifier" or "physical identifier element" may refer to any virtual or physical configuration that associates the decentralized identifier with the chemical product. The physical identifier may be any identifier of a manufactured chemical product, such as a batch number or part number. The physical identifier element may include, but is not limited to, passive or active elements, such as a QR code or an RFID tag. The physical identifier element may be a physical identifier physically associated with the chemical product. Identifier elements may include markers embedded in materials, barcodes, QR codes, tags such as RFID tags, or similar physical configurations that enable the digital identification of chemical products.

[0055] In one embodiment, an identifier element including a physical identifier is physically attached to a chemical product. The physical identifier may be provided by a sensor that reads the physical identifier element, and the physical identifier element is physically linked to the chemical product. A decentralized identifier may be provided by a sensor that reads the physical identifier element, and the physical identifier element is physically linked to the chemical product. An identification element can be physically linked to a chemical product to uniquely identify the chemical product. An identification element can be physically linked to any component of a chemical product, such as the packaging of the chemical product, to uniquely identify the chemical product.

[0056] In one embodiment, at least one acquired embodiment model relates to an environmental attribute associated with a chemical product. The chemical product may be a chemical product produced by a chemical production company that produces chemical products. The chemical product may be a chemical product generally produced by the chemical industry. The environmental attribute may relate to the contents of the chemical product, the renewable contents of the chemical product, the bio-based contents of the chemical product, emission data associated with the chemical product, and / or certificates associated with the chemical product. For example, one embodiment model may relate to the recycled contents associated with a chemical product, and for example, that embodiment model may include the structure and characteristics of recycled contents data and chemical product data. By using embodiment models related to environmental attributes, it is possible to generate a digital twin dataset that reflects each environmental attribute of a chemical product, and thus enable the sharing of said attributes in a secure and efficient manner via the generated digital twin. One embodiment model may relate to strictly one environmental attribute. This may enable achieving a higher level of granularity regarding environmental attributes associated with chemical products in the generated digital twin, and thus allowing each environmental attribute to be requested separately (e.g., via its corresponding chemical product dataset) (e.g., by a node in a decentralized data consumption network) without the need to acquire the complete digital twin or a complete digital twin dataset containing two or more environmental attributes. One embodiment model may be associated with at least two different environmental attributes. This may enable a reduction in the number of digital twin datasets that need to be generated.

[0057] In one embodiment, each digital twin dataset is generated by applying a respective acquired aspect model to the collected data. Therefore, the number of acquired aspect models is equal to the number of digital twin datasets resulting from the application of the acquired aspect models. For example, if three different aspect models are acquired and applied to the collected data, three different digital twin datasets are generated. Each generated digital twin dataset includes the data structure and the data defined by each aspect model used for its generation. Using different aspect models allows for a higher granularity for the digital twin datasets included in the digital twin. Therefore, it is not necessary to acquire a complete digital twin containing all relevant data; data acquisition can be minimized by acquiring each digital twin dataset. This reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred when data included in the digital twin is requested by a third party. Using at least one aspect model ensures reliable data transfer and compliance with respective decentralized data standards. The generated digital twin datasets can be stored in a data storage medium such as a database. This can avoid the need to acquire and regenerate the generated digital twin datasets. For example, the generated digital twin datasets can be acquired to generate a digital twin of a chemical product, as described below.

[0058] In one embodiment, each digital twin dataset is associated with a corresponding embodiment model used to generate the digital twin dataset. Each digital twin dataset may include an embodiment model identifier associated with the embodiment model used to generate the respective digital twin dataset. Each digital twin dataset may be stored within a collection or partition associated with the corresponding embodiment model used to generate the digital twin dataset. For example, each digital twin dataset may be stored within a collection or partition associated with the embodiment model used to generate it. This makes it possible to easily identify the embodiment model used to generate each digital twin dataset, and therefore the structure and data of each digital twin dataset.

[0059] In one embodiment, the digital twin dataset includes at least one chemical product identifier. The chemical product identifier included in the digital twin dataset may correspond to a chemical product identifier included in an received request and / or to a chemical product identifier included in chemical product data. By using at least one chemical product identifier within the chemical product dataset, it is possible to associate the dataset with the physical entity of the chemical product to which the chemical product identifier is associated.

[0060] In one embodiment, generating a digital twin involves assigning a decentralized identifier to at least a portion of the generated digital twin datasets. The decentralized identifier may be linked to each of the at least portions of the digital twin datasets. If the decentralized identifier includes a digital twin dataset identifier, each digital twin dataset identifier may be linked to a digital twin dataset contained within the digital twin (e.g., each digital twin dataset used to generate the digital twin). Thus, by using a combination of a decentralized digital twin identifier and a digital twin dataset identifier, it is possible to retrieve each digital twin dataset (e.g., a portion of the generated digital twin), and therefore, if access to only a specific digital twin dataset of the digital twin is required, retrieval of the entire digital twin is avoided. Furthermore, this allows for higher granular control of access to the digital twin, as access can be controlled at the dataset level of the digital twin. Therefore, the decentralized identifier may be used for sharing the digital twin or a portion thereof, e.g., a set of digital twins contained within the digital twin, via a decentralized data provision network node, for example, as described later. The decentralized digital twin identifier may be linked to an owner identifier associated with the data owner of the digital twin, in particular. This makes it possible to identify the data owners associated with the digital twin and its corresponding digital twin dataset. By providing the decentralized identifier and the data owner's owner identifier to the transaction manager or decentralized data consumption network node, the tracking of data transactions can be simplified as described above.

[0061] In one embodiment, generating a digital twin involves assigning a decentralized digital twin identifier to a digital twin dataset identifier, the digital twin dataset identifier being associated with the digital twin datasets included in the digital twin. Therefore, using a combination of the decentralized digital twin identifier and the digital twin dataset identifier makes it possible to retrieve each digital twin dataset (e.g., a portion of the generated digital twin), thus avoiding the acquisition of the entire digital twin when access to only a specific digital twin dataset of the digital twin is required. Furthermore, this allows for higher-granularity control of access to the digital twin, as access can be controlled at the dataset level of the digital twin.

[0062] In one embodiment, generating a digital twin includes generating access data and assigning the generated access data to a decentralized digital twin identifier. The access data may include a digital representation that points to the digital twin. The access data may include a digital twin dataset identifier, such as a UUID. The access data may include a digital representation that points to the digital twin dataset. The digital representation may directly or indirectly point to the storage location of the digital twin / digital twin dataset. The access data may be included in the digital twin. The access data is assigned to a decentralized digital twin identifier. The access data and the interrelated decentralized identifiers may be stored on a data storage medium. The access data may be used (in combination with the decentralized digital twin identifier) ​​to access the digital twin data or a portion thereof. For example, the digital twin dataset identifier and the corresponding access data may be used by a decentralized data consumption network node to request the respective digital twin dataset using the decentralized digital twin identifier and associated access data, such as a digital representation that points to the digital twin dataset. Thus, generating a digital twin may include generating a DID document containing a decentralized digital twin identifier (e.g., DID) and access data. A DID document or part thereof can be propagated to a distributed ledger. A DID document or part thereof can be used to retrieve access data using the DID, as described below.

[0063] In one embodiment, the digital twin is generated via a user interface. This includes, - To provide a user interface configured to display data associated with the physical entities of chemical products, - Detecting user input indicating the selection of data associated with the physical entity of a chemical product, - This may include generating a digital twin of a chemical product associated with data selected by the user, based on user input.

[0064] Data associated with the physical entity of a chemical product may include the chemical product name and / or a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product. The user interface may be a graphical user interface. The user interface may include a list of available data associated with the physical entity of a chemical product. The user interface may include fields that allow the user to input at least some of the data associated with the physical entity of a chemical product. The user interface may include a search function that allows the user to search for a specific chemical product based on keywords.

[0065] User input indicating data selection may include selecting a chemical product from a displayed list of available chemical products. User input indicating data selection may include entering at least some of the data associated with the physical entity of the chemical product and selecting data that appears on the user interface in response to the user input. User input indicating data selection may include selecting at least some of the data displayed on the user interface in response to a search performed by the user.

[0066] User input may trigger the generation of a request to generate a digital twin, the request including data related to a chemical product and data related to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. In response to the request, a digital twin may be generated as described above.

[0067] In one embodiment, the digital twin is generated by the data owner of the data associated with the chemical product. The data owner of the data associated with the chemical product may be a chemical producer that produces the chemical product. The data owner of the data associated with the chemical product may be a legal entity that operates the chemical production that produces the chemical product. The data owner of the data associated with the chemical product may be a natural person that operates the chemical production that produces the chemical product. In one embodiment, the digital twin is generated on behalf of the data owner of the data associated with the chemical product. For example, the digital twin may be generated by a third party based on services provided to the data owner by the third party.

[0068] In one embodiment, at least one digital twin dataset included in the digital twin includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of a chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product. The at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of a chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product may correspond to the use of the chemical product included in the data associated with the chemical product, as well as the at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the chemical product.

[0069] In one embodiment, the digital twin includes at least two different measured and / or determined physical and / or chemical properties present in different datasets. Data points in different datasets may overlap. The datasets may correspond to data structures obtained when applying collected data associated with an embodiment model to the physical entities of a chemical product, as described above. The datasets may include values ​​and / or value ranges defined in the embodiment model used to generate the datasets. Thus, each dataset includes the data structure and data defined by the embodiment model used to generate it. This ensures that each dataset has a defined structure and includes defined data, thus simplifying data exchange and the processing of exchanged data regarding chemical products.

[0070] In one embodiment, the digital twin further includes an embodiment model identifier associated with each digital twin dataset. This makes it possible to determine the embodiment model used to generate the digital twin datasets included in the digital twin. Thus, the data structure of the digital twin can be easily identified based on the embodiment model identifier included in the digital twin.

[0071] In one embodiment, the digital twin further includes a digital twin dataset identifier associated with the digital twin dataset. The identifier may include a UUID, a DID, or a combination thereof. The identifier may be generated during or after the generation of the digital twin. The identifier may enable the data delivery service to retrieve each digital twin dataset from its respective data storage, as described below.

[0072] In one embodiment, the generated digital twin is stored in data storage. The data storage may be a database associated with the data owner. Access to the database may be controlled by the data owner, for example, via a decentralized data-serving network node associated with the data owner. The data storage may function as an intermediate layer between data collection and digital twin consumption by, for example, a decentralized data-consuming network node. The separation of data collection and consumption between the generated digital twin or associated digital twin dataset may result in the achievement of high and stable availability of the digital twin dataset within the decentralized network.

[0073] In one embodiment, the method further includes providing the generated digital twin or a portion thereof (e.g., a digital twin dataset included in the digital twin) to a decentralized data-serving network node for access by a decentralized data-consuming network node. Access to the digital twin or a portion thereof may be controlled by the decentralized data-serving network node. The decentralized data-serving network node may include computer executable instructions for providing and / or processing data, such as a chemical product dataset, through a data-consuming service. The decentralized data-serving network node may be connected to one or more dedicated data storages that store the digital twin datasets referenced in or included in the digital twin. The dedicated data storage may be under the control of the data owner of the digital twin dataset. The data owner may have access to the dedicated data storage.

[0074] A decentralized data consumption network node may include computer executable instructions for accessing and / or processing data within a decentralized network, such as chemical product datasets, provided by a decentralized data provision network node. A decentralized data consumption network node may be controlled, owned, or associated with a consumer or user of a chemical product. A consumer may be any entity that processes a chemical product. A consumer may be any entity that operates a production configured to process a chemical product. Processing may include using a chemical product to produce further chemical products, components, assemblies, or final products. A consumer may be a downstream participant in the chemical value chain to which the produced chemical product is associated, for example, in which the chemical product is used. For example, a consumer may be a distinct product processor, such as a distinct product producer or a participant in a recycling process for a distinct product. A distinct product may be a finished product, for example, a distinct item that is easily identifiable by count. Examples of distinct products include automobiles, airplanes, and shoes. A distinct product may be disassembled at the end of its lifecycle so that its components can be recycled. Consumers can receive chemical products from entities that produce chemical products, such as chemical producers. Through decentralized data consumption network nodes, consumers of chemical products can access a digital twin or part thereof associated with the supplied chemical products, and thus enable improved production or recycling by using the accessed data. For example, the accessed data may be used to improve the characteristics of further chemical products, components, or distinct products obtained, or to improve overall production efficiency. In another example, the accessed data associated with the supplied chemical products may be used to control production involving the supplied chemical products. In yet another example, the accessed data may be used to reliably determine the chemical composition of components to be recycled, and thus improve recycling efficiency by determining the correct recycling process, recycling parameters, recycling plant, etc.

[0075] Access to a digital twin or a portion thereof may be controlled by a decentralized data delivery network node. This node may be associated with the data owner of the digital twin dataset. Therefore, access to a digital twin or a portion thereof may be under the control of the data owner associated with the decentralized data delivery network node. This allows the data owner to maintain complete control over access to the digital twin or a portion thereof, while simultaneously enabling the sharing of the digital twin or a portion thereof under controlled conditions, for example, by using appropriate authorization and authentication mechanisms or schemes.

[0076] Providing the generated digital twin to decentralized data delivery network nodes means - To provide access data associated with the generated digital twin, - This may include providing access data and decentralized digital twin identifiers contained in the generated digital twin to decentralized data delivery network nodes.

[0077] Access data associated with a generated digital twin may include a digital representation that points to the generated digital twin. This digital representation may include at least one interface to a decentralized data serving network node, which may further include at least one interface to a decentralized data consumption network, which may include an endpoint for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoint) or an endpoint for service interaction (service endpoint) that is uniquely identified via a communication protocol. Therefore, a digital representation that points to a digital twin may be uniquely associated with a decentralized identifier. A digital representation that points to a digital twin may be considered a locator indicating the location or dedicated data storage where each digital twin is stored.

[0078] Access data associated with a digital twin may include a digital twin dataset identifier and a digital representation pointing to each digital twin dataset. The digital twin dataset identifier may be one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs). A digital representation pointing to at least one digital twin dataset may include at least one interface to a decentralized data consumption network node. This may further include at least one interface to the decentralized data consumption network. This may include an endpoint for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoint) or an endpoint for service interaction (service endpoint) that is uniquely identified via a communication protocol. Thus, a digital representation pointing to at least one digital twin dataset may be uniquely associated with a decentralized identifier and a digital twin dataset identifier. A digital representation pointing to at least one digital twin dataset may be considered a locator indicating the location or dedicated data storage where each digital twin dataset is stored.

[0079] Providing access data and decentralized identifiers to decentralized data serving network nodes may include, for example, sending POST requests containing the aforementioned data as a payload to the decentralized data serving network nodes via their respective APIs. The decentralized data serving network nodes may store the received data in a database associated with them. By providing access data and decentralized digital twin identifiers to decentralized data serving network nodes, when a decentralized data serving network node receives the aforementioned request for data from a decentralized data consumption network node, it enables the acquisition of each digital twin using access data from one or more downstream databases. This allows for the storage of digital twins separately from the decentralized data serving network nodes, thus ensuring a higher level of security by enabling appropriate authentication and authorization schemes for communication between downstream databases and decentralized data serving network nodes. Furthermore, only a minimal amount of data is stored in the database associated with the decentralized data serving network node, thus reducing the risk of undesirable data leakage in the event of unauthorized access to the database contents of the decentralized data serving network node.

[0080] In one embodiment of a method for generating a digital access element, the digital access element includes a decentralized access element identifier and access data. The digital access element may represent a DID document associated with a decentralized identifier, such as a DID. The DID document may be generated at the time of DID generation. Alternatively, it may be generated after DID generation, for example, when generating a digital twin. The DID document may include the DID, further identifiers associated with the DID, such as a chemical product dataset identifier, and access data. The access data may refer to any data necessary to access a digital twin or a portion thereof, such as a chemical product dataset contained in the digital twin. The access data may be essential, i.e., strictly necessary to access the chemical product dataset. Alternatively, while the access data may be suitable for accessing the chemical product dataset, the chemical product dataset may also be accessed in a different way without the access data generated by the digital access element. The access data may include endpoints for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoints) or endpoints for service interactions (service endpoints), uniquely identified via a communication protocol. The access data may include authorization schemes and / or cryptographic information. For example, access data may include public keys, such as the public key required to decipher a chemical product dataset. Access data may include authentication schemes associated with a decentralized identifier. Access data may be uniquely associated with a decentralized identifier. Access data may be provided to a data consumption service. Access data may be provided by a decentralized network database, a database associated with a data consumption service, a data provision service associated with a data owner, or a combination thereof. By using access data within a digital access element, appropriate authorization and authentication are required to access the data contained in the set, thus enabling the data owner to maintain control over the digital twin.This makes it possible to openly share the contents of a digital access element, for example, on a public web platform, without having to disclose the digital twin or part thereof associated with the digital access element via a decentralized identifier. Thus, transparency about existing digital access elements can be provided while ensuring the necessary level of confidentiality of the data contained in the digital twin associated with the digital access element.

