Digital Twin – as instrument for observing changes and trends on the Earth’s surface

This article presents a very current topic of the use of modern earth observations techniques at the interface of surface and subsurface methods in the process of geomonitoring of the post- mining. The main purpose of the project “Digital Twin” is to use methods to detect changes, surface as well as subsurface trends occurring in the post-mining areas and relate them to environmental processes and climate changes. This is important to distinguish between environmental and artificial, mining effects and influences. The research areas for this project is the former mining area of the closed Prosper-Haniel hardcoal mine. The “Digital Twin” project, funded by RAG-Stiftung (no. 20–0013), covers a wide range of research topics, ranging from modelling geological subsurface structures in order to visualize in three-dimension. Through a spatiotemporal analysis of available satellite data, a comparison and a verification of the obtained results using in-situ measurements, with mobile GIS applications and copter flights with a multispectral and thermal sensor the data is fully integrated. The deep integration of the various sensors, data and information levels is an enabler for the energy sector in its transformation to keep the social license to operate.