Indonesia’s Transition Toward Digital Twin in Smart Cities Development: An Integrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59261/jequi.v8i1.274Keywords:
Digital twin, energy efficiency, indonesia’s smart city, systematic literature reviewAbstract
Background: Indonesia's rapid urbanization, particularly in megacities like Jakarta, requires innovative solutions for optimizing urban infrastructure and sustainability. Digital Twin (DT) technology presents a promising approach to improving energy efficiency in smart buildings and advancing the smart city agenda. However, challenges in infrastructure, workforce skills, and regulatory support hinder its implementation.
Objective: This study reviews the application of DT technologies in Indonesia's smart city development, focusing on energy efficiency in smart buildings. It explores DT adoption, identifies barriers, and proposes strategies for overcoming these challenges.
Methods: An integrative review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted, analyzing 260 peer-reviewed articles published from 2002 to 2025. The review examined global trends, policy alignment, DT applications, enabling technologies, and barriers in Indonesia.
Finding: DT technology is increasingly applied in smart building energy management in Indonesia, including smart building monitoring and dynamic construction projects. However, adoption is limited by challenges such as inadequate IoT infrastructure, high investment costs, fragmented governance, and lack of technical expertise. The Indonesian government's 100 Smart Cities initiative offers a supportive policy framework for DT implementation.
Conclusion:The study highlights the potential of DT to enhance energy efficiency and support sustainable urban development in Indonesia. It recommends addressing barriers through coordinated policies, investments in IoT infrastructure, and human capital development. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies and cross-city comparisons to evaluate DT's effectiveness in urban sustainability.
Downloads
References
Adamenkoa, D., Kunnena, S., Pluhnaua, R., Loibla, A., & Nagarajah, A. (2020). Review and comparison of the methods of designing the Digital Twin. Procedia CIRP 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2020.02.146
Asian Development Bank. (2025). Digital Twin Framework A Practical Guide.
Attaran, M., & Celik, B. G. (2023). Digital Twin: Benefits, use cases, challenges, and opportunities. Decision Analytics Journal, 6(January), 100165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dajour.2023.100165
Berlian, Hanifah, R. N., & Nugroho, R. A. (2025). Smart City Policy and SDGs: Case Study From Across Countries. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Social and Political Sciences. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-368-9_16
Budiono, F. L., & Budiarto, H. (2024). The Implementation of Smart Campus Design for the Jogja Digital Polytechnic. 2024 International Conference on ICT for Smart Society (ICISS). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICISS62896.2024.10751658
Caprari, G., Castelli, G., Montouri, M., Camardelli, M., & Malvezzi, R. (2022). Digital Twin for Urban Planning in the Green Deal Era: A State of the Art and Future Perspectives. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214893
Carrera-Rivera, A., Ochoa, W., Larrinaga, F., & Lasa, G. (2022). How-to conduct a systematic literature review: A quick guide for computer science research. MethodsX, 9, 101895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2022.101895
Cespedes-Cubides, A. S., & Jradi, M. (2024). A review of building digital twins to improve energy efficiency in the building operational stage. Energy Informatics, 7(11). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42162-024-00313-7
Dakwale, V. A., Ralegaonkar, R. V., & Mandavgane, S. (2011). Improving environmental performance of building through increased energy efficiency: A review. Sustainable Cities and Society, 1(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2011.07.007
Datta, S. (2016). Emergence of Digital Twins Is this the march of reason? In Massachusetts Institute of Technology Auto-ID Laboratory.
Feriadi, H., & Wong, N. H. (2004). Thermal comfort for naturally ventilated houses in Indonesia. Energy and Buildings, 614–626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2004.01.011
Ferré-Bigorra, J., Casals, M., & Gangolells, M. (2022). The adoption of urban digital twins. Cities, 131(August 2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103905
Gupta, S., Kumar, N., & Bhalla, S. (2023). Citation metrics and evaluation of journals and conferences. Journal of Information Science, 51(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/01655515231151411
Hermawan, H. R. N., Ronilaya, F., Hidayat, M. N., Wiharya, C., Hermawan, A., & Hermawan, S. L. (2024). Smart Management of Power Transformers: A GIS and IoT Approach for Improved Efficiency. 2024 International Conference of Adisutjipto on Aerospace Electrical Engineering and Informatics (ICAAEEI). https://doi.org/10.1109/ICAAEEI63658.2024.10899155
Husni, H. S., Gaol, F. L., Supangkat, S. H., & Ranti, B. (2022). Digital Twin Concept For Indonesia Digital Government Information Technology Governance. International Journal Science Technology, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.56127/ijst.v1i2.146
Hutajulu, A. F. N., Pasaribu, K., & Panuluh, A. A. (2025). The Barriers of Adopting Digital Twin In Indonesian Industry: The Innovation Resistance Theory. Journal of Social Research.
Imbar, R. V., Supangkat, S. H., Langi, A. Z. R., & Arman, A. A. (2023). Measurement of Campus Smartness: The Development of Smart Campus Model. 2023 10th International Conference on ICT for Smart Society (ICISS).
Indonesiabaik.id. (2018). Menuju 100 Smart City. Indonesiabaik.Id.
Institute for Essential Services Reform. (2024). Membangun Kota Rendah Emisi di Indonesia. Iesr.or.Id.