[0081] In one embodiment of a method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, the access data includes a digital representation that points to at least one digital twin dataset associated with the digital twin. The access data may further include a digital twin dataset identifier associated with the digital twin dataset contained in the digital twin. The digital twin dataset identifier may be one or more universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) or one or more decentralized identifiers (DIDs). The digital twin dataset identifier may be requested from an ID generator before providing the generated digital twin to a decentralized data delivery network node. The digital twin dataset identifier may be obtained from the digital twin. The digital twin dataset identifier may be obtained from a digital access element, such as a DID document, which is generated at the time of digital twin generation, as described below. The digital representation may be indirectly associated with a database that stores the digital twin dataset and is associated with or accessible by the data owner associated with the digital twin dataset. This may enhance security. The digital representation that points to at least one digital twin dataset may include an endpoint for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoint) or an endpoint for service interaction (service endpoint), which is uniquely identified via a communication protocol, as described above. Therefore, a digital representation pointing to at least one digital twin dataset can be uniquely associated with a decentralized identifier. A digital representation pointing to at least one digital twin dataset can be considered a locator indicating the location or dedicated data storage where each digital twin dataset is stored.

[0082] In one embodiment of a method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, a request providing a decentralized access element identifier associated with the digital twin may include, as described above, a product identifier and / or owner identifier and / or access data. The request may be generated by a requester, as described above.

[0083] In one embodiment of a method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, providing a decentralized access element identifier may include obtaining a decentralized digital twin identifier contained in the digital twin and providing the obtained decentralized digital twin identifier. This may enable the generation of further decentralized identifiers and avoid linking such further decentralized identifiers with the decentralized digital twin identifiers contained in the digital twin. For example, a DID or UUID contained in the digital twin may be obtained and provided as a decentralized access element identifier.

[0084] In another embodiment of a method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, providing a decentralized access element identifier may include generating and providing a further decentralized identifier. In this case, a request may be received by a decentralized ID generator, which may generate a further decentralized identifier upon request. The generated further decentralized identifier may be provided to a decentralized identifier provider. The decentralized identifier provider may provide the further decentralized identifier to an assigner configured to assign the further decentralized identifier to a physical identifier associated with a chemical product, for example, by generating a code that embeds the decentralized identifier. This enables linking the digital access element to the chemical product. The assigner may also be configured to link the received further decentralized identifier to a decentralized digital twin identifier included in the digital twin. The decentralized identifier provider may provide the further decentralized identifier to a digital access element generator configured to generate a digital access element containing the received further decentralized identifier and access data. The further decentralized identifier may be a DID, as described above. Using additional decentralized identifiers (separate from the decentralized identifier of the digital twin) allows for the use of different access schemes associated with different decentralized identifiers. For example, the decentralized digital twin identifier included in the digital twin may be a UUID, and the additional decentralized identifier required when generating the digital access element may be a DID. Using a DID makes it possible to obtain the digital representation pointing to the digital twin dataset of the digital twin, as well as the chemical product dataset identifier, via the DID document associated with the DID. Therefore, only the DID needs to be provided to the chemical product consumer so that the DID enables the retrieval of the associated DID document. The chemical product consumer can then retrieve the associated DID document and determine the digital representation and the digital twin dataset identifier.Each digital twin set associated with a DID can be accessed via a decentralized data consumption network node using the DID, the digital twin dataset identifier, and the respective digital representation contained in the DID document. Using different access schemes can improve security for accessing chemical product datasets contained within the digital twin.

[0085] In one embodiment of a method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, a digital access element is generated for each digital twin dataset included in the digital twin. This allows for finer granularity in accessing data such as the complete data, digital twin datasets, and other data included in the digital twin, and avoids the need to obtain the complete data of the digital twin whenever only a portion of the digital twin, such as one or more digital twin datasets, is provided through a data delivery service.

[0086] By using digital access elements, it is possible to separate external endpoint addresses, such as endpoint addresses associated with a decentralized data delivery network node, from internal endpoint addresses, such as endpoint addresses associated with a database storing digital twins of chemical products. This improves data security and prevents unnecessary data access to internal endpoints, as only external endpoints, decentralized identifiers, and digital twin dataset identifiers are provided to external parties, such as data consumption services. Therefore, by using digital access elements, it is possible to share digital twins of chemical products, or portions thereof, in a secure and reliable manner within a decentralized network, under the control of the digital twin data owner.

[0087] Brief explanation of the drawing The present disclosure will be further described below with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings and in this disclosure refer to the same or similar elements, components, and / or parts. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0088] [Figure 1A] This figure shows an exemplary embodiment of a centralized computing environment (Figure 1A). [Figure 1B] This figure shows an exemplary embodiment of a decentralized computing environment (Figure 1B). [Figure 1C] This figure shows an exemplary embodiment of a distributed computing environment (Figure 1C). [Figure 2A] This figure shows an example of chemical production controlled by an operational system, which includes equipment for generating digital twins and equipment for optionally generating chemical product passports. [Figure 2B] This figure shows an example of chemical production controlled by an operational system to provide chemical products associated with a digital twin. [Figure 2C] This figure illustrates another example of chemical production controlled by an operational system to provide chemical products associated with a digital twin. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a production system that provides chemical products associated with one or more digital twins. [Figure 4A] This figure shows an exemplary apparatus for generating a digital twin of the physical entity of a chemical product. [Figure 4B] This figure shows an example of a layered system for generating a digital twin of the physical entities of chemical products. [Figure 5] This figure shows an exemplary system and related methods for generating digital twins associated with chemical products produced by chemical manufacturing and providing access to the generated digital twins. [Figure 6]This figure shows an example of a method for generating a digital twin of the physical entity of a chemical product using at least two different embodiment models. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart of a method for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart of a method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of an apparatus and related method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product produced by chemical manufacturing. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of digital access elements, including DID owner data, DID document data, and a decentralized identity information infrastructure. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of digital access elements, including certificate-based data, ID-based chemical product passport data, and a decentralized identification infrastructure. [Figure 12A] This figure shows the first example of a link between a digital twin via a decentralized digital twin identifier, the associated digital twin dataset, and a digital access element. [Figure 12B] This figure shows a second example of a link between a digital twin via a decentralized digital twin identifier, the associated digital twin dataset, and a digital access element. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram illustrating how to provide access to a digital twin or a portion thereof associated with a chemical product, using decentralized data consumption network nodes associated with data users, via decentralized data provision network nodes associated with data owners. [Figure 14A] This figure shows an example of an authentication protocol between a decentralized data consumption network node and a decentralized data provision network node. [Figure 14B]This figure shows an example of an authentication protocol between a decentralized data consumption network node and a decentralized data provision network node. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0089] Detailed explanation The following embodiments are merely examples of, and should not be considered as limiting, to, the implementation of the methods, apparatus, systems, digital twins, or chemical product passports disclosed herein.

[0090] Figures 1A to 1C illustrate different computing environments: centralized, decentralized, and distributed. The methods, apparatus, systems, digital twins, chemical product passports, uses, and computer elements of this disclosure may be implemented in a decentralized or at least partially decentralized computing environment. Different challenges exist, particularly in data sharing or exchange within multi-stakeholder ecosystems. Data sovereignty may be considered a core issue. Data sovereignty can be defined as the ability of a natural or legal person to make holistic self-determining decisions regarding its own data. To enable this, certain capability-related aspects, including requirements for secure and reliable data exchange within business ecosystems, may be implemented across the chemical value chain. In particular, the chemical industry needs solutions adapted to deliver chemical products in a more sustainable manner by using digital ecosystems.

[0091] Figure 1A shows an exemplary embodiment of a centralized computing system 100a, which includes a centralized computing node (a solid circle in the center) and several peripheral computing nodes 101.1 to 101.N (shown as peripheral solid circles). The computing system may include one or more computing nodes, a system of nodes, or a combination thereof.

[0092] In this example, peripheral computing nodes 101.1 to 101.N may be connected to a single centralized computing system (or server). In another example, peripheral computing nodes 101.1 to 101.N may be attached to a centralized computing node, for example, via a terminal server (not shown). Most of the functions may be performed by or obtained from the centralized computing node (also called a remote centralized location). One peripheral computing node 101.N is enlarged to provide an overview of the elements present in the peripheral computing nodes. The centralized computing node may contain the same components as those described with respect to peripheral computing node 101.N. Each computing node 101, 101.1 to 101.N may comprise at least one hardware processor 102 and memory 104.

[0093] Computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N may contain program code that is schematically represented as a plurality of structures 106. These plurality of structures 106 may be called executable components, executable instructions, computer executable instructions, or instructions. An executable component or any equivalent thereof may be the name of a structure that is well understood by those skilled in the art as being software, hardware, or a combination thereof, or a structure that can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, when implemented in software, those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of an executable component includes software objects, routines, methods, etc., that are executed on computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N, whether such executable components reside on many computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N, or whether the executable component resides on a computer-readable storage medium. In such cases, a person skilled in the art will understand that the structure of the executable component exists in a computer-readable medium so that, when interpreted by one or more processors of computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N (for example, by processor threads), computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N can perform functions. Such a structure may be directly computer-readable by the processor (as is the case if the executable component is a binary). Alternatively, the structure may be structured to be interpretable and / or compiled (whether in one or multiple stages) to produce a binary that can be directly translated by the processor. Such an exemplary understanding of the structure of an executable component is well within the scope of understanding of a person skilled in the art of computing. Examples of executable components implemented in hardware include hardcoded or hardwired logic gates that are exclusively or nearly exclusively implemented in hardware, such as in field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other dedicated circuits.In this description, terms such as component, agent, manager, service, engine, module, and virtual machine are used synonymously with executable components.

[0094] The processor 102 of each computing node 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N may instruct the operation of each computing node 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N in response to executing computer executable instructions that constitute an executable component. For example, such computer executable instructions may be embodied in one or more computer-readable media that form a computer program product. Computer executable instructions may be stored in the memory 104 of each computing node 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N. Computer executable instructions include instructions and data that, when executed by processor 101, cause a general-purpose computing node 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N, a dedicated computing node 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N, or a dedicated processing device to perform a specific function or set of functions. Alternatively, or additionally, computer executable instructions may be configured to perform specific functions or sets of functions on computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N. Computer executable instructions may be binaries or instructions that undergo some translation (such as compilation) before being directly executed by the processor, such as assembly language or even intermediate format instructions such as source code.

[0095] Each computing node 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N may include a communication channel 108 that enables each computing node 101.1, ..., 101.N to communicate with the central computing node 101, for example, a network that enables the transfer of electronic data between computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N and / or modules and / or other electronic devices. When information is transferred to or provided to computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N via the network or another communication connection (either hard wired, wireless, or a combination of hard wired and wireless), computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N may consider the connection as a transmission medium. The transmission medium may include a network and / or data link that can be used to carry desired program code means in the form of computer executable instructions or data structures and can be accessed by general-purpose or dedicated computing nodes 101, 101.1, ..., 101.N. The above combinations may also fall within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0096] Computing nodes 101, 101.1 to 101.N may further comprise a user interface system 110 used for interface with a user. The user interface system 110 may include an output mechanism 110A and an input mechanism 110B. The principles described herein are not limited to a precise output mechanism 110A or input mechanism 110B, for such a thing would depend on the nature of the device. However, an output mechanism 110A may include, for example, a display, speaker, haptic output, hologram, etc. Examples of an input mechanism 110B include, for example, a microphone, touchscreen, hologram, camera, keyboard, mouse or other pointer input, any type of sensor, etc.

[0097] Figure 1B shows an exemplary embodiment of a decentralized computing environment 100b having several computing nodes 101.1' to 101.N', shown as solid circles. In contrast to the centralized computing environment 100a shown in Figure 1A, the computing nodes 101.1' to 101.N' in the decentralized computing environment are not connected to the centralized computing node and are therefore not under its control. Instead, both hardware and software resources can be allocated to each individual computing node 101.1', ..., 101.N' (local or remote computing system), and data can be distributed among the various computing nodes 101.1', ..., 101.N' for task execution. Thus, in a decentralized system environment, program modules can reside on both local and remote memory storage devices. A magnified view of one computing node 101.N' provides an overview of the components present in computing node 101.N'. In this example, computing node 101.N' has the same components as those described in relation to Figure 1A.

[0098] Figure 1C shows an exemplary embodiment of a distributed computing environment 100c. In this example, the distributed cloud computing environment 100c may include the following computing resources: a mobile device 114, an application 116, a database 118, data storage 120, and a server 122. The cloud computing environment 100c may be deployed as a public cloud 124, a private cloud 126, or a hybrid cloud 128. The private cloud 126 may be owned by an organization, and only members of the organization with appropriate access may use the private cloud 126, keeping the data within the private cloud at least confidential. In contrast, data stored in the public cloud 124 may be open to anyone via the internet. The hybrid cloud 128 may be a combination of the private cloud 124 and the public cloud 126, where some data may be kept confidential while other data may be made public.

[0099] Figure 2A shows an example of a chemical production 204 that produces one or more chemical products from one or more input materials 202, in relation to an operational system 208 that includes a digital twin management system. The operational system 208 may be used to operate the chemical production 204, for example, by managing different production chains present within the chemical production. Different chemical materials 202 (hereinafter also referred to as input materials 202) may be provided as physical inputs from a material provider or supplier in order to produce one or more chemical products 206. Physical inputs to the chemical production 204 may include chemical materials such as raw materials, intermediate materials, or combinations thereof. Raw materials may be raw materials or recycled raw materials. Input materials 202 may be supplied to the chemical production 204 at any entry point. Input materials 202 may be supplied to the chemical production 204 at the start of the chemical production 204. Input materials may be considered as inputs to the chemical production 204.

[0100] Chemical production 204 can be a chemical production network that includes multiple interconnected processing steps. A chemical production network can be an integrated chemical production network having production chains that relate to one another. A chemical production network can include multiple different production chains that share at least one intermediate. A chemical production network can include multiple stages of a chemical value chain. A chemical production network can include multiple production chains that produce a chemical product as output from one or more input materials as inputs. A chemical production network can include multiple layers of a chemical value chain. A chemical production network can include an arrangement of physically interconnected production sites. Production sites can be in the same location or in different locations. In the latter case, production sites can be interconnected by dedicated transport systems such as pipelines, supply chain vehicles such as trucks, supply chain ships, or other means of freight transport.

[0101] Chemical production 204 may include multiple production steps. The production steps included in chemical production 204 may be defined by the system boundary of chemical production 204. The system boundary may be defined by locations or controls across the production process. The system boundary may be defined by the sites of chemical production 204. The system boundary may be defined by a production process jointly controlled by one or more entities. The system boundary may be defined by a value chain with time-delayed production processes to the final product, and these processes may be independently controlled by multiple entities.

[0102] Chemical production 204 can convert input materials 202 into one or more chemical products 206 that exit chemical production 204. The conversion may be carried out via intermediate products. The conversion may be a chemical reaction or any other processing step, such as a physical treatment. Since the yield of a chemical reaction may be less than 100%, the chemical reaction may result in a mixture of different chemical products. Thus, a chemical reaction of one or more starting materials, such as input materials 202, may result in a mixture of different chemical products. Thus, a chemical reaction may be characterized by a one-to-many or many-to-many relationship between the starting materials and the resulting reaction products. This is in contrast to discrete manufacturing, where a many-to-one relationship exists between parts / components and the assembly, for example, the result of a discrete manufacturing step is a specific and predictable assembly. Since the yield of a chemical reaction is not 100%, the amount of the desired chemical product 206 (e.g., a chemical product supplied to an upstream participant in a chemical ecosystem) is less than the theoretical amount of the chemical product calculated from the amount of starting materials. Such a mixture typically requires the separation of the different chemical products contained in the mixture. This makes it possible to avoid the adverse effects of impurities and unreacted input materials 202 on further processing of the chemical product 206. Separation may include distillation, washing, extraction, crystallization, and recrystallization. The resulting mixture may contain unreacted starting materials, such as unreacted input materials 202. Unreacted starting materials may be reintroduced into the chemical reaction to reduce the amount of starting materials required. The resulting mixture may contain the desired chemical product 206 supplied to upstream participants in the chemical ecosystem, such as chemical product consumers or chemical product processors. The resulting mixture may contain intermediate chemical products used as input materials in further chemical reactions carried out within the chemical production 204. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of waste associated with the disposal of the intermediate chemical products, and / or the amount of energy associated with transporting these intermediate products to another chemical production. The resulting mixture may contain waste chemical products, such as chemical products that can no longer be used and need to be disposed of, for example, by incineration. Waste chemical products may be generated from undesirable chemical side reactions.

