Ontology-Based Process Modelling for Design

Abstract

The design process for large systems, e.g., industrial plants, involves large multi-disciplinary teams. Since each discipline has its own specialised concerns, the common thread is describing the functional requirements of an artefact. In the oil and gas industry, Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) companies are responsible for designing industrial plants whose later use requires exchange of information which is often based on different formats and leads to huge costs due to interoperability overhead. One contender in this space is the ISO15926 standard used for industrial design data interchange. We examine several challenges the standard poses for the conceptual and detailed design phases, and provide an alternative framework grounded on a firm ontological foundation incorporating advanced modelling concepts such as multi-level models and roles that provide a basis for the effective development of meta-model mappings, a novel approach for organisations needing to map to ISO15926.