Doug Migliori  GLOBAL FIELD CTO CLOUDBLUE writes

"The metaverse represents a massive paradigm shift that promises to redefine how we approach solving problems through technology. The earliest and biggest opportunities to apply its concepts lie in industry, where leading organizations are already leveraging the building blocks of the metaverse – whether they know it or not – in the deployment of digital twins that will one day form systems of systems that comprise entire virtual worlds. 

Industrial metaverse and digital twin technologies can help model and refine systems, assess the related impact on other systems, and predict the overall effect on the global system of systems. This is the first article in a series covering the industrial metaverse and interoperable digital twins that can be utilized to achieve breakthrough solutions for the toughest world problems."

And provide the link to this very imformative article

https://embeddedcomputing.com/application/industrial/industrial-iot/industrial-metaverse-blueprints-definitions-requirements-for-the-most-impactful-economic-outcomes-part-1

An extract follows Be sure to read the complete article

Gartner[1] defines the Metaverse as “a collective virtual open space created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality. It’s physically persistent and provides enhanced immersive experiences.” IDC[2] defines the metaverse as an evolution of today’s internet that leverages mobile devices, augmented and virtual reality headsets and next-generation networks to create persistent and continuous user experiences with a strong sense of presence.

Neither are inaccurate. However, neither accurately portrays the depth, scale, and potential of the metaverse beyond its current, nascent form or its value beyond basic human entertainment as a solution to some of the world’s most pressing, complex problems.

Indeed, the metaverse represents a massive paradigm shift that promises to redefine how we approach solving problems through technology. The earliest and biggest opportunities to apply its concepts lie in industry, where leading organizations are already leveraging the building blocks of the metaverse – whether they know it or not – in the deployment of digital twins that will one day form systems of systems that comprise entire virtual worlds.

This is the first article in a series covering the industrial metaverse and digital twin technologies, applications, current industry activities, and the potential for standards. We encourage you to follow this series, comment, and ask questions. Participation and collaboration are critical as we embark on what may be the most significant inflection point in the history of technology.

The Imperative for Change

Humanity has come a long way. Since the invention of the Internet, our global society has made tremendous economic and social progress. We can literally learn about anything with the click of a button. We can feed more people per square acre, cure more illnesses, travel around the world in a day, and communicate with anyone anywhere in the world from our home.

In stark contrast to these impressive advances is the realization of how much waste occurs. A 2010 executive report from IBM Global Business Services[3]  cited that more than 50 percent of the world’s food supply never makes it to consumers. Thirty-five percent of all water used every year is wasted by poor agricultural management. Twenty-five percent of electricity generated each year is never consumed. Road congestion and poor infrastructure routing issues in the U.S. alone waste enough crude oil annually to meet the entire demand of Germany and the Netherlands combined for two years.

To this point, progress in a given domain (e.g., infrastructure) has been the result of designing, deploying, and advancing each system within its own context – with little-to-no consideration for how that system interacts as a part of our global society. Today’s challenges – adequate food, clean water supply, energy shortages, climate change – cannot be solved by the same siloed approach. These challenges are impacted by many systems and industries and require more than a single advancement within a single system.

A new mindset is critical to solve these challenges.

A System of Systems Approach

The IBM report views our world as a complex “system of systems” with each system interacting with others in a variety of ways. Collectively, this system-of-systems comprises 100% of our gross domestic product (GDP).

The IBM report concludes that these systems are not simply interrelated – they are highly dependent on each other. Inefficiencies not only lie within each system, but also in the interrelationships of these systems.