[0103] The chemical production system 204 may be equipped with a plurality of sensors 210a, 210b. Sensors 210a, 210b may measure at least one chemical and / or physical property of the chemical product 206 produced by the chemical production system 204. Sensors 210a, 210b may measure at least one chemical and / or physical property of the input material 202 supplied to the chemical production system 204. Sensors 210a, 210b may include a sensor 2010b configured to determine the amount of input material 202 and / or the chemical product produced. Examples of such sensors may include measuring instruments or flow meters. Sensors 210a, 210b may include a sensor 210a configured to measure at least one chemical and / or physical property of the input material 202. Measuring the chemical and / or physical properties of the input material 202 allows for control of the production process based on the measurement data. Sensors 210a and 210b may include sensor 210a configured to determine the chemical and / or physical properties of the produced chemical product 206. Sensor 210a configured to measure chemical properties may measure data associated with or corresponding to combustion heat, formation enthalpy, toxicity, chemical stability in a given environment, flammability, oxidation state, corrosiveness, acidity and basicity, and pH value. Sensor 210a configured to measure physical properties may measure data associated with or corresponding to absorption, brittleness, boiling point, capacitance, color, concentration, density, ductility, distribution, effectiveness, elasticity, charge, conductivity, electrical impedance, potential, flow rate, fluidity, hardness, heat capacity, inductance, intrinsic impedance, brightness, luminescence, gloss, mass, melting point, opacity, transmittance, dielectric constant, plasticity, pressure, radiance, resistivity, reflectance, refractive index, solubility, specific heat, strength, stiffness, temperature, tension, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, viscosity, volume, and wave impedance. The data measured by sensors 210a and 210b may be stored in one or more databases, for example, a database included in the data source layer 420 in Figure 4B. These databases may be distributed databases. The stored data may be correlated with input material identifiers and / or chemical product identifiers, respectively.

[0104] The chemical production operation system 208 may monitor and / or control the chemical production 204 based on operational parameters associated with different processes performed by the chemical production 204. One of the monitored and / or controlled processing steps may be the supply of input materials 202 or the release of the produced chemical product 206. Another monitored and / or controlled processing step may be the separation of chemical products contained in the mixture resulting from the chemical reactions performed within the chemical production 204. Another monitored and / or controlled processing step may be the determination of the chemical and / or physical properties of the produced chemical product 206 from data collected in connection with the production of the chemical product, such as data measured by sensors 210a, 210b, before, during, and / or after the production of the chemical product 206. Another monitored and / or controlled processing step may be the generation of a digital twin using equipment for generating a digital twin, such as the equipment and systems described in relation to Figures 4A to 4C. A further monitoring and / or controlled processing step may be providing the generated digital twin to a decentralized data-providing network node for access by a decentralized data-consuming network node, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 5. Another further monitoring and / or controlled processing step may be the generation of a digital access element associated with the digital twin of the produced chemical product, using an apparatus for generating digital access elements, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 10.

[0105] The operating system 208 may be configured to determine the physical and / or chemical properties of a chemical product from collected data associated with the production of the chemical product. The operating system 208 may be configured to generate a digital twin of the chemical product, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A and 7. The operating system 208 may be configured to generate digital access elements, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A, 8, and 9.

[0106] Figure 2B shows another example of a chemical production 204 controlled by an operating system 208 to produce chemical products associated with a digital twin and optionally with a digitally accessible element.

[0107] The processing steps described in relation to Figure 2A may be performed in interaction with the requester, ID assigner, and apparatus for generating a digital twin of the chemical product 212 via the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204. The operating system 208 may further interact with apparatus for generating a digital access element (not shown). In this embodiment, the operating system 208 may be communicably connected to the chemical production 204 and may include the requester, ID assigner, and apparatus for generating a digital twin of the chemical product 212.

[0108] An apparatus for generating a digital twin of a chemical product may include a data acquisition unit 412 configured to collect data associated with the chemical product from a chemical production 204 (see, for example, Figures 4A and 5). The data associated with the chemical product may include at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product. The apparatus for generating a digital twin may further include a decentralized ID generator 420 and a decentralized ID provider 506 configured to generate decentralized digital twin identifiers and provide the generated decentralized identifiers (see, for example, Figures 4A and 5). The apparatus for generating a digital twin of a chemical product may further include an embodiment agent 414 configured to receive at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product and to generate a digital twin dataset (for each received embodiment model) from data associated with the chemical product and collected by the data acquisition unit according to the received embodiment model, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A to 7. The apparatus for generating a digital twin may further include a digital twin generator 418 configured to generate a digital twin, which includes a decentralized digital twin identifier and at least a portion of a digital twin dataset as described in relation to Figures 4A to 7. At least one digital twin dataset included in the digital twin may include at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of a chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product. The apparatus for generating a digital twin may further include a digital twin provider 424, such as a decentralized data providing network node of a decentralized network, configured to provide the digital twin or a portion thereof, such as one or a digital twin product dataset included in the digital twin, to decentralized data consumption network nodes (not shown, see, for example, Figure 5).Decentralized data consumption network nodes can be associated with consumers of chemical products (see, for example, Figure 13).

[0109] The requester may be configured to generate a request to generate a digital twin. The request may include data related to the chemical product, such as batch number, lot number, and / or chemical product ID, as well as data related to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product, as described above. The request may be received in the data acquisition unit 412 of the apparatus for generating the digital twin, which may, upon request, initiate the generation of the digital twin by collecting data associated with the chemical product. The request may be received in the digital twin generator 418 of the apparatus for generating the digital twin, which may, upon request, initiate the collection of data associated with the chemical product by the data acquisition unit 414. The requester may be further configured to generate a request to generate a digital access element. The request may include owner identifiers and / or product identifiers and / or access data, as described above. The request may be received in the apparatus for generating the digital access element. The apparatus for generating the digital access element may be configured to obtain a decentralized digital twin identifier included in the digital twin, or to generate further decentralized identifiers. Further decentralized identifiers obtained or generated may be provided to a digital access element generator of the device, which is configured to generate digital access elements.

[0110] The ID assigner may be configured to assign decentralized digital twin identifiers and / or decentralized access element identifiers associated with the digital twin, and related information, to the physical identifiers of the produced chemical products, as described in relation to Figure 3. For example, the ID assigner may generate physical identifiers embedded with decentralized digital twin identifiers and / or digital access element identifiers, and provide these physical identifiers to labeling devices.

[0111] ID assigners, requesters, devices for generating digital twins, and / or devices for generating digital access elements may be configured as decentralized services or applications that run over a decentralized network.

[0112] Figure 2C shows another example of a chemical production 204 controlled by an operating system 208 to produce chemical products associated with a digital twin and optionally with a digitally accessible element.

[0113] The processing steps described in relation to Figure 2A may be performed in interaction with a requester, an ID assigner, and a device for generating a digital twin of a chemical product via the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204. The operating system 208 may further interact with a device for generating a digital access element (not shown). In this embodiment, the operating system 208 may be communicatively connected to the chemical production 204 and may include a requester and an ID assigner 214. The operating system 208 may be communicatively connected to a device for generating a digital twin 216.

[0114] The apparatus for generating the digital twin 216 may include a data acquisition unit 412, an embodiment agent 414, a decentralized ID generator 420 and a decentralized ID provider 506, a digital twin generator 418, and a digital twin provider 424, as described in relation to Figures 2B and 4A.

[0115] The requester may be configured to generate requests for generating a digital twin, as described in relation to Figure 2B. The requester may be further configured to generate requests for generating digital access elements, as described in relation to Figure 2B.

[0116] The ID assigner may be configured to assign decentralized digital twin identifiers and / or decentralized access element identifiers and related information to the physical identifiers of the produced chemical products, as described in relation to Figures 2B and 3. The requester, ID assigner, apparatus for generating digital twins of chemical products, and / or apparatus for generating digital access elements may be configured as decentralized services or applications executed over a decentralized network.

[0117] Figures 2B and 2C show only two exemplary embodiments, and any combination of the system components shown in Figures 2B and 2C is possible. For example, the requester may be configured as part of the operating system 208, while the ID assigner may not be configured as part of the operating system 208.

[0118] Figure 3 shows an example of generating digital twins of different chemical products in a chemical ecosystem. Specifically, Figure 3 shows an example of generating a digital twin of a precursor material (e.g., an intermediate chemical product) and a digital twin of a chemical product produced at least partially from the precursor material. Chemical products such as chemical product 206 may be produced by a chemical production 204 equipped with an operating system 208, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 2A-2C.

[0119] The production of a chemical product may include a two-step process, namely, 1) the production of an intermediate chemical product from one or more input materials, and 2) the production of a chemical product from at least part of the intermediate chemical product. Input materials may be used as physical inputs to produce the intermediate chemical product. Input materials may be provided by a raw material provider. Input materials may include raw or recycled materials. Input materials may be provided to the production of the intermediate chemical product as input material 202. The production of the intermediate chemical product may be a chemical production 204 as described in relation to Figures 2A-2C. Input materials may include physical identifiers. Physical identifiers may be or may be associated with distributed input material identifiers. Decentralized input material identifiers may be associated with digital twins of input materials. An operating system for the production of the intermediate chemical product, such as the operating system 208 described in relation to Figures 2A-2C, may include or may communicate with an ID reader configured to read physical identifiers and determine distributed input material identifiers associated with the physical identifiers. Distributed input material identifiers may be associated with digital twins or parts thereof of each input material. A digital twin of an input material may be generated as described in relation to Figure 7 below. The digital twin may include measured physical and / or chemical properties, as well as / or physical and / or chemical properties, determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the input material. Physical and / or chemical properties may be measured using sensors, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. Physical and / or chemical properties may be determined from collected data, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. The digital twin may further include the input material name, input material producer, input material declaration data, input material safety data, emission data, recycling content data, bio-based content data, certificates of analytical data associated with the input material, certificates associated with the input material, or a combination thereof.

[0120] The operating system may be configured to access a digital twin or a portion thereof of the input materials provided to the intermediate chemical production from, for example, a decentralized data provision network node associated with the input material provider (see, for example, Figure 13), based on the determined distributed input material identifier. Such data may be used to operate the chemical production that produces the intermediate chemical. For example, if the input material is recycled material, a production step of refining the recycled material may be performed. For example, if the input material is raw material, the refining step may be omitted. Intermediate chemicals may be formed by chemically reacting the input materials and / or by physically processing the input materials. Chemical reactions may include polymerization, precipitation, and other commonly known chemical reactions. Physical processing may include mixing, grinding, extrusion, etc. Intermediate chemical production may include sensors such as sensors 210a, 210b that measure the physical and / or chemical properties of the intermediate chemical produced by the intermediate chemical production, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. The operating system may be configured to determine the physical and / or chemical properties from collected data associated with the production of intermediate chemical products, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C, for example.

[0121] The operating system may be configured to generate digital twins of the produced intermediate chemical products, as described in relation to Figure 7 below. Each digital twin may include a decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier, and at least one chemical and / or physical property of each intermediate chemical product measured by sensors 210a, 210b, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property of each intermediate chemical product determined from the collected data. The digital twin may further include a decentralized input material identifier for the input materials used to produce each intermediate chemical product. This makes it possible to track the input materials used to produce each intermediate chemical product. The digital twin may further include the data described above in relation to the digital twin of the input materials. Intermediate chemical product digital access elements may be generated, for example, as described in relation to Figures 8 and 9. The produced intermediate chemical products may be packaged, and the packaging may include a physical identifier such as a QR code, an embossed code, or an optical holographic code (such as zero-order diffraction microstructure). The physical identifier may be assigned to each decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier of the digital twin, and / or each decentralized passport identifier of the intermediate chemical product digital access element. The assignment of physical identifiers and decentralized intermediate chemical product identifiers can be performed in decentralized and / or distributed systems through locally operating ID assigners. For example, a packaging line may have a labeling device that detects the packaging of the intermediate chemical product produced. Based on such recognition, a requester may generate a request to generate a digital twin, and each decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier included in the generated digital twin is assigned to its respective physical identifier by, for example, an ID assigner (see also Figures 7A and 7B below). Assignment may include encoding each decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier in the physical identifier and providing the physical identifier, such as a code, to a labeling device configured to attach the physical identifier to each intermediate chemical product, such as the packaging of each intermediate chemical product. The ID assigner may be part of the labeling device or a separate device.

[0122] In the second step, the intermediate chemical products produced in step 1) may be provided to a chemical production as input material 202 to produce chemical product 206. The chemical production may be chemical production 204, as described in relation to Figures 2A-2C. The chemical production may be a chemical production that produces intermediate chemical products. The chemical production may be different from a chemical production that produces intermediate chemical products. In addition to the intermediate chemical products produced in step 1), further input materials may be provided to the chemical production and used to produce chemical product 206. The intermediate chemical products may include recycled intermediate chemical products and / or intermediate chemical products produced by intermediate chemical production different from the intermediate chemical production described in relation to step 1). Such intermediate chemical products may be associated with a physical identifier. The physical identifier may be associated with a decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier, through which a digital twin or part thereof of each intermediate chemical product may be accessible. An ID reader may be used to read the physical identifier associated with each decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier, as described above. A digital twin, or a portion thereof, can be obtained via a decentralized data consumption network node using a decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier, as described above.

[0123] Production data from the production of intermediate chemical products may be used by an operating system, such as the operating system 208 described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C, for the chemical production that produces the chemical product 206, as described above. The chemical production may include sensors, such as sensors 210a and 210b, that measure the physical and / or chemical properties of the chemical product produced by the chemical production, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. The operating system may be configured to determine the physical and / or chemical properties from the collected data associated with the production of the chemical product, for example, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C.

[0124] The operating system may be configured to generate a digital twin of a manufactured or packaged chemical product, as described above. The digital twin may include a decentralized chemical product identifier, as well as at least one measured and / or determined physical and / or chemical property, as outlined above. The digital twin may also include a decentralized intermediate chemical product identifier, which allows tracking of intermediate chemicals used to produce the chemical product, and also, indirectly, the input materials used to produce the intermediate chemical product. The digital twin may include further data, as outlined above, such as producer name, producer brand, producer identifier, chemical product name, chemical product brand, and chemical product identifier.

[0125] Digital access elements associated with chemical products can be generated, for example, as described in relation to Figures 9 and 10. Decentralized chemical product identifiers and / or digital access elements can be associated with chemical products via physical identifiers, as described above. Digital access elements may include decentralized access element identifiers and access data. Access data may include digital representations pointing to a digital twin or a portion thereof. Decentralized access element identifiers may correspond to or be associated with decentralized chemical product identifiers.

[0126] Figure 4A shows an exemplary apparatus 402 for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product. The apparatus may be a decentralized participant node in a decentralized network. The apparatus 402 may be included in an operating system 208 of a chemical production 204 that produces a chemical product from one or more input materials (see, for example, Figures 2A and 2B). The apparatus 402 may be communicatively coupled to the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204 that produces the chemical product (see Figure 2C). The apparatus 402 may be configured to generate a digital twin of a chemical product using, for example, the method described in relation to Figure 7.

[0127] The apparatus 402 may be coupled to a data source layer 404 comprising one or more distributed data sources 402, 406, 408. The apparatus 402 may also comprise a data source layer 404 (not shown). One or more distributed data sources may be distributed databases. A distributed data source may be a data lake containing data associated with chemical products from multiple distributed data sources. In this example, the data source layer 404 includes three distributed data sources. However, the data source layer 404 may also include fewer or more distributed data sources. One or more distributed data sources may contain data associated with chemical products, such as chemical products produced by chemical production 204 from one or more input materials 202, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 3. The data associated with chemical products may include at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of each chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of each chemical product. At least one physical and / or chemical property may be measured using sensors such as sensors 210a, 210b, and the measured chemical and / or physical property may be stored in a distributed data source. At least one physical and / or chemical property may be determined from data acquired from sensors such as sensors 210a, 210b before, during, and / or after production, and the determined chemical and / or physical property may be stored in a distributed data source. One or more distributed data sources may further include chemical product names, chemical product producers, chemical product declaration data, chemical product safety data, emission data, recycling content data, bio-based content data, certificates of analytical data associated with chemical products, certificates associated with chemical products, or a combination thereof.

