The e-COL plus Project, an Opportunity to Reflect on the Concept of Digital Twin

The mass digitization efforts associated with the e-COL+ project, focusing on French natural history collections, provide an invaluable opportunity to reassess the need to build a comprehensive 3D digital collection to complement existing 2D digital repositories. This article explores the importance of incorporating 3D data into digital collections, highlighting its significant impact on scientific research, conservation efforts, and public outreach campaigns. Although the e-COL+ project faces practical obstacles related to digitization, it also raises important theoretical questions about the complex interplay between physical and digital objects. Here, we challenge the concepts of digital clone and digital twin that are commonly used in the construction of digital collections. The digital twin concept more accurately captures the intricate and adaptive connection between physical and digital entities that results from the precise digitization techniques used and the evolving characteristics of the specimens found in natural history collections.