“Digital Twin” of the Arctic Population in Demographic Research and Territorial Development Management

The article considers “digital twins” of the population as a tool for socio-demographic research and territorial management. The experience of creating digital twins of the population and interactive websites devoted to demographic issues is systematized. A methodology for creating a digital twin of the Arctic population is proposed, based on three methodological principles: consideration of the hierarchy of territories, spatial representation of data, and combining demographic statistics with new digital data sources. The author has developed the Digital twin of the Arctic population — an interactive website (dashboard) containing detailed data on the Arctic population, including municipal and settlement levels. It includes demographic statistics, census results and data from digital platforms. The Digital twin of the Arctic population covers such issues as the size, dynamics and composition of the population, resettlement, natural and migration movement, labor and employment, transport movements, science and education, and the impact of the pandemic on demographic processes. Tools of ranking, multivariate analysis, clustering and forecasting of indicator values are implemented for researchers. From the viewpoint of state and municipal management, the main interest is the demographic profiles of regions and territories, reflecting up-to-date information about the demographic situation. Using the Digital twin of the Arctic population, the author draws conclusions about the spatial patterns of the demographic development of the Russian Arctic.