[0128] Data associated with chemical products may be acquired before, during, and / or after the production of chemical product 206. Acquired data may be provided to the data source layer 404 for storage. The data source layer 404 may be owned or controlled by the data owner of the data associated with the chemical product data. The data source layer 404 may be associated with the data owner of the data associated with the chemical product data. At least one of the distributed data sources may include a data instance associated with chemical product 206, configured such that the device 402 generates a digital twin. At least one data instance may include at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product. The data source layer 404 may be connected to the data acquisition unit 412, for example, via a communication interface such as a network or API. The data source layer 404 may be connected directly to the data acquisition unit 412, or to a further layer existing between the data source layer and the data acquisition unit 412 (not shown, see, for example, Figure 4B).

[0129] The data acquisition unit 412 may be configured to receive requests to generate a digital twin associated with a chemical product 206 produced by chemical production 204. The requests may include data related to the chemical product and data related to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. The data related to the chemical product may include a chemical product identifier associated with the produced chemical product 206, such as a batch number, lot number, ID, or a combination thereof. The data related to at least one embodiment model may include an embodiment model identifier. Based on the received data related to the chemical product, the data acquisition unit 412 may be configured to collect data associated with the chemical product from the data source layer 404. For example, a chemical product identifier may be received along with a request such as a batch number, and the received chemical product identifier may be used to collect data associated with the chemical product identifier. In another example, a chemical product identifier may be received and used to determine further chemical product identifiers, such as a chemical product number, lot number, or batch number. These further chemical product identifiers may then be used to collect data associated with the chemical product based on the determined further chemical product identifiers. In yet another example, a chemical product identifier may be received from a user via an input / output device 426. The input / output device 426 may be connected to the data acquisition unit 412 via a communication interface such as a network, and may be configured to display a graphical user interface that displays chemical product data associated with a chemical product, such as the chemical product name and associated chemical product identifier. The input / output device 426 or the data acquisition unit 412 may be configured to detect user input indicating a selection of chemical product data associated with a chemical product. In response to the detected user input, the data acquisition unit 412 may be configured to collect data associated with the chemical product based on the detected user input.

[0130] The data acquisition unit 412 may be configured to determine, upon receiving a request to generate a digital twin, whether a digital twin associated with the chemical product is already contained in the digital twin (DT) storage 422. For example, the data acquisition device 412 may use the chemical product identifier contained in the received request to determine whether a digital twin associated with the chemical product identifier is already contained in the DT storage 422. This avoids generating a digital twin for a chemical product for which a digital twin already exists in the DT storage 422 (e.g., a digital twin has already been generated previously).

[0131] The apparatus 402 may further include a digital twin generator 418 configured to generate a digital twin that includes a decentralized digital twin identifier, such as a decentralized digital twin identifier provided by a decentralized ID generator 420, and one or more digital twin datasets, such as a digital twin dataset generated by an embodiment agent 414. The decentralized identifier may include one or more DIDs and / or one or more UUIDs. One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be associated with digital twin datasets and / or digital twin datasets included in the digital twin. One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may further be associated with chemical products. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to generate a digital twin in accordance with the method described in relation to Figures 5 and 7. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to request a decentralized digital twin identifier. The request may include at least one authentication mechanism, or may include selecting at least one of a plurality of authentication mechanisms. The request may include an owner identifier and / or a chemical product identifier and / or access data. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to generate access data. Access data may include a digital representation pointing to a digital twin dataset. Access data may further include a chemical product dataset identifier. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to assign decentralized digital twin identifiers received from the decentralized ID generator 420 to at least a portion of the digital twin datasets generated by the mode agent 414. For example, the digital twin generator 418 may assign chemical product identifiers included in at least a portion of the digital twin datasets to the received decentralized digital twin identifiers, such that at least a portion of the digital twin datasets of chemical products are associated with decentralized digital twin identifiers.Assigning may involve associating a decentralized digital twin identifier with a digital twin dataset associated with a chemical product and stored in DT storage 422, for example, at least a portion of a digital twin dataset stored in DT storage 422 by the mode agent 414, as outlined below. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to assign a decentralized digital twin identifier received from the decentralized ID generator 420 to a digital twin dataset identifier associated with at least a portion of a digital twin dataset generated by the mode agent 414. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to provide the generated digital twin or a portion thereof (for example, a digital twin dataset, also referred to below as a digital twin asset or mode) to the digital twin provider 424. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to provide the decentralized digital twin identifier and access data associated with the digital twin to the digital twin provider 424. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to provide the access rules associated with each digital twin or each digital twin dataset to the digital twin provider 424, as described below.

[0132] The device 402 may further comprise a decentralized ID generator 420 configured to generate and provide decentralized digital twin identifiers associated with chemical products and, optionally, data associated with data owners (such as data owners of data associated with chemical products). The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate digital twin dataset identifiers (separate from decentralized digital twin identifiers). The decentralized ID generator 420 may be communicatively coupled to the device 402, and for example, the device 402 may not include the decentralized ID generator 418 (not shown). Decentralized digital twin identifiers may further be associated with data owners of digital twin datasets, such as data associated with chemical products and / or entities operating chemical production. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be a centralized or decentralized network node configured to generate decentralized IDs, such as DIDs or UUIDv4, as described in relation to Figures 10 and 11. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be a computing node that functions as a management module for DID owners, a user agent, an ID hub, and / or a certificate issuer. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to receive requests for decentralized digital twin identifiers associated with data associated with chemical products collected by the data acquisition unit 412 and optionally by the data owner. The requests may include at least one authentication mechanism, or may include selecting at least one of a plurality of authentication mechanisms. The requests may include, as described above, owner identifiers and / or chemical product identifiers and / or access data. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate decentralized digital twin identifiers and data associated with authentication mechanisms, and to provide the generated decentralized digital twin identifiers and data associated with authentication mechanisms to the digital twin generator 418.

[0133] The morphology agent 414 may be configured to retrieve at least one morphology model from a morphology model database 416 connected to the morphology agent 414 via a communication interface (based on data related to at least one morphology model included in the received request). Each morphology model may include the structure of at least a portion of the digital twin dataset and / or the characteristics of the digital twin dataset. The morphology model database 416 may include morphology models related to environmental attributes associated with chemical products. Environmental attributes may relate to emission data such as CO2 footprint data, recyclable contents, bio-based contents, renewable contents, certificates, or a combination thereof.

[0134] The morphology agent 414 may be configured to use a predefined morphology model identifier associated with an available morphology model. Using different morphology models makes it possible to generate different digital twin datasets containing different data associated with chemical products. Different digital twin datasets allow data owners to structure the data associated with chemical products included in the digital twin at a higher granularity, and thus control access and define access to said data at a higher granularity. For example, a digital twin dataset containing access-restricted data, such as environmental characteristics or data related to the composition of a chemical product, may be associated with an access policy that strictly restricts access to said digital twin dataset, while a digital twin dataset containing data required from a regulatory standpoint may not be associated with an access policy, or may be associated with an access policy that does not strictly permit access to said data.

[0135] The morphology agent 414 may be configured to generate a digital twin dataset associated with a chemical product (for each acquired morphology model) by applying each acquired morphology model to the collected data received from the digital twin generator 418. For example, the morphology agent 414 may map data associated with a chemical product and collected from one or more distributed data sources to the structure and / or characteristics of each morphology model. The morphology agent 414 may be configured to store at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset in the DT storage 422. This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary data transfer between the morphology agent 414 and the digital twin generator 418. Furthermore, this makes it possible to separate digital twin generation from digital twin access, thus improving the overall stability and availability of digital twin generation and delivery. At least a portion of the digital twin dataset may include a chemical product identifier that enables linking of each generated digital twin dataset to the respective chemical product. For example, each generated digital twin dataset may include the same chemical product identifier.

[0136] Each digital twin dataset associated with a decentralized identifier of a digital twin can be considered an asset or aspect of the digital twin. Each asset or aspect can be uniquely identified by a digital twin dataset identifier. Therefore, the combination of a decentralized digital twin identifier and a digital twin dataset identifier can make it possible to uniquely identify a digital twin dataset associated with a chemical product. Furthermore, the combination also makes it possible to specifically retrieve such a digital twin dataset via a decentralized data consumption network node, for example, using the decentralized digital twin identifier, the digital twin dataset identifier, and access data as described in relation to Figure 13.

[0137] The device 402 may further include a DT storage 422 configured to store digital twin datasets generated by the aspect agent 414. The DT storage 422 may be configured to store data associated with chemical products collected by the data acquisition unit 414. The digital twin datasets stored in the DT storage 422 may, in conjunction with a decentralized digital twin identifier provided by the decentralized ID generator 420, enable the retrieval of the digital twin dataset based on the decentralized digital twin identifier. The digital twin datasets may, in conjunction with the digital twin dataset identifier, enable the retrieval of a specific digital twin dataset based on the decentralized digital twin identifier. This makes it possible to retrieve a specific asset or aspect of the digital twin without having to provide all the data contained in the digital twin. Furthermore, this makes it possible to define access rights at the asset / aspect level and thus enable higher-granularity control over access to the data contained in each asset / aspect of the digital twin.

[0138] The device 402 may further comprise a digital twin provider 424 configured to provide a digital twin or a portion thereof generated by the digital twin generator 418 for access by, for example, a decentralized data consumption network node associated with a consumer of a chemical product (see also Figure 13). The digital twin provider may be a decentralized data provision network node. The device 402 may be communicatively coupled to a digital twin provider 424 configured to provide a digital twin generated by the digital twin generator 418 (not shown, see, for example, Figure 4B) for access. The digital twin provider 424 may be configured to receive a generated digital twin or a portion thereof (e.g., an asset or aspect of the digital twin) from the digital twin generator 418. The digital twin provider 424 may be configured to receive a decentralized digital twin identifier and to access data associated with the digital twin from the digital twin generator 418. The digital twin provider 424 may store the received data in a database (not shown). This enables the digital twin provider 424 to retrieve a digital twin or a portion thereof from, for example, the DT storage 422, as described in relation to Figures 5 and 13, and to provide the respective data to decentralized data consumption network nodes. For example, the database may store the decentralized digital twin identifier and access data associated with each digital twin. Since only the requested digital twin dataset, and not the complete data contained in the digital twin, needs to be retrieved on request by, for example, the decentralized data consumption network nodes, storing access data for each digital twin dataset in combination with the decentralized digital twin identifier makes it possible to avoid unnecessary data traffic. Based on the decentralized digital twin identifier and the access data stored in the database, the digital twin provider 424 may retrieve a digital twin or a portion thereof from the DT storage 422 and provide the retrieved data to the decentralized data consumption network nodes.

[0139] The digital twin provider 424 may be configured to receive access rules associated with each digital twin or a portion thereof from the digital twin generator 418. The digital twin provider 424 may be configured to store the received access rules in its database. The access rules may include a list of decentralized participant identifiers associated with decentralized data consumption network nodes that are permitted to access the data contained in the digital twin or digital twin dataset. The access rules may include usage policies that define the processing, aggregation, or transfer of the data in the digital twin or digital twin dataset. The access rules may be associated with the decentralized digital twin identifier of the digital twin and / or the digital twin dataset of the digital twin. The access rules may be further associated with the digital twin dataset identifier.

[0140] Usage policies can be constrained by the data being exchanged, and enforcement of attached usage policies can be continuously controlled, for example, by decentralized data consumption network nodes receiving the data, or by decentralized data processing network nodes processing the received data. Usage policies can be instantiated on the target system. Usage policies can be data-dependent (also called sticky policies). Sticky policies are one way to address the distribution of usage restrictions. In this approach, machine-readable usage policies can be attached to the data during data exchange. Different implementations are also possible. For example, the data can be encrypted and only decrypted if attachment to usage restrictions is guaranteed.

[0141] Usage policies may include additional information provided by, for example, a policy information registry. This additional information may include information about contextual information such as previous data usage or the geographical location of the entity, preconditions or postconditions that must be maintained before (e.g., integrity checks) and after (e.g., data items are deleted after use), and on-conditions that must be maintained during use (e.g., only during business hours). For example, a policy information registry may be used to resolve a supplier's ID to a postal address, and a postal address to GPS coordinates.

[0142] Usage control may be implemented by encrypting the data within a decentralized network node connected to the storage infrastructure before transferring the data to the storage infrastructure. Data usage is only possible by decrypting the data using the decentralized network node. Therefore, all usage is controlled by the decentralized network node. In such cases, usage restrictions, such as data lifetime or time constraints, may be enforced by deleting the cryptographic key material. Additionally or alternatively, the storage infrastructure may include usage control enforcement components that monitor and / or control data usage.

[0143] Figure 4B shows an example of a layered system for generating a digital twin of the physical entity of a chemical product. The layered system may be included in an operating system 208 of a chemical production 204 that produces a chemical product 206 from one or more input materials 202 (see, for example, Figures 2A and 2B). At least a portion of the layered system may be included in the operating system 208, while another portion may be communicatively coupled to the operating system 208 (see, for example, Figure 2C).

[0144] The layered system may include a data source layer 404, such as the data source layer 404 described in relation to Figure 4A. The data source layer 404 may include one or more distributed data sources 402, 406, 408. The distributed data sources may include data instances related to chemical products 206 produced by chemical production 204, as described in relation to Figures 3 and 4A.

[0145] The system may further comprise a service layer 428, which is generally optional. The service layer may be configured to collect data associated with chemical products from the data source layer 404. The service layer may be configured to collect data according to predefined selection criteria. The service layer may be configured to apply one or more semantic models to the collected data to generate a uniform data set. The service layer may be configured to deliver the uniform data set to a data streaming platform included in the service layer. The streaming platform may include a platform deployed across several hosts, clusters, data centers, and / or other sets of computing resources. The streaming platform may include one or more client processes that generate records of activity and publish the records to one or more event streams. For example, if a particular type of activity occurs in the data source layer 404, such as the provision of a new uniform data set, the production of a new batch of chemical products, or the collection of new data associated with the produced chemical products, one or more client processes may generate records of the activity and publish the records to one or more event streams. The data streaming platform can then propagate its records to one or more components subscribed to the same event stream. The data propagated to one or more components may be stored in a database located within the service or consumer layer. Thus, the data streaming platform enables the capture and transmission of activity occurring in multiple distributed data sources in the data source layer 404 in a unified and scalable manner.

[0146] The system may further comprise a consumer layer 430. The consumer layer 430 may include devices for generating digital twins, such as the device 402 described in relation to Figure 4A. The consumer layer 430 may be configured to collect data associated with chemical products from the data source layer 404, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 4A. The consumer layer 430 may be configured to consume data from the service layer 438, for example, from one or more databases of the service layer 428, including data stored by consumer components of the data streaming platform of the service layer 428. The consumer layer 430 may be configured to generate digital twins of chemical products from the data collected from the data source layer 404 or the data consumed from the service layer 428, as described in relation to Figures 4A, 5, and 7. The consumer layer 430 may be connected to input / output devices (not shown), for example, the input / output device 426 in Figure 4A. The input / output device 426 may be used to trigger the generation of digital twins of chemical products, as described in relation to Figure 4A.

[0147] The system may further comprise a connector layer 432. The connector layer 432 may be configured to provide a digital twin or a portion thereof generated in the consumer layer 430 for access. The connector layer 432 may comprise a digital twin provider 424, such as a decentralized data delivery network node as described in relation to Figures 5 and 13, configured to provide access to the digital twin or a portion thereof. Access may be controlled by the data owner of the digital twin or a portion thereof via the digital twin provider 424, for example, by access rules associated with the digital twin or a portion thereof as described in relation to Figure 4A. The digital twin provider 424 of the connector layer 432 may be configured to exchange data, such as the data contained in the digital twin, with a decentralized data consumption network node. The decentralized data consumption network node may be associated with a consumer or processor of a chemical product (see, for example, Figure 13). The decentralized data delivery network node and the decentralized data consumption network node may perform an authentication step before the exchange of data, for example, as described in relation to Figures 14A and 14B. The digital twin provider 424 may apply access rules associated with the digital twin or a portion thereof requested by the decentralized data consumption network node before providing the data to the decentralized data consumption network node, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 4A. Based on the access rules, the digital twin provider 424 may deny access to the digital twin or a portion thereof. Based on the access rules, the digital twin provider 424 may grant access to the digital twin or a portion thereof. Based on the access rules, the digital twin provider 424 may modify access to the digital twin or a portion thereof. Access may be granted to all data contained in the digital twin (e.g., all data associated with the decentralized digital twin identifier) ​​or to a portion thereof, such as a specific digital twin dataset contained in the digital twin.

