The complexity of today's engineering systems necessitates a mixture of modeling approaches, from conceptual system models to detailed three-dimensional models. The diversity and evolutionary nature of the models, data sets, practices, and regulatory requirements pose significant challenges and emphasize the importance of managing consistency across the life cycle. However, managing consistency of these models within each technological and cultural stack is problematic, and the ability to interact between these stacks when different organizations need to collaborate is daunting. The Digital Thread, when mechanized in a digital ecosystem, becomes the authorized environment for managing the consistency of this information across technology and cultural stacks.

The recent paper titled "Digital Thread: Definition, Value, and Reference Model" (has been also archived in the NAFEMS Resource Center under this link) released by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) aims to advance the use of Digital Threads across the aerospace industry. In particular, it highlights a detailed definition, value statement, and reference model, and recommends five actions associated with the business case, technical considerations, and education and training. The paper is a collaboration with the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the Americas Regional Steering Committee of the International Association for the Engineering Modelling, Analysis and Simulation Community (NAFEMS), with substantial contributions made by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Patterns Working Group and the Digital Twin Consortium, a community of the Object Management Group (OMG).