Jafari, M., Kavousi-Fard, A., Chen, T., & Karimi, M. (2023). A review on digital twin technology in smart grid, transportation system and smart city. IEEE Access, 11. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241588
Joss, S., Cowley, R., & Tomozeiu, D. (2013). Towards the ‘ubiquitous eco-city’: An analysis of the internationalisation of eco-city policy and practice. Urban Research & Practice, 6. https://doi.org/10.1080/17535069.2012.762216
Kitchin, R. (2016). The Ethics of Smart Cities and Urban Science. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2016.0115
Kusdiwanggo, S., Citraningrum, A., Iyati, W., Putri, D. H., & Adhitama, M. S. (2024). Digital documentation of heritage buildings – A case study of Sumenep Palace Building, Madura Island, Indonesia. AIP Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0209630
Martínez-Falcó, J., Sánchez-García, E., Marco-Lajara, B., & Georgantzis, N. (2024). The interplay between competitive advantage and sustainability in the wine industry: a bibliometric and systematic review. Discover Sustainability, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00196-4
Meijer, A., & Bolivar, M. P. R. (2015). Governing the smart city: a review of the literature on smart urban governance. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852314564308
Ministry of Communication and Digital Republic of Republic of Indonesia. (2017). Guideline Masterplan Smart City: Gerakan Menuju 100 Smart City.
Naeem, M., Ozuem, W., Howell, K., & Ranfagni, S. (2023). A step-by-step process of thematic analysis to develop a conceptual model in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22, 16094069231205788.
Narong, D. K., & Hallinger, P. (2024). Traversing the Evolution of Research on Engineering Education for Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review (1991–2022). Sustainability (Switzerland), 16(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020641
Nugraha, T. (2024). Smart Cities Opportunities in Indonesia and Lesson for Developing Countries. Modern Diplomacy.
Ohueri, C. C., Masrom, M. A. N., Habil, H., & Ambashe, M. S. (2023). IoT-based digital twin best practices for reducing operational carbon in building retrofitting: a mixed-method approach. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-08-2023-0827
Opoku, D.-G. J., Perera, S., Osei-Kyei, R., Rashidi, M., Bamdad, K., & Famakinwa, T. (2023). Barriers to the Adoption of Digital Twin in the Construction Industry: A Literature Review. Informatics, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics10010014
Prihatmanto, A. S., Sukoco, A., Budiyono, A., Tresnawati, D., Lestari, N., & Sukmana, H. T. (2024). Architecture Transformation: Integrating Smart Systems for Intelligent Agent-Based Service Management in Smart Organizations. IEEE Access, 12. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3456845
Qi, Q., & Tao, F. (2018). Digital Twin and Big Data Towards Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0. IEEE Access, 6. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2018.2793265
Rodemann, T., & Unger, R. (2018). Smart Company Digital Twin - Supporting Controller Development and Testing Using FMI.
Rupasinghe, L. R., Pushpakumari, M. D., & Perera, G. D. N. (2024). Mapping the knowledge of green innovation: a systematic literature review. Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences, 6(4), 357–376. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhass-10-2023-0148
Sadri, H., Yitmen, I., Tagliabue, L. C., Westphal, F., Tezel, A., Taheri, A., & Sibenik, G. (2023). Integration of Blockchain and Digital Twins in the Smart Built Environment Adopting Disruptive Technologies—A Systematic Review. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043713
Siswipraptini, P. C., Aziza, R. N., Siregar, R. R. A., & Ramadhan, A. (2024). Smart Home Energy Management Systems: A Systematic Review of Architecture, Communication, and Algorithmic Trends. Journal of System and Management Sciences, 14(11). https://doi.org/10.33168/JSMS.2024.1108
Suryawan, I. W. K., Mulyana, R., Septiariva, I. Y., Prayogo, W., Suhardono, S., Sari, M. M., & Ulhasanah, N. (2024). Smart urbanism, citizen-centric approaches and integrated environmental services in transit-oriented development in Jakarta, Indonesia. Research in Globalization, 8. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2023.100181
Susanto, D., Alifa, R. P., Aylien, S., & Alkadri, M. F. (2025). Advancing building façade design: digital fabrication of an optimized non-conventional roster brick prototype. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering. https://doi.org/0.1080/13467581.2025.2505795
Tura, N., & Ojanen, V. (2022). Sustainability-oriented innovations in smart cities: A systematic review and emerging themes. Cities, 126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103716
Weil, C., Bibri, S. E., Longchamp, R., Golay, F., & Alahi, A. (2023). Urban Digital Twin Challenges: A Systematic Review and Perspectives for Sustainable Smart Cities. Sustainable Cities and Society, 99(August). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104862
Wibowo, F., Putra, K. T., Syamsudin, M., Suheri, & Vasseur, C. (2024). A 3D Digital Twin Dashboard for Enhanced IoT-based Smart Building Monitoring and Control. 2024 4th International Conference on Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Intelligent System (ICE3IS).
World Bank Group. (2021). Beyond Unicorns: Harnessing Digital Technologies for Inclusion in Indonesia. World Bank Group.
Yang, B., Lv, Z., & Wang, F. (2022). Digital Twins for Intelligent Green Buildings. Buildings, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12060856
Yogi, M. R. A., Berawi, M. A., & Sari, M. (2024). A qualitative review on the implementation of dynamic digital twin construction monitoring for Indonesia’s Nusantara new capital city developmen. AIP Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0235629
Zahedi, F., Alavi, H., Sardroud, J. M., & Dang, H. (2024). Digital Twins in the Sustainable Construction Industry. Buildings, 14(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113613
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mombang Sihite, Aisyah Pia Asrunputri

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.