[0148] A layered system enables the achievement of availability, integrity, and confidentiality of data contained in a digital twin or digital twin dataset. The connector layer allows for the configuration and technical assurance that only predefined, decentralized network participants can access and retrieve data associated with the digital twin. For example, separating digital twin generation from the consumption of data contained within the digital twin enables high and stable availability of data contained in the digital twin within a decentralized network.

[0149] Figure 5 shows an exemplary system and related methods for generating digital twins associated with chemical products produced by chemical production and providing access to the generated digital twins. The apparatus for generating the digital twins may be the apparatus 402 described in relation to Figure 4. The apparatus for generating the digital twins may be included in the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204 (see, for example, Figures 2A and 2B). The apparatus for generating digital twins of chemical products may be communicatively coupled to the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204 (see, for example, Figure 2C). The digital twins may be generated by the system described in relation to Figure 4C.

[0150] A chemical production may be a chemical production 204, as described in relation to Figures 2 to 2C. A chemical production 204 may produce at least one chemical product 206 from one or more input materials 202. Input materials may be supplied to the chemical production 204, for example, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. Input materials may enter the system boundary 504 of the chemical production 204 at an inlet point such as a production plant or material storage associated with the chemical production 204. The amount of input materials entering the system boundary 504 of the chemical production 204 may be measured using, for example, a sensor 210b, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. The chemical and / or physical properties of the input materials may be measured after they have passed through the system boundary 504 of the chemical production 204, for example, using a sensor 210a, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. The measurement data may be used to determine at least one chemical and / or physical property of the input materials.

[0151] Input materials may be used in chemical production 204 to produce one or more chemical products from the input materials, as described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C, for example. The operating system 208 of chemical production 204 may monitor and / or control chemical production 204 based on different process operating parameters. The operating system 208 may receive production demand data associated with the production plan of chemical production 204. Production demand data may be derived from the target production capacity of one or more chemical products produced by chemical production 204. Production demand data may be derived from predefined production capacity, or from a data-driven model that associates production capacity with market demand data or the amount consumed at the point of consumption. Production demand data may include the target capacity of the chemical products produced by chemical production 204. The operating system 208 may further receive a materials table associated with the chemical products to be produced. The materials table may include chemical product data, such as materials data associated with the materials used to produce the chemical products, process data associated with the production chain for producing the chemical products, and / or product specification data or data on the quantity of chemical products to be produced.

[0152] Based on the received production demand data and material tables, material demand data may be determined. Material demand data may include data on the amount of material required to produce the target capacity of a chemical product. Material demand data may include material identifiers associated with the materials required to produce the chemical product, and data on the quantity of each material. Material demand data may include one or more material specifiers for each material identifier indicating material specifications. Material demand data may include data on material quantities for each material identifier indicating the amount of material to be supplied. Material demand data may specify the production chain of chemical production 204. Material demand data may include material tables for one or more production chains of chemical production 204. Material demand data may include one or more recipes specifying one or more materials for the production process of chemical production 204. The determined material demand data may be provided for access by supplier systems associated with suppliers outside the physical system boundary of chemical production 204. Material supply may be triggered by the supplier system accessing the material demand data.

[0153] The amount of chemical products obtained from processes performed within chemical production 204, such as chemical reactions and / or physical processes, can be measured using sensors such as sensor 210b, as described in relation to Figures 2A-2C. Since chemical reactions can yield two or more reaction products, and for example, chemical reactions are associated with a many-to-many relationship between starting materials and the resulting reaction products (see also Figures 2A-2C), measuring the amount of chemical products produced from each chemical reaction performed within chemical production 204 makes it possible to track the flow of materials within chemical production 204. The measured data can be stored in one or more databases associated with the operating system 208. Furthermore, chemical reactions and / or physical processes can be monitored using sensors such as sensor 210b, and the generated monitoring data can be stored in one or more databases associated with the operating system 208. The measured amounts of produced chemical products and monitoring data can be used to generate a digital twin of each production process performed within chemical production 204. The measured amounts of produced chemical products and monitoring data can be used to generate a digital twin of chemical production 204. This digital twin enables reliable tracking and consideration of the flow of input materials, intermediate chemicals, and finished chemicals, regardless of the many-to-many relationship between the starting materials and reaction products associated with the chemical reaction. The physical and / or chemical properties of the produced chemicals can be measured by sensors such as sensor 210a and / or determined as described in relation to Figures 2A-2C. The measured and / or determined chemical and / or physical properties of the produced chemicals 206 can be stored in one or more databases associated with the operating system 208.

[0154] The produced chemical product 206 may be delivered at one or more exit points of the chemical production. The chemical product 206 may leave the system boundary 502 of the chemical production 204. When the chemical product 206 is produced, or when the chemical product 206 leaves the chemical production 204, a digital twin may be generated. The apparatus 402 may be configured to generate a digital twin, as described in relation to Figures 4A and 7. A requester 504 may be configured to generate a request to generate a digital twin. The requester 504 may be included in a labeling device, for example, as described in relation to Figure 3. The request may include data associated with the chemical product, such as a batch number. The request may further include data associated with an embodiment model related to the chemical product, such as an embodiment model identifier. The request to generate a digital twin may be provided to the data acquisition unit 412 of the apparatus 402. Upon request, the data acquisition unit 412 may be configured to collect data associated with the chemical product from, for example, the data source layer 404 (not shown, see, for example, Figures 4A and 4B) based on the data contained in the received request (see Figures 4A and 4B). The data acquisition unit 412 may be configured to determine whether a digital twin associated with the produced chemical product 206 is already contained in the DT storage 422 (see Figure 4A). A request to generate a digital twin may be provided to the digital twin generator 418 of the device 402 (not shown). Upon request, the digital twin generator 418 may be configured to initiate the collection of data associated with the chemical product by the data acquisition unit 412.

[0155] The data collection unit 412 may provide the collected data to the digital twin generator 418. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to request the collected data and optionally associated decentralized digital twin identifiers from the decentralized ID provider 506, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 4A. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to obtain a digital twin dataset from the mode agent 414. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to generate a digital twin, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A and 7. The digital twin may include a decentralized digital twin identifier and at least a portion of the digital twin dataset generated by the mode agent 414. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to provide the generated digital twin to the digital twin provider 424.

[0156] The morphology agent 414 may be configured to retrieve at least one morphology model from the morphology model DB 416 (not shown, see, for example, Figure 4) and to generate a digital twin dataset for each retrieved morphology model (see, for example, Figures 4 and 6). The morphology agent 414 may be configured to store at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset in the DT storage 422 (see Figure 4A). The morphology agent 414 may be configured to provide at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset to the digital twin generator 418.

[0157] The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate decentralized digital twin identifiers associated with the collected data, and optionally, data owners, such as data owners of data associated with chemical products. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate decentralized identifiers including or associated with further identifiers, such as dataset identifiers. For example, the decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate digital twin identifiers such as DIDs or UUIDs. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate digital twin data identifiers such as DIDs and / or UUIDs. The decentralized ID generator 420 may include components configured to generate decentralized identifiers (DIDs). The decentralized ID generator 420 may include components configured to generate universally unique identifiers (UUIDs). The decentralized identifiers generated by the decentralized ID generator 420 may be one or more DIDs and / or UUIDs. One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be associated with digital twins and / or digital twin datasets. One or more DIDs and / or UUIDs may be further associated with a chemical product. For example, a decentralized digital twin identifier may include a digital twin identifier associated with the digital twin, and one or more digital twin data identifiers associated with the digital twin data. A decentralized identifier may further include a chemical product identifier associated with the chemical product. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be a centralized node, a decentralized node, or a computing node, as described in relation to Figure 4A. A decentralized digital twin identifier may be requested by a digital twin generator 418. A decentralized digital twin identifier may be requested by a decentralized ID provider, for example, upon receiving a request from a digital twin generator 418 (not shown). The decentralized ID generator 420 may be part of a device 402. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be communicatively coupled to a device 402 (not shown). The decentralized identifier generator 420 may be configured to provide the generated decentralized digital twin identifiers to a decentralized ID provider 506.The decentralized ID generator 420 and the decentralized ID provider 506 may be separate devices, as shown in Figure 5. The decentralized ID generator 420 and the decentralized ID provider 506 may be contained within a single device configured to generate decentralized identifiers and provide the generated decentralized identifiers, for example, as shown in Figure 4A.

[0158] The decentralized ID provider 506 may be configured to provide the received decentralized digital twin identifier to a requester 504 configured to associate the received decentralized digital twin identifier with a chemical product. For this purpose, the requester 504 may include an ID assigner (see, for example, Figures 2B, 2C, and 3). The decentralized ID provider 506 may be configured to provide the received decentralized digital twin identifier to an ID assigner configured to associate the received decentralized identifier with a chemical product (not shown). Such association may include encoding the decentralized identifier into a code such as a barcode, QR code, embossed code, or optical holographic identifier, and providing the generated code for labeling the chemical product. In this way, a physical identifier may be provided that associates the physical entity of the chemical product with the decentralized digital twin identifier, and thus the digital twin with the physical entity of the chemical product.

[0159] The digital twin provider 424 may be configured to provide the digital twin or a portion thereof for access by the decentralized data consumption network node 510. The decentralized data consumption network node 510 may be part of the decentralized network 508. The digital twin or a portion thereof may be accessed by the decentralized data consumption network node 510 using at least a decentralized digital twin identifier. Access to the digital twin or a portion thereof may be controlled by the digital twin provider 424 (see, for example, Figure 13). The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with the data owner of the digital twin dataset. The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with the data owner of the digital twin. The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with the operator of the chemical production 204. The digital twin provider 424 may be a decentralized data provision network node.

[0160] Figure 6 shows an exemplary apparatus for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product using at least two different embodiment models. The apparatus may correspond to apparatus 402 described in relation to Figure 4A. The apparatus may be included in an operating system 208 of a chemical production 204 that produces a chemical product 206 from one or more input materials 202 (see, for example, Figures 2A and 2B). The apparatus may be communicatively coupled to an operating system 208 of a chemical production 204 that produces a chemical product 206 from one or more input materials 202 (see, for example, Figure 2C). The apparatus may be configured to generate a digital twin 608, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A and 7. The apparatus in Figure 6 may be connected to a data source layer 404, as described in relation to Figure 4A.

[0161] The apparatus may include a data acquisition unit 412 configured to collect data associated with chemical products generated from the data source layer 404, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A, 5, and 7. The collected data may be provided to a digital twin generator 418. The collected data may be acquired by the digital twin generator 418.

[0162] The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to request a decentralized digital twin identifier from a decentralized ID provider 420, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A to 5. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to provide data collected by the data collection unit 412 to the mode agent 414. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to acquire or receive digital twin datasets generated by the mode agent 414. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to acquire or receive digital twin datasets from DT storage 422. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to generate a digital twin of a chemical product from the received decentralized digital twin identifier and at least a portion of the received or acquired digital twin datasets, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 4A, 5, and 7. For example, the digital twin generator 418 may generate a digital twin 608 by associating the received decentralized digital twin identifier with each of the generated digital twin datasets. Thus, the decentralized identifier makes it possible to identify all the digital twin datasets included in the digital twin 608 of the chemical product. Each digital twin dataset can be uniquely identified by a digital twin dataset identifier combined with a decentralized digital twin identifier, as described in relation to Figure 4A. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to generate access data, for example, as described in relation to Figure 4A. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to generate a DID document that includes a decentralized digital twin identifier (e.g., DID) received from the decentralized ID provider 420, as well as access data such as a chemical digital twin dataset identifier and their respective digital representations pointing to the digital twin dataset. The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to store the generated digital twin 608 in the DT storage 422, as described in relation to Figures 4A and 5.The digital twin generator 418 may be configured to provide the generated digital twin 608 to a digital twin provider 424 (not shown), as described in relation to Figures 4A and 5.

[0163] The morphology agent 414 may be configured to acquire at least two different morphology models from morphology model 416, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 4A. For example, the device 402 may use a predefined morphology model identifier or a morphology model identifier included in a request received by the data acquisition unit 412 (see Figure 5). At least one of the acquired morphology models may be related to environmental attributes associated with a chemical product, as previously described. The morphology agent 414 may be configured to generate a digital twin dataset (for each acquired morphology model) from the collected data received from the data acquisition unit 412 according to each morphology model. For example, if two different morphology models are received, the morphology agent 414 may generate two digital twin datasets 604, 606. Each digital twin dataset may be associated with the respective morphology model used for its generation. The morphology agent 414 may be configured to store the generated digital twin datasets and related data, such as digital twin dataset identifiers, in the DT storage 422 (see Figure 4A). The morphology agent 414 may be configured to provide at least a portion of the generated digital twin datasets to the digital twin generator 418.

[0164] The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate and provide decentralized digital twin identifiers to the digital twin generator 418, as described in relation to Figures 4A and 5. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be a centralized or decentralized node and may generate decentralized digital twin identifiers upon receiving a request from the digital twin generator 418 (see, for example, Figure 4A). The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate access data, such as digital twin dataset identifiers.

[0165] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a computer implementation method for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The digital twin may be generated for a chemical product 206 produced by a chemical production 204 from one or more input materials 202. The chemical production may be a chemical production 204 as described in relation to Figures 2A to 3. The digital twin may be generated by an operating system 208 of the chemical production 204. The operating system may include equipment for generating a digital twin 402 as described in relation to Figures 4A to 6. A request to generate a digital twin may be manually triggered by a user via a user interface, for example using an I / O device 426 (see Figure 4A). A request to generate a digital twin may be automatically triggered when packaging of the produced chemical product is detected, for example, as described in relation to Figures 3 and 5.

[0166] In block 702, a request may be received to generate a digital twin of a chemical product. The request may include data related to the chemical product. The request may further include data related to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. The request may be generated manually or automatically, as described above. The data related to the chemical product may include chemical product identifiers such as batch number, lot number, chemical product name, and / or chemical product ID. The data related to at least one embodiment model may include an embodiment model identifier.

[0167] In block 704, it is determined whether a digital twin for the chemical product already exists. Thus, it can be determined whether a digital twin has already been generated and stored, for example, in DT storage 422. This determination may be based on data related to the chemical product included in the received request, such as a chemical product identifier. For example, a chemical product identifier may be used to determine whether a digital twin associated with the chemical product identifier already exists, for example, whether it is already stored in DT storage 422. If a digital twin for the chemical product already exists, the method proceeds to block 706. Otherwise, the method proceeds to block 710, as described later.

[0168] In block 706, it is determined whether the existing digital twin should be updated. This determination may be based on the data contained in the received request. For example, the request may contain data indicating that the digital twin should be updated. If the digital twin should be updated, the method proceeds to block 708. Otherwise, the method terminates or proceeds to block 702.

[0169] In block 708, the digital twin is updated. Updating may include performing the actions described in blocks 710, 714, and 716, which are described later, such as generating additional digital twin datasets. Updating may also include modifying the data contained in the existing digital twin or existing digital twin dataset, or adding data to the existing digital twin or existing digital twin dataset.

[0170] In block 710, data associated with a chemical product may be collected from one or more distributed data sources based on data related to the chemical product included in a request received in block 702. The collected data may include at least one measured and / or determined physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product. The data may be collected from one or more distributed data sources, for example, distributed data sources of data source layer 404, as shown in Figures 4A to 5. The data may be collected directly from one or more distributed data sources of data source layer 404. The data may be consumed by data from service layer 428, for example, as described in relation to Figure 4B. The device 402 may determine whether the request includes a chemical product identifier. If so, the computing system may use the chemical product identifier to collect data from the distributed data sources. Otherwise, the computing system may determine the chemical product identifier from the data included in the received request. For example, the computing system may retrieve the chemical product identifier from a database based on the data included in the received request.

