Towards the ontology-based consolidation of production-centric standards

Production-­centric international standards are intended to serve as an important route towards information sharing across manufacturing decision support systems. As a consequence of textual-­based definitions of concepts acknowledged within these standards, their inability to fully interoperate becomes an issue especially since a multitude of standards are required to cover the needs of extensive domains such as manufacturing industries. To help reinforce the current understanding to support the consolidation of production-­centric standards for improved information sharing, this article explores the specification of well-defined core concepts which can be used as a basis for capturing tailored semantic definitions. The potentials of two heavyweight ontological approaches, notably Common Logic (CL) and the Web Ontology Language (OWL) as candidates for the task, are also exposed. An important finding regarding these two methods is that while an OWL-­based approach shows capabilities towards applications which may require flexible hierarchies of concepts, a CL-­based method represents a favoured contender for scoped and facts-­driven manufacturing applications

The role of strategy in the evolution and innovation of information systems: A simulation experiment

The potential of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for increasing supply chain efficiency has been repeatedly stressed by practitioners and researchers alike. The cross-company usage of RFID applications can only work if the collaborating companies agree on the syntax and semantic used. EPCglobal, an international industry consortium, has specified a stack of specifications that enable a standardized identifier to be stored on the RFID tag and all object related data to be kept on the network. Such a standardized concept does not yet exist to store object related data on RFID tags. To minimize the coordination effort as well as the emerging interoperability or integration problems and, therefore, also guarantee wide-spread adoption of the data-on-tag approach, it is advisable to build on existing standards for the storage of data on RFID tags. In this paper, we recommend applying the ISO 13584 standard for parts libraries (PLIB). We conceptualize how to use ISO 13584 to store data on RFID tags and use a case study on a kitchen furniture manufacturer, which uses RFID tagged components in a cross-company application with its suppliers, to develop a scenario for the storage of data on RFID tags

Towards implementing integrated building product libraries

Electronic product catalogues and brochures are gaining popularity but there is little agreement on content, format and searching methods. This limits their usability and integration with existing construction software tools. This paper examines a productmodelling approach to delivering building product information and describes a proposed multi-tier client-server environment. ISO/STEP and IAI/IFC building product models are considered to facilitate representation, exchange and sharing of product information. The proposed architecture incorporates scalability with middleware components that would provide single or few points of entry to integrated product information. This paper is part of a research project, which builds on the results of related projects including ConstructIT Strategy, PROCAT-GEN, Active Catalog, COMBINE and ARROW, towards implementing the required software components

The Development of an Ontology-Based Model for Manpower Planning

Manpower planning is complex and demanding task, because in establishing the factual insights of an enterprise, one is required to have the in-depth knowledge of forecasting manpower planning and practices, as well as the knowledge of macroeconomics of the particular business involved. Inconsistency information and lack of knowledge during decision-making process could generate to inaccurate decision. In addition, massive amount of information in unstructured forms need to be managed into a systematic manner. The aim of this research is to develop a generic ontology-based architecture for supporting manpower planning and proves the effectiveness of integrating information extraction from diverse source in supporting information for manpower forecasting. Ontology is built to capture and structure domain expert knowledge based on criteria and preferences for selecting manpower forecasting adjustment. Currently, the framework is under implementation as a research prototype

Handling domain knowledge in system design models. An ontology based approach.

Complex systems models are designed in heterogeneous domains and this heterogeneity is rarely considered explicitly when describing and validating processes. Moreover, these systems usually involve several domain experts and several design models corresponding to different analyses (views) of the same system. However, no explicit information regarding the characteristics neither of the domain nor of the performed system analyses is given. In our thesis, we propose a general framework offering first, the formalization of domain knowledge using ontologies and second, the capability to strengthen design models by making explicit references to the domain knowledgeformalized in these ontology. This framework also provides resources for making explicit the features of an analysis by formalizing them within models qualified as ‘’points of view ‘’. We have set up two deployments of our approach: a Model Driven Engineering (MDE) based deployment and a formal methods one based on proof and refinement. This general framework has been validated on several no trivial case studies issued from system engineering

Modelos de metabolismo cíclico y procesos energéticos asociado en ecosistemas industriales con agentes inteligentes

En la actualidad existen diversas alternativas para concebir productos y sistemas que al final de su vida se integren al metabolismo de la Tecnoesfera o de la Naturesfera. Entre estas técnicas se encuentra el Ecodiseño, Ecología Industrial, ACV, C2C, producción limpia en la fase de diseño y manufactura directa. En la fase de manufactura inversa existen distintos enfoques tales como reciclaje o las bolsas de subproductos y subsustancias, cuya gestión permite poner en contacto a los agentes productivos de la tecnoesfera al objeto de cerrar ciclos. Estas tareas tienen requerimientos de intercambio de información y requieren conocimiento para el cierre de los ciclos en atención a la ecocompatibilidad, toxicidad y eficiencia energética. En el presente trabajo se formula el estado del arte del cierre de ciclos sobre la tecnoesfera en la manufactura inversa y se realiza una propuesta de gestión de los procesos de comunicación, esbozando una ontología de conocimiento con agentes inteligentes que de soporte a la manufactura inversa basada en ciclos cerrados sobre la tecnoesfera o naturesfera, ecocompatibles y con eficiencia en procesos energéticos.Actually there are several alternatives to products and systems design that in the end of its life are integrated into Technosphere or Natursphere metabolism. Among these techniques is Ecodesign, Industrial Ecology, LCA, C2C, clean production from the design phase and direct manufacturing, etc. In inverse manufacturing phase there are different approaches such as recycling or byproducts and substances, whose management allows contacting the technosphere productive agents in order to close cycles. These tasks have requirements for exchange of information and knowledge for closing cycles is required in response to eco-compatibility, toxicity, and energy efficiency. In this paper the state of the art of closing cycles on the technosphere in inverse manufacturing is formulated and a proposed management communication process is performed. This is done by outlining ontology of knowledge based on intelligent agents to provide support inverse manufacturing based in closed cycles on the technosphere or natursphere, eco-compatible and efficient in energy process