Overview
ISO/IEC 20924:2024 - Internet of Things (IoT) and digital twin - Vocabulary (Edition 3.0) is the updated international terminology foundation for IoT and digital twin technologies. This third edition cancels and replaces the 2021 edition and constitutes a technical revision that adds new terms, updates existing definitions to align with current IoT usage, and extends digital twin vocabularies. As a vocabulary standard, ISO/IEC 20924 provides consistent definitions for critical concepts such as Internet of Things, digital entity, virtual entity, physical entity, service, interface, and trustworthiness.
Key Topics
- Core terminology for IoT and digital twin ecosystems, including:
- General terms: application, architecture, asset, data, information, identifier, interoperability, network, service, component, safety.
- IoT-specific terms: actuator, actuating, data acquisition functional system, digital user, electronic label (EL), electronic label system (ELS), wearable device, endpoint, discovery service.
- Digital twin terms: virtual entity and extensions to digital twin vocabularies that clarify how digital replicas relate to physical entities.
- Alignment with related ISO/IEC standards (definitions sourced from ISO/IEC 27000, ISO/IEC 22123-1, ISO/IEC 30169, ISO/IEC 30144, ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, etc.).
- Emphasis on terminology that supports interoperability, clear architecture descriptions, and consistent use of vocabulary across standards and implementations.
- Normative status: no normative references within the document-its primary role is to unify language used across IoT and digital twin standardization.
Applications
ISO/IEC 20924 is practical for anyone who needs a common, authoritative vocabulary when designing, specifying, or regulating IoT and digital twin systems:
- System architects and engineers - ensure consistent use of terms in reference architectures, interface specifications, and system documentation.
- Standards developers and regulators - harmonize definitions across technical standards and policy documents to avoid ambiguity.
- Product managers and procurement teams - use standardized terminology in requirements, tender documents, and interoperability testing criteria.
- Developers and integrators - map concepts like digital entity, data store, and endpoint to implementation artifacts (cloud services, edge gateways, sensors, actuators).
- Academics and trainers - teach IoT and digital twin fundamentals with authoritative definitions.
Related standards
Examples of referenced standards and sources used for definitions:
Using ISO/IEC 20924:2024 supports clearer communication, better interoperability, and more robust specification of IoT and digital twin projects across industries.