[0171] In block 712, a decentralized digital twin identifier associated with the collected data, and optionally a data owner, may be provided. The decentralized digital twin identifier may be provided, for example, in response to a request generated by the digital twin generator 418 (see Figures 4A and 5). The request may include a data owner identifier and / or a chemical product identifier. The data owner may be the data owner of the collected data and / or data contained in the distributed data source. The data owner may be a chemical product producer. The data owner may be a data owner as described above. The decentralized digital twin identifier may be requested from a centralized or decentralized node, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 4A. The decentralized identifier may be one or more DIDs and / or UUIDs, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 4A. Block 712 may also be executed after either one of blocks 714 and 716.

[0172] In block 714, an embodiment model associated with a chemical product may be obtained, for example, as described in relation to Figures 4A and 5. At least a portion of the embodiment model may be associated with environmental attributes related to the chemical product. The embodiment model may be obtained based on an embodiment model identifier contained in the received request, or based on data contained in the received request. The embodiment model may be obtained from data storage such as the embodiment model DB416 (see, for example, Figure 4A).

[0173] In block 716, a digital twin data asset may be generated for each aspect model acquired in block 714. The digital twin dataset may be generated by applying each aspect model acquired in block 714 to the data collected in block 710, as described in relation to Figures 4A to 6, for example.

[0174] In block 718, a digital twin may be generated. The digital twin may include a decentralized digital twin identifier received in block 812 and a digital twin dataset generated in block 716. The decentralized digital twin identifier may be linked to at least a portion of the digital twin dataset generated in block 716 to generate a digital twin (see, for example, Figure 6). The generated digital twin may include a digital twin dataset identifier. The digital twin dataset identifier may be generated by the digital twin generator 418 (see, for example, Figures 4A and 5). The digital twin may further include a chemical product identifier. The chemical product identifier may be a chemical product identifier included in the received request. The generated digital twin may be stored in DT storage 422, as described in relation to Figure 4A. Storing the digital twin in DT storage 422 can improve security regarding access to the digital twin, as appropriate authentication and authorization schemes can be implemented between DT storage 422 and a digital twin provider 424 that provides the digital twin or a portion thereof to authorized decentralized data consumption network nodes. The generated digital twin and / or digital twin dataset may be provided to the digital twin provider 424, as described in relation to Figures 4A to 5.

[0175] In block 720, the generated digital twin may be provided to decentralized data consumption network nodes under the control of the digital twin provider 424, and this block is generally optional. The digital twin may be provided to decentralized data consumption network nodes as described in relation to Figure 13.

[0176] In block 722, a physical identifier may be assigned to a decentralized identifier included in the digital twin, although this block is generally optional. This block may be performed, for example, when a decentralized digital twin identifier included in the digital twin is used to generate a digital access element (see, for example, Figures 9 and 10). This makes it possible to link the decentralized digital twin identifier, and thus the digital twin, to the physical entity of the chemical product. Assigning a decentralized digital twin identifier to a physical identifier may include generating a physical identifier that embeds the decentralized digital twin identifier. The physical identifier may be generated by an ID assigner, as described, for example in relation to Figure 5, and may be attached to the chemical product, for example, using a labeling device.

[0177] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for generating a digital access element associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Since the digital twin is associated with a physical entity of the chemical product, the digital access element is also associated (at least indirectly) with the physical entity of the chemical product. The digital access element may enable indirect access to the digital twin or a portion thereof, i.e., access to the digital twin via the digital access element. Access to the digital access element itself may remain unrestricted while still allowing controlled access to the digital twin or a portion thereof. The chemical product may be produced by a chemical production from one or more input materials. The chemical production may be a chemical production 204 as described in relation to Figures 2A-3. The chemical production may comprise or be associated with an operating system 208. The operating system may comprise a device for generating a digital twin, as described in relation to Figures 4A-5. The operating system may comprise a device for generating a digital access element, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 9. The operating system may be communicatively coupled to the device for generating a digital twin and / or generating a digital access element. A digital access element may correspond to a DID document associated with the DID used to generate the digital twin. Such a DID document may include the DID contained in the generated digital twin, a digital twin dataset identifier associated with the digital twin dataset contained in the digital twin, and access data. The access data may include a digital representation pointing to the digital twin dataset, as described in relation to Figure 4A. A digital access element may correspond to a DID document associated with a further decentralized identifier. A chemical digital access element may correspond to a data structure containing a decentralized digital twin identifier, further identifiers such as a digital twin dataset identifier, and access data, as shown, for example, in Figure 10.

[0178] In block 802, a digital twin of the physical entity of the chemical product may be generated. The digital twin may be generated by the method described in relation to Figure 7. Block 802 may be performed using an apparatus for generating a digital twin, as described in relation to Figures 4A to 5. The generated digital twin may be stored in a data storage medium such as digital twin storage 422.

[0179] In block 804, a request may be received to provide a decentralized access element identifier associated with the digital twin. The decentralized identifier may be further associated with a data owner. The data owner may be the data owner of the digital twin dataset included in the digital twin, as previously mentioned. The data owner may be a chemical producer, as previously mentioned. The decentralized access element identifier may be a DID. The decentralized access element identifier may be a UUID. The request may be generated by a requester, for example, as described in relation to Figure 9. The request may include an owner identifier and / or a chemical product identifier, as previously mentioned.

[0180] In block 806, the method may determine whether further decentralized identifiers should be provided. The determination may be based on data such as decentralized digital twin identifiers contained in the digital twin generated in block 802. For example, if the decentralized digital twin identifier contained in the digital twin is a DID, the method may proceed to block 810. Using decentralized digital twins makes it possible to avoid the generation of further decentralized identifiers and thus enable more efficient generation of digital access elements. The determination may be based on the programming of the routine that implements the method. For example, the routine may be programmed to provide further decentralized identifiers. Using further decentralized identifiers makes it possible to use different identifier schemes such as UUID and DID. This makes it possible to store access data necessary to access the digital twin or a part thereof in a decentralized manner using DID documents (see, for example, Figure 10). If further decentralized identifiers are provided, the method proceeds to block 808. Otherwise, the method proceeds to block 810.

[0181] In block 808, further decentralized identifiers may be provided. This may include generating and providing further decentralized identifiers, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 9. Further decentralized identifiers may be assigned to decentralized digital twin identifiers. This enables linking the digital twin to digital access elements, and thus enabling access to the digital twin or a portion thereof using the digital access elements. Further decentralized identifiers may be DIDs. Further decentralized identifiers may be assigned to decentralized digital twin identifiers. This may enable linking the digital twin to its respective digital access elements.

[0182] In block 810, a decentralized digital twin identifier included in the digital twin generated in block 802 may be retrieved. The retrieved decentralized digital twin identifier may then be provided. For example, the decentralized digital twin identifier included in the generated digital twin may be retrieved from the digital twin storage 422. Each digital twin may be identified using a chemical product identifier included in a request received in block 804. For example, a chemical product identifier may be used to retrieve a decentralized digital twin identifier included in the digital twin associated with the chemical product identifier.

[0183] In block 812, a digital access element associated with the produced chemical product may be generated. The generated digital access element may include a decentralized digital twin identifier or a further decentralized identifier contained in the digital twin, and access data. If the decentralized digital twin identifier is a DID, the generated digital access element may correspond to a DID document associated with the DID. The access data may refer to any data for accessing the digital twin or a part thereof as described above. For example, the access data may include endpoints for data exchange or sharing (resource endpoints) or endpoints for service interaction (service endpoints) that are uniquely identified via a communication protocol. Endpoints may be represented by the digital twin provider 424 (see, for example, Figures 5 and 9). The access data may include multiple digital representations, each digital representation pointing to a different digital twin dataset contained in the digital twin. Each decentralized identifier and access data may be associated with one another. For example, the decentralized identifier generated on which the digital access element is based may be associated with authentication information used as access data generated on which the digital access element is based.

[0184] In block 814, a physical identifier associated with a chemical product may be assigned to a decentralized digital twin identifier / further decentralized identifier contained in a digital access element generated in block 812, and this block is generally optional. This allows the digital twin associated with the digital access element, and therefore indirectly associated with a further decentralized identifier, to be linked to the physical entity of the chemical product. The physical identifier may correspond to a code such as a barcode, QR code, embossed code, optical holographic code such as zero-order diffraction microstructure, or a tag such as an RFID tag. The physical identifier may be produced by a labeling machine, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 9.

[0185] In block 816, the generated digital access element may be provided to a decentralized data consumption network node for access to the digital twin or a portion thereof, and this block is generally optional. The decentralized data consumption network node may be part of a decentralized network. For example, the digital access element may be provided to a passport registry accessible by the decentralized data consumption network node (see, for example, Figure 9). The decentralized data consumption network node may use the data contained in the digital access element, such as the decentralized access element identifier and access data, to retrieve the digital twin or a portion thereof associated with the decentralized access element identifier from a decentralized data provision network node, such as the digital twin provider 424, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 13. The decentralized data provision network node 416 may authorize access to the digital twin based on the decentralized digital twin identifier associated with the digital access element.

[0186] The generated digital access elements enable simplified, customizable data sharing or exchange of digital twin data associated with manufactured chemical products, from the chemical industry to participants in the chemical supply chain.

[0187] Figure 9 shows an exemplary system and related methods for generating digital access elements associated with digital twins of chemical products produced by chemical production and for providing access to the generated digital twins. The apparatus for generating digital access elements of digital twins associated with chemical products may be included in the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204 (see, for example, Figures 2A and 2B). The apparatus for generating digital access elements of digital twins associated with chemical products may be communicatively coupled to the operating system 208 of the chemical production 204 (see, for example, Figure 2C). The digital twins may be generated as described in relation to Figures 4A–5.

[0188] Chemical production 204 can produce at least one chemical product 206 from one or more input materials 202. Input materials may be provided to chemical production 204, as described in relation to Figures 2B and 2C, for example. Input materials may enter the system boundary of chemical production 204 at entry points such as a production plant or material storage associated with chemical production 204. Input materials may be used in chemical production 204 to produce one or more chemical products from the input materials, as described in relation to Figures 2B and 2C, for example. The operating system 208 of chemical production 204 may monitor and / or control chemical production 204 based on operating parameters of different processes, as described in relation to Figure 5.

[0189] The produced chemical product 206 may be provided at one or more exit points of the chemical production. The chemical product 206 may exit the system boundary 502 of the chemical production 204. When the chemical product 206 is produced, or when the chemical product 206 exits the chemical production 204, a digital access element may be generated. The digital access element may be generated by a device for generating a digital access element 902. The device 902 may be configured to generate a digital access element. The device 902 may be configured to receive requests to provide a decentralized access element identifier associated with a digital twin. The device 902 may be configured to generate a digital access element (in response to a received request). In this embodiment, the device 902 may include a device for generating a digital twin, such as the device 402 described in relation to Figures 4A to 4C. In another embodiment (not shown), the device 902 may be communicatively coupled to a device for generating a digital twin, such as the device 402 described in relation to Figures 4A to 4C.

[0190] In this embodiment, the device 902 may further include a decentralized ID generator 420. In another embodiment (not shown), the decentralized ID generator 420 may be part of the device 402, and for example, the device 902 may not include a further decentralized ID generator 420. Instead, the decentralized ID generator 420 of the device 402 may be configured to provide decentralized access element identifiers (see, for example, Figure 4A).

[0191] In this embodiment, the device 902 may further include a decentralized identity provider 506. In another embodiment (not shown), the decentralized identity provider 506 may be part of the device 402, and for example, the device 902 may not include a further decentralized identity generator 506. Instead, the decentralized identity provider 506 of the device 402 may be configured to provide decentralized access element identifiers (see, for example, Figure 4A). Although the decentralized identity generator 420 and the decentralized identity provider 506 are shown as separate units in Figure 9, their functions may be combined within a single unit, and as a result, the device 902 includes a decentralized identity providing unit configured to perform the functions of the decentralized identity generation unit 420 and the decentralized identity providing unit 506.

[0192] The requester 904 may be configured to generate a request for a decentralized access element identifier. The request may be triggered by a labeling system such as a QR code generator. The request may include an owner identifier and / or a chemical product identifier, as described above. A request providing a decentralized access element identifier may be provided to a decentralized ID generator 420 configured to provide decentralized access element identifiers, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 8. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to retrieve a decentralized digital twin identifier contained in a digital twin associated with a chemical product, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 8. For example, the decentralized ID generator 420 may have access to a digital twin (DT) storage 422 and retrieve a decentralized digital twin identifier based on the chemical product identifier contained in the received request. The decentralized ID generator 420 may be configured to generate further decentralized identifiers. The decentralized ID generator 420 may provide the generated further decentralized identifiers or the retrieved decentralized digital twin identifiers to the decentralized ID provider 506.

[0193] The decentralized ID provider 506 may provide the requester 904 with the acquired decentralized digital twin identifier or any further decentralized identifier generated. The decentralized ID provider 506 may associate the further decentralized identifier with the decentralized digital twin identifier. The requester 904 may be configured to associate the received decentralized digital twin identifier / further decentralized identifier with the chemical product produced. Thus, the requester 506 may include an ID assigner configured to assign the decentralized digital twin identifier / further decentralized identifier to a physical identifier. Such association may include encoding the decentralized identifier into a code such as a barcode, QR code, embossed code, optical holographic code, or tag such as an RFID tag, and providing a code or tag for labeling the chemical product. In this way, a physical identifier may be provided that associates the physical entity of the chemical product with the decentralized digital twin identifier / further decentralized identifier received from the decentralized ID provider 506. Because a physical identifier is associated with a chemical product and its virtual digital access element and digital twin, the chemical product may be provided in association with the digital access element, which in turn enables access to the digital twin or a portion thereof associated with the chemical product. Thus, the chemical product associated with the physical identifier may be provided physically, and at least one digital access element and the digital twin or a portion thereof associated with the physical identifier may be provided virtually.

[0194] The decentralized identity provider 506 may provide a decentralized digital twin identifier / further decentralized identifier to a digital access element generator 908 configured to generate a digital access element based on the decentralized digital twin identifier / further decentralized identifier and access data received from the decentralized identity provider 506. The digital access element generator 908 may generate a digital access element, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 8. The generated digital access element may include a decentralized access element decentralized identifier and access data. The decentralized access element identifier may correspond to or be associated with a decentralized digital twin identifier contained in the digital twin. This enables linking the digital twin to the digital access element and thus enables the use of the digital access element as a vehicle for communicating digital assets, such as a digital twin or a portion thereof associated with the physical entity of a chemical product, to chemical product consumers. The access data may include a digital representation pointing to the digital twin or a portion thereof. The representation may include the endpoint address of a decentralized data delivery network node associated with the digital twin (i.e., a decentralized data delivery network node 424 associated with each digital twin storage 422). By using the endpoint address of a decentralized data delivery network node, it is possible to avoid disclosing the internal endpoint address to the digital twin (DT) storage 422, thus improving security and preventing unintended access or leakage of the digital twin or any part thereof. The digital access element may include, or be associated with, one or more authentication mechanisms associated with a decentralized access element identifier and access data. The authentication mechanism may be used as described, for example, in relation to Figures 13, 14A, and 14B. The digital access element may be associated with one or more authorization mechanisms associated with a distributed access element identifier and / or access data. The authorization mechanism may be used as described, for example, in relation to Figure 13.

[0195] The generated digital access elements can be provided to the digital twin (DT) storage 422. This allows for the storage of the generated digital access elements and thus avoids the regeneration of the digital access elements.

[0196] The generated digital access elements may be provided to a digital twin provider 424 (not shown). The generated digital access elements may also be provided to an access element registry 908. The access element registry 908 may be part of a decentralized network 508. The access element registry 908 may be configured to store digital access elements and may function as a centralized or decentralized repository of existing digital access elements. For example, the access element registry 908 may store decentralized access element identifiers and associated access data. The access element registry 908 may be available to the public and thus enable transparency to existing digital access elements and associated digital twins of chemical products. However, access to the digital twin or a portion thereof associated with the digital access element may be controlled by the data owner of the digital access element, for example, by using decentralized data provision network nodes that implement appropriate authentication and authorization schemes. This allows for maintaining control over data access and use with the data owner while enabling transparency to the available digital twin and associated digital twin datasets.

[0197] The decentralized data consumption network node 510 can access the access element registry 908 and retrieve access data based on the decentralized access element identifier, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 13. The decentralized data consumption network node 510 may be part of the decentralized network 508. The decentralized data consumption network node 510 may be associated with a chemical product consumer, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 13. This enables the transfer or access of a digital twin or a portion thereof in a controlled and secure manner.

[0198] The digital twin provider 424 may be configured to provide the digital twin or a portion thereof for access by the decentralized data consumption network node 510. The digital twin provider 424 may be configured to provide the digital twin or a portion thereof based on a decentralized digital twin identifier and optionally data received from the decentralized data consumption network node 510, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 13. Access to the digital twin or a portion thereof may be controlled by the decentralized data consumption network node 510. The digital twin provider 424 may be a decentralized data provision network node associated with the chemical production 204. The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with or under the control of the data owner of the digital twin. Digital access elements may be used to access the digital twin or a portion thereof, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 13.

[0199] The described system and related methods enable the generation of digital access elements associated with digital twins of chemical products. These generated digital access elements facilitate simplified, customizable data sharing or exchange of digital twin data associated with produced chemical products, from the chemical industry to participants in the chemical supply chain.

[0200] Figure 10 shows an example of decentralized identifier-based owner data 1002, decentralized identifier-based digital access element data 1004, and a decentralized identity manager 1006.

[0201] A decentralized identifier may be a decentralized ID (DID). In this case, a decentralized identifier-based digital access element may be a DID document 1004 associated with the DID. In addition to the DID document 1004 that functions as a digital access element, Figure 10 shows a DID owner data element 1002 that includes decentralized identifier-based owner data. Generally, decentralized identifier-based owner data may include a decentralized identifier associated with a subject such as a digital twin dataset and may include one or more authentication mechanisms. Decentralized identifier-based owner data 1002 may include owner data that is electronically owned and controlled by the DID owner. In this context, electronically owned may mean data stored in an owner repository or wallet. Such data may be securely stored and / or managed on an organized server or client device. Decentralized identifier-based owner data 1002 may include a DID, a private key, and a public key. The ID owner may own and control a DID representing the identification information associated with the DID subject, and a private key and public key pair associated with the DID. A DID can be understood as an identifier and the authentication information associated with or uniquely linked to that identifier. A DID subject may be a raw material, a basic substance, a chemical product, or a finished product. A DID subject may be a machine, system, or device used in the production of a raw material, a basic substance, a chemical product, an intermediate product, or a finished product, or an assembly of such machines, devices, and / or systems. A DID owner may be a supplier, such as a chemical manufacturer that produces a chemical, or a participant in the supply chain. A DID owner may be an upstream participant in a chemical manufacturer's supply chain, such as a supplier that provides raw chemicals or precursors for producing a chemical product. A DID owner may be a downstream participant in a chemical manufacturer's supply chain, such as a customer that consumes a chemical to produce an intermediate product, a component, a component assembly, or a finished product.DID owners may be any participant in the supply chain, including raw material chemical suppliers, intermediate chemical manufacturers, intermediate component manufacturers, component manufacturers, component assembly manufacturers, or final product manufacturers.

[0202] DID can be any identifier associated with the DID subject and / or DID owner. Preferably, the identifier is unique to the DID subject and / or DID owner. The identifier can be unique at least to the extent that the DID is expected to be in use. The identifier can be a locally or globally unique identifier of raw materials, precursors, basic substances, chemical products, intermediate products, components, component assemblies, final products, or assemblies thereof; or machines, systems, or devices used in the production of raw materials, basic substances, chemical products, intermediate products, components, component assemblies, or final products, or assemblies of such machines, devices, and / or systems; or chemical manufacturers producing chemicals, upstream participants in the supply chain of chemical manufacturers, downstream participants in the supply chain of chemical manufacturers, or assemblies thereof; or any participant in the supply chain, including raw material chemical suppliers, intermediate chemical manufacturers, intermediate component manufacturers, component manufacturers, component assembly manufacturers, or final product manufacturers, or assemblies thereof.

[0203] A DID can be any identifier associated with a DID subject and / or DID owner. Preferably, a DID is unique to the DID subject and / or DID owner. A DID can be unique at least to the extent that the DID is expected to be in use. A DID can be a locally or globally unique identifier to any of the possible DID subjects described above. A DID can also be a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Furthermore, a DID can be an Internationalized Resource Identifier (IRI). A DID can be a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A DID can be an Internationalized Resource Identifier (IRI). For enhanced security, a DID can be a random string of numbers and letters. In one embodiment, the DID may be a string of 128 characters and numbers in the format "scheme did:method name:method-specific did," such as "did:example:ebfeb1f712ebc6f1c276e12ec21." The DID may be a decentralized ID under the control of the DID owner, independent of any centralized third-party management system.

[0204] A digital access element, such as DID document 1004, may be associated with a DID, i.e., a DID contained in decentralized identifier-based owner data 1002. Therefore, a digital access element may include a reference to a DID associated with a DID subject described by DID document 1004. DID document 1004 may also include authentication information, such as a public key. The public key may be used by a third-party entity authorized by the DID owner / subject to access information and data owned by the DID owner / subject. The public key may also be used to verify that the DID owner actually owns or controls the DID. A DID document may include authentication and authorization information, for example, to authorize a third-party entity to read the DID document or a portion of the DID document without granting the third party the right to prove ownership of the DID.

[0205] The digital access element 1004 may further include one or more representations that are digitally linked to the digital twin dataset, for example, by a service endpoint. The service endpoint may include a network address on which the service operates on behalf of the DID owner. In particular, the service endpoint may refer to a service, such as a decentralized data delivery network node of the DID owner, that provides access to the digital twin or a portion thereof. Such a service may include a service that reads or analyzes chemical product data contained in the digital twin or a portion thereof. The chemical product data may include chemical product declaration data, chemical product safety data, certificates of analytical data, emission data, product carbon footprint data, product environmental footprint data, chemical product specification data, product information, technology application data, production data, preference data associated with the chemical product, or a combination thereof.

[0206] The digital access element 1004 may include various other information, such as metadata specifying when the digital access element was created, when the last modification was made, and / or when it expires.

[0207] The DID and digital access element 1004 may be associated with a data registry node of a decentralized data service system or decentralized data service system 1006 (e.g., a distributed ledger or blockchain or a decentralized file system). The distributed ledger or blockchain may be used to store a representation of the DID pointing to the digital access element 1004. The representation of the DID may be stored in the distributed computing nodes of the distributed ledger or blockchain 1006. For example, a DID hash may be stored in multiple computing nodes of the distributed ledger and may point to the location of the digital access element 1004. In some embodiments, the digital access element 1004 may be stored in the distributed ledger 1006. Each computing node may store a copy of the distributed ledger 1006. In this way, each DID hash can be stored redundantly, thereby increasing data security. DIDs associated with multiple different digital access elements 1004 may be included in the distributed ledger 1006.

[0208] In some embodiments, the digital access element 1004 may be stored in the distributed ledger 1006, i.e., in addition to or alternative to the associated DID representation stored in the distributed ledger 1006. In other embodiments, the digital access element 1004 may be stored in data storage (not shown) associated with the distributed ledger or blockchain or a decentralized file system.

[0209] A distributed ledger or blockchain 1006 can be any decentralized, decentralized network containing various computing nodes that communicate with one another. For example, a distributed ledger 1006 may include a first distributed computing node, a second distributed computing node, a third distributed computing node, and any number of additional distributed computing nodes (not shown). A distributed ledger or blockchain 1006 may include known technology stacks such as Bitcoin (see, for example, the Bitcoin documentation published on November 11, 2022 at https: / / en.bitcoin.it / wiki / Protocol_documentation), Ethereum (see, for example, the Ethereum documentation published on August 15, 2022 at https: / / ethereum.org / en / developers / docs / ), Solana (see, for example, the Solana documentation published on November 11, 2022 at https: / / spl.solana.com / ), Polygon (see, for example, the Polygon documentation published on November 11, 2022 at https: / / wiki.polygon.technology / ), or other embodiments with varying degrees of data transactions performed on a distributed ledger. The description of exemplary frameworks is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered limiting.

[0210] Figure 11 shows an example of certificate data 1102, digital access element data 1104, and international data space (IDS) infrastructure 1108. In contrast to the example in Figure 10, the example in Figure 11 is certificate-based. The certificate data 1102 may include subject and certificate issuer authentication data. The subject may be the data owner, or an IDS connector 1106 operated by or under the control of the data owner. The certificate data 1102 may further include the subject name for which the certificate was issued, such as the data owner name, data owner ID, IDS connector name, IDS connector ID, or a combination thereof. The certificate may be an X.509 certificate, such as X509v3. The certificate data 1102 may be associated with the IDS infrastructure 1108, which may include, for example, a Certificate Issuing Service (CA) 1110 and / or a Dynamic Offering Service (DAPS) 1112 that provides dynamic attribute tokens (e.g., OAuth access tokens). Certificate data 1102 may further include various other information, such as metadata specifying when the certificate was created, when the last modification was made, and / or when it expires. The information required to validate certificate data 1102 may be provided through an authentication registry associated with the certificate issuing service and / or dynamic provisioning service. For example, in the IDSA Reference Architecture Model, version 3.0 as of April 2019, before the execution of data exchange (see, for example, Figures 13-14B), an IDS connector 1106 associated with or under the control of the data owner, a Certificate Authority (CA) 1110, a Dynamic Attribute Provisioning Service (DAPS) 1112, and an IDS connector associated with a decentralized data consumption network node (not shown) are used to validate the identification information.

[0211] Certificate data 1102 and digital access element data 1104 may be stored within the IDS connector 1106 (also referred to as a decentralized data delivery network node). The IDS connector 1106 may be associated with or under the control of the data owner of the chemical product data.

[0212] The digital access element data 1104 may include a decentralized identifier, authentication data, and an endpoint associated with the chemical product data. The decentralized identifier may be a universally unique identifier (UUID), such as UUIDv4. The UUIDv4 may conform to the following format, i.e., [0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}. The authorization information may be used to control access to the chemical product data or a portion thereof, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 14A and 14B. The endpoint may include any digital representation pointing to the chemical product data or a portion thereof (see, for example, Figures 8-10). The chemical product data may include the data described in relation to Figure 10.

[0213] The digital access element data 1104 may include various other information, such as metadata specifying when the chemical product passport was created, when the last modification was made, and / or when it expires.

[0214] Figure 12A shows a first example of a link between a digital twin dataset and a digital access element via a decentralized digital twin identifier. The digital twin 502 may be generated as described in relation to Figures 4A and 7. The digital twin 502 may be stored in DT storage 422. The digital access element 1210 associated with the physical entity of the chemical product may be generated as described in Figures 9 and 10. The datasets 1204 and 1206 associated with the digital twin 1202 are each assigned a decentralized digital twin identifier 1208. Thus, by using the decentralized digital twin identifier 1208, it is possible to identify all existing datasets contained in the digital twin 1202. The decentralized digital twin identifier 1208 may include further identifiers, such as dataset identifiers for datasets 1204 and 1206. This makes it possible to uniquely identify the datasets contained in the digital twin using the decentralized digital twin identifier 1208 and their respective dataset identifiers.

[0215] The digital access element 1210 includes a decentralized passport identifier 1212. The decentralized passport identifier 1212 may be a decentralized identifier linked to a decentralized digital twin identifier 1208 contained in the digital twin. The decentralized passport identifier 1212 may correspond to a decentralized digital twin identifier 1208 contained in the digital twin 1202. The latter avoids the generation of a new decentralized identifier and the linking of the newly generated decentralized identifier to a decentralized digital twin identifier contained in the digital twin.

[0216] The digital access element further includes access data 1214. Access data 1214 may include digital representations that directly or indirectly point to a storage structure that stores a digital twin or a portion thereof (e.g., datasets 1204, 1206), such as DT storage 422 (not shown). Access data 1214 may include digital representations that point to a decentralized data delivery network node associated with DT storage 422 (not shown).

[0217] The digital access element 1210 is linked to the digital twin 1202, and therefore to the datasets contained in the digital twin, via the decentralized passport identifier 1212, and thus, as described in relation to Figure 13, it is possible to retrieve the digital twin or a portion thereof (e.g., datasets 1204, 1206) using the decentralized passport identifier 1212 and the access data 5112 contained in the digital access element 1210.

[0218] Figure 12B shows a second example of the link between the digital twin 1202, the associated datasets 1204, 1206, and the digital access elements 1216, 1222 via the decentralized digital twin identifier 1208 and decentralized passport identifiers 1220, 1226. The digital twin 1202 may be generated as described in relation to Figures 4A and 7. The digital access elements 1216, 1222 associated with the physical entities of the chemical product may be generated as described in Figures 9 and 10. The datasets 1204, 1206 associated with the digital twin 1202 are assigned to the decentralized digital twin identifier 1208. Thus, by using the decentralized digital twin identifier 1208, it is possible to identify all existing datasets contained in the digital twin 1202.

[0219] In this example, a first digital access element 1216 is generated for dataset 12504, and a second digital access element 1222 is generated for dataset 1206. Digital access elements may be generated for each dataset, or for at least a portion of the datasets included in the digital twin. Each digital access element is linked to its respective dataset via a decentralized digital twin identifier 1208 and decentralized passport identifiers 1220, 1226. Each digital access element 1216, 1222 includes access data 1218, 1224. The access data 1218, 1224 may include digital representations pointing to product datasets, as described in relation to Figure 12A.

[0220] Figures 12A and 12B show only two exemplary embodiments, and any number of digital access elements and any number of datasets in the digital twin are possible. For example, a first digital access element may be generated for a first number of datasets, and a second digital access element may be generated for a second number of datasets. The number of datasets may include one or more datasets.

[0221] Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of using a digital access element to provide access by a decentralized data-serving network node to a digital twin or a portion thereof associated with a chemical product. Access to the digital twin or a portion thereof may be requested by a decentralized data-consuming network node. The chemical product 206 may be produced by a chemical production such as the chemical production 204 described in relation to Figures 2A to 2C. The digital twin may include a decentralized digital twin identifier, as well as at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product.

[0222] Digital access elements may be generated during or after the manufacture of a chemical product, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 9 and 10. Digital access elements may be associated with a digital twin or a portion thereof. A digital access element may include a decentralized access element identifier and access data. The decentralized access element identifier may correspond to or be associated with a decentralized digital twin identifier of the digital twin. Access data may include a digital representation pointing to the digital twin or a portion thereof. Access data may include a digital twin data identifier associated with a digital twin dataset contained in the digital twin (see, for example, Figures 10 and 11). Examples of digital access elements are shown in Figures 10 and 11. A digital access element may further include, or be associated with, authentication and / or authorization information linked to the decentralized access element identifier. Authentication and / or authorization information may be provided for authentication and / or authorization of the digital twin provider 424 and / or the decentralized data provision network node 510. A digital access element may be provided to a decentralized registry 908, as described, for example, in relation to Figure 10. The decentralized access element registry 908 may store decentralized access element identifiers and associated access data.

[0223] Chemical products 206 produced by the chemical production network 204 may be provided to consumers in connection with a digital access element. Consumers may process the chemical products to produce further chemical products and / or separate products. Chemical products 206 may be associated with a code such as a barcode or QR code that encodes a decentralized passport identifier. Consumers of chemical products 206 may read the code through a code reader 1302. The code reader 1302 may be a smartphone running a code reading application such as a QR code reader app. Data obtained by the code reading application may be used to determine the decentralized access element identifier. Data obtained by the code reading application may be used to determine the decentralized digital twin identifier. Data obtained by the code reading application may be used to determine the chemical product identifier. Data obtained by the code reading application may be used to determine the access data. The decentralized access element identifier, decentralized digital twin identifier, chemical product identifier, and access data may be determined by the code reader 1302. For example, a decentralized passport identifier determined by code reader 1302 may be a DID, and code reader 1202 may be configured to retrieve the associated DID document, including the decentralized digital twin identifier and access data, using, for example, a DID resolver (see also Figure 10). In another example, a chemical product identifier is determined by code reader 1302 and used to retrieve a decentralized access element identifier and associated access data from a database, for example, a decentralized registry 908. Thus, code reader 1302 may be configured to retrieve a digital access element, including the decentralized passport identifier and digital twin location data, from the decentralized registry 908. Code reader 1302 may be configured to provide the decentralized passport identifier and / or decentralized digital twin identifier to a database 1306 associated with consumers of the chemical product.The code reader 1302 may be configured to provide the determined decentralized access element identifier, decentralized digital twin identifier, and access data to the decentralized data consumption network node 510.

[0224] The code reader 1302 may be configured to display the determined / acquired data on a user interface, as indicated by reference numeral 1304. The user interface may display the determined decentralized access element identifier (PP identifier), the determined decentralized digital twin identifier (DT identifier), and the determined access data (DT location). In this embodiment, the decentralized access element identifier and the decentralized digital twin identifier are different from each other. In another embodiment, the decentralized access element identifier is equal to the decentralized digital twin identifier. The user interface may further display the determined chemical product identifier (CP identifier). The user interface may also enable the acquisition of the digital twin or a portion thereof based on the decentralized access element identifier and access data, as described below. This process may be initiated by a button labeled "Access DT". When the button is pressed, the code reader 1302 may send a request to access the digital twin or a portion thereof to the decentralized data consumption network node 510.

[0225] A decentralized data consumption network node 510 associated with a consumer of a chemical product may generate requests to access a digital twin or a portion thereof. The decentralized data consumption network node 510 may generate requests based on data received from a code reader 1302. For example, the decentralized data consumption network node 510 may generate requests based on a decentralized digital twin identifier received from a code reader 1302. The data consumption network node 510 may generate requests based on a decentralized access element identifier and / or a decentralized digital twin identifier provided to the database 1306. For example, the decentralized data consumption network node 510 may be configured to retrieve a decentralized digital twin identifier based on a decentralized access element identifier stored in the database 1306 and to access data from the decentralized registry 908. Requests generated by the decentralized data consumption network node 510 may include a decentralized digital twin identifier and a decentralized participant identifier associated with the decentralized data consumption network node 510. The decentralized data consumption network node 510 may be configured to determine the digital twin provider 424 associated with the digital twin based on access data provided by the code reader 1302 or obtained from the decentralized registry 908.

[0226] The decentralized data consumption network node 510 may send a request to access the digital twin or a portion thereof to the determined digital twin provider 424, as indicated by arrow 1308. The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with a chemical product producer. The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with a chemical production that produces chemical products. The digital twin provider 424 may be associated with the data owner of the digital twin. In addition to the request, authentication and / or authorization information may be provided by the decentralized data consumption network node 510, as described, for example, in relation to Figures 14A and 14B.

[0227] Requests can be authenticated (see Figures 14A and 14B). Requests can be validated by the digital twin provider 424, for example, by retrieving access rules from the digital twin provider 424's database based on the decentralized digital twin identifier contained in the received request. At least some of the retrieved access rules can be applied to the received request. This makes it possible to filter decentralized data-consuming network nodes requesting access based on the decentralized participant identifier associated with the network node. If a request is invalid, for example, if a decentralized data-consuming network node is not permitted to access the digital twin data, the peer-to-peer communication channel will be terminated by the digital twin provider 424 and the digital twin will not be provided.

[0228] If the request is valid, the digital twin provider 424 may initiate contract negotiations with the decentralized data consumption network node 510. The digital twin provider 424 may provide the decentralized data consumption network node 510 with an electronic contract. The electronic contract may include access rules associated with the decentralized digital twin identifier. This enables data consumers to determine the access and usage conditions associated with the desired data. The digital twin provider 424 and the decentralized data consumption network node 510 may be configured to negotiate and sign the electronic contract. By using the electronic contract, the decentralized data consumption network node 510 and any further systems handling the digital twin or part thereof are ensured to comply with the access rules associated with the digital twin. Once the electronic contract is signed, the digital twin provider 424 may retrieve or request the digital twin stored in the DT storage 422 based on the decentralized digital twin identifier included in the received request, as indicated by arrows 1310 and 1312. The digital twin provider 424 may apply the determined access rules to the retrieved or received digital twin. Subsequently, the digital twin provider 424 may provide the digital twin or a portion thereof to the decentralized data consumption network node 510 in accordance with the applied access rules, as indicated by arrow 1314.

[0229] The digital twin provided by the digital twin provider 424 may be stored in a database 1306 associated with the decentralized data consumption network node 510, according to access rules, as indicated by arrow 1316.

[0230] Through a decentralized digital twin identifier, a digital twin can be uniquely associated with a chemical product. Through a decentralized network, the digital twin, or a portion thereof, can be transferred between chemical producers and consumers in a standardized and secure manner, enabling chemical producers to control access to the digital twin, or a portion thereof, through multiple decentralized data consumption network nodes within the decentralized network. Thus, the digital twin, or a portion thereof, can be shared directly among participants in the chemical ecosystem without centralized mediation, through its unique association with a chemical product. This enables transparency of digital twins within the chemical ecosystem.

[0231] By generating digital twins of the physical entities of the produced chemical products, as well as digital access elements associated with the digital twins, it becomes possible to share the chemical product datasets contained in the digital twins under simplified and customizable conditions without compromising data security and data sovereignty.

[0232] Figures 14A and 14B illustrate exemplary methods for authentication to access a digital twin or a portion thereof associated with a chemical product, respectively.

[0233] In the authentication process, various communication patterns may be employed to verify the identification information.

[0234] Figure 14A shows one exemplary communication pattern that may occur between a digital twin provider or decentralized data serving network node 424 and a decentralized data consuming network node 510. In this case, the decentralized data serving network node 424 may function as a verification entity, and no separate service is used for authentication. The decentralized data consuming network node 510 may request a service from the decentralized data serving network node 424 (see step [1] in Figure 14A). The request may include a decentralized identifier such as a DID, or a certificate of the decentralized data consuming network node 510.

[0235] Upon request, the decentralized data provision network node 424 may access a registry, such as a centralized or decentralized authentication registry, to obtain data related to an authentication mechanism associated with a decentralized identifier. For example, a centralized authentication registry may provide data related to an authentication mechanism through an authentication service that issues access tokens. Furthermore, for example, a decentralized authentication registry may provide data related to an authentication mechanism by generating a request token. The data related to the authentication mechanism may include the public key of the decentralized data consumption network node 510.

[0236] Based on the acquired data related to the authentication mechanism, the decentralized data serving network node 424 may generate an authentication request (corresponding, for example, to an authentication request token or dynamic attribute talk) (see step [2] in Figure 14). The authentication request may be generated based on the public key of the decentralized data consumption network node 510 and / or the private key of the decentralized data serving network node 424. The generated authentication request may be sent to the decentralized data consumption network node 510 (see step [3] in Figure 14A).

[0237] Based on the received authentication request, the decentralized data serving consumption node 510 may generate authentication data to respond to the authentication request (see step [4] in Figure 14A). The generated authentication data may be sent back to the decentralized data serving network node 424 (see step [5] in Figure 14A).

[0238] Upon receiving a response containing authentication data from the decentralized data consumption network node 510, the decentralized data providing network node 424 may then verify the authentication data (see step [6] in Figure 14A). Depending on the verification, the decentralized data providing network node 424 may permit or deny the service request from the decentralized data consumption network node 510 (see step [7] in Figure 14A). If access is permitted, the decentralized data consumption network node 510 may provide a decentralized digital twin identifier associated with the digital twin to be retrieved, and a decentralized participant identifier associated with the decentralized data consumption network node 510 and the decentralized data providing network node 424, and may authenticate the received request, for example, by providing the digital twin or a portion thereof (at the time of authentication), as described in Figure 13.

[0239] Figure 14B shows another exemplary communication pattern that may occur between the digital twin provider or decentralized data delivery network node 424, the decentralized data consumption network node 510, and the authentication service 1404.

[0240] Firstly, the decentralized data consumption network node 510 may request a service or initiate communication with the decentralized data provision network node 424 (see step [1] in Figure 14B). The request may include a decentralized identifier, such as the DID of the decentralized data consumption network node 510, as described in relation to Figure 14A.

[0241] Upon receiving a request, the decentralized data delivery network node 424 may access the distributed ledger to obtain one or more authentication mechanisms associated with the decentralized identifier. Based on the obtained authentication mechanisms, the decentralized data delivery network node 424 may generate an authentication request (see step [2] in Figure 14B).

[0242] Here, at least one of the acquired authentication mechanisms may be provided via the authentication service 1404. Thus, in some embodiments, the generated authentication request may be sent directly to the authentication service 1404 (see step [3] in Figure 14B). Upon receiving an authentication request from the decentralized data delivery network node 424, the authentication service 1404 may generate authentication data (see step [4] in Figure 14B).

[0243] The authentication data generated by the authentication service 1404 can be sent to the decentralized data consumption network node 510 (see step [5] in Figure 14B).

[0244] The decentralized data consumption network node 510 may then pass authentication data to the decentralized data provision network node 424 (see step [6] in Figure 14B). Upon receiving the authentication data, the decentralized data provision network node 424 may then verify the authentication data (see step [7] in Figure 14B). Depending on the verification, the decentralized data provision network node 424 may permit or deny the service request from the decentralized data consumption network node 510 (see step [8] in Figure 14B). If access is permitted, the decentralized data consumption network node 510 may provide a decentralized digital twin identifier associated with the digital twin to be retrieved, and a decentralized participant identifier associated with the decentralized data consumption network node 510 and the decentralized data provision network node 424, and may authenticate the received request, for example, by providing the digital twin or a portion thereof (at the time of authentication), as described in Figure 13.

[0245] Alternatively, in some embodiments, after a decentralized data-serving network node 424 has generated an authentication request, the decentralized data-serving network node 424 may send the authentication request to a decentralized data-consuming network node 510. The decentralized data-consuming network node 510 may then pass the authentication request to an authentication service 1404.

[0246] Furthermore, after the authentication service 1404 has generated the authentication data, in some embodiments, the authentication service 1404 simply contacts the decentralized data consumption network node 510 to notify it of the receipt of the authentication request and obtain its consent. Upon receiving the notification, the decentralized data consumption network node 510 consents and sends that consent back to the authentication service 1404. Upon receiving the consent, the authentication service 1404 then directly transmits the authentication data to the decentralized data provision network node 424.

[0247] Finally, in many transactions, authentication can be performed mutually by both parties. In such a mutual authentication situation, each party involved is both the subject entity and the verification entity. The decentralized data consumption network node 510 and the decentralized data provision network node 424 have control over their decentralized identification information. First, the services exchange their decentralized identifiers. Next, each service accesses the distributed ledger to obtain each other's authentication mechanism. Each service then generates its own authentication request based on the other's identity authentication method. The generated authentication data is then sent to the other service. Upon receiving each other's authentication data, each service verifies the received authentication data. Based on the verification result, the services can then perform additional communication, for example, one service may permit or deny the other service's service request as described above.

[0248] Figures 14A and 14B simply illustrate examples of authentication protocols. Furthermore, while communication arrows are considered in a specific order or shown in a series of communications, unless otherwise noted, a specific order is not required, or a specific order is required because communications depend on the completion of other communications before they are sent.

[0249] This disclosure has been described in conjunction with embodiments and examples. However, a person skilled in the art who practices the claimed invention will be able to understand and implement other variations by examining the drawings, this disclosure, and the claims.

[0250] Any steps presented herein may be performed in any order. The methods disclosed herein are not limited to any particular order of these steps. It is not required that different steps be performed in a specific location or on a specific computing node of a distributed system; that is, each step may be performed on a different computing node using different equipment / data processing.

[0251] As used herein, “determining” includes “initiating or causing a determination,” “generating” includes “initiating and / or causing a generation,” and “providing” includes “initiating a determination, generation, selection, transmission, and / or reception, or causing a determination, generation, selection, transmission, and / or reception.” “Initiating or causing the execution of an action” includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node or device to perform the respective action.

[0252] In the claims and herein, the term “equipped with” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude plural. A single element or other unit may perform the function of several entities or items described in the claims. The mere fact that certain means are described in different dependent claims does not imply that a combination of these means cannot be used in a favorable implementation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product, comprising one or more computing nodes and one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by the one or more computing nodes, the following steps are taken: - Receiving a request to generate the digital twin, wherein the request includes data relating to the chemical product and data relating to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. - Collecting data associated with the chemical product from one or more distributed data sources based on the received data relating to the chemical product, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data relating to the production and / or use of the chemical product. - To provide the collected data and a decentralized digital twin identifier optionally associated with the data owner, - Obtaining at least one embodiment model associated with a chemical product (based on the received data relating to the at least one embodiment model), - To generate a digital twin dataset associated with the chemical product by applying each acquired embodiment model to the collected data, - To generate the digital twin which includes the decentralized digital twin identifier and at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset, The apparatus is configured to perform the following: one or more computer-readable media, A device equipped with [a certain feature].

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes chemical product data, in particular the chemical product data includes data relating to the use of the chemical product, data relating to the production of the chemical product, one or more chemical product identifiers, chemical product names, chemical product compositions, chemical and / or physical properties of the chemical product, emissions data of the chemical product, recyclable contents data of the chemical product, bio-based contents data of the chemical product, renewable contents data of the chemical product, chemical product production data, chemical product declaration data, chemical product safety data, a certificate of analytical data associated with the chemical product, a certificate associated with the chemical product, or a combination thereof.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the digital twin further includes a digital twin dataset identifier associated with the digital twin dataset.

4. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one digital twin dataset included in the digital twin comprises at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or the at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product.

5. To collect the data associated with the aforementioned chemical product, - To provide one or more distributed data sources that include data associated with the chemical product, wherein at least one of the distributed data sources includes data instances related to the chemical product. - Determining one or more chemical product identifiers associated with the chemical product (based on the received data relating to the chemical product), - Using the determined chemical product identifier, collect data associated with the chemical product from the provided distributed data source, The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, including

6. The apparatus according to any one of the prior claims, wherein at least one acquired embodiment model relates to an environmental attribute associated with a chemical product.

7. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is a decentralized participant network node of a decentralized network.

8. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising providing the generated digital twin or a portion thereof to a decentralized data-serving network node associated with the data owner of the digital twin, for access by a decentralized data-consuming network node, wherein the access to the digital twin or a portion thereof is controlled by the decentralized data-serving network node associated with the data owner.

9. A computer-aided method for generating a digital twin of a physical entity of a chemical product, - Receiving a request to generate the digital twin, wherein the request includes data relating to the chemical product and data relating to at least one embodiment model associated with the chemical product. - Collecting data associated with the chemical product from one or more distributed data sources based on the received data relating to the chemical product, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data relating to the production and / or use of the chemical product. - To provide the collected data and a decentralized digital twin identifier optionally associated with the data owner, - Obtaining at least one embodiment model associated with a chemical product (based on the received data relating to the at least one embodiment model), - To generate a digital twin dataset by applying each acquired model to the collected data, - To generate the digital twin which includes the provided decentralized digital twin identifier and at least a portion of the generated digital twin dataset, A computer implementation method, including

10. A system for generating digital twins of the physical entities of chemical products, - A data source layer configured to provide data associated with the chemical product from one or more distributed data sources, wherein the data associated with the chemical product includes at least one measured physical and / or chemical property of the chemical product, and / or at least one physical and / or chemical property determined from collected data associated with the production and / or use of the chemical product, - A service layer configured to optionally collect the data provided by one or more distributed data sources, optionally transform the collected data, and provide the collected or transformed data, - A consumer layer that consumes the data provided by one or more distributed data sources or provided by the service layer, and is configured to generate the digital twin in accordance with the computer implementation method described in claim 9, or by the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 8, - A connector layer comprising at least one decentralized data-serving network node configured to optionally provide access to the generated digital twin and / or at least one digital twin dataset contained in the digital twin by at least one decentralized data-consuming network node associated with a decentralized network participant, A system that includes these features.

11. A method for providing chemical products associated with a digital twin, - Producing the aforementioned chemical product from one or more input materials through chemical production, - Generating the digital twin using the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or according to the computer implementation method described in claim 9, or using the system described in claim 10, - Assigning the physical identifier associated with the produced chemical product to the decentralized identifier included in the digital twin, Methods that include...

12. Use of a digital twin generated by an apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or by a computer implementation according to claim 9, or by a system according to claim 10, for processing the chemical product associated with the digital twin.

13. A digital twin generated by the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or by the computer implementation method described in claim 9, or by the system described in claim 10.

14. A computer implementation method for generating digital access elements associated with a digital twin of a chemical product, - To generate the digital twin associated with the chemical product using the apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or in accordance with the computer implementation method described in claim 9, or by the system described in claim 10, - Receiving a request to provide a distributed access element identifier associated with the digital twin of the chemical product, - In response to the above request, provide the distributed access element identifier and generate the digital access element including the provided distributed access element identifier associated with the digital twin and access data, - Optionally, to provide the generated digital access elements for accessing the digital twin or a portion thereof by a decentralized data consumption network node, under the control of a decentralized data provision network node associated with the data owner of the digital twin or a portion thereof, A computer implementation method, including

15. A computer element having an instruction, wherein, when executed by a computing node or computing system, the instruction instructs the computing node or computing system to perform a step of the computer implementation method described in claim 9, or, when executed by an apparatus or system described in claims 1 to 8 and 10, instructs the apparatus or system to perform a step configured to be performed by the apparatus or system.

Images