CIMOSA - News

Vol. 5/3, date 98-09-30

Editor. M. Zelm, Gehenbuehlstr. 18A, D-70499 Stuttgart

Announcement:

The CIMOSA - News is published by the CIMOSA Association. The CIMOSA News will report on CIMOSA applications, evolution of its technical specification, advancements in standardisation and related items. Contributions from other parties are welcome. The CIMOSA - News will be printed periodically and will be distributed to all parties interested in CIMOSA. The CIMOSA - News is also available in WWW under the address http://cimosa.cnt.pl/News/

Co-operations
Standardisation
Special Issue in Computers in Industry
Upcoming Events
CIMOSA Promotion material
CIMOSA Literature

CIMOSA Association

Co-operations

PRIMA II (EP 20775): XML Representation of CIMOSA Models.

A project team, lead by Daniel Rivers-Moore, Rivcom, UK with people from the PRIMA project and the CIMOSA Association have started work on the XML representation of CIMOSA models. Objective is to prove the concept and develop a browser-based interface in order to demonstrate:

the capability of using a formal representation (XML syntax), for enterprise models built according to CIMOSA.
the creation of sets of "style rules" which, when applied to the XML representation of an actual model, will enable a user to navigate and interact with the model using an XML-aware Web browser.
the ability for different categories of user (for ex-ample, business user, manager, modeller) to choose their relevant views on the model through the use of an appropriate choice of style rules.

The benefits include:

extending the XML representation to cover the full range of CIMOSA constructs, in order to allow CIMOSA-based models to be exchanged in a neu-tral format between different modelling tools.
creating style sheets that give users the ability to interact more fully with the model (for example, enabling them to add annotations or comments to the model descriptions to reflect the details of how the processes are carried out in a particular depart-ment or site, or even to add further processes, ac-tivities, etc to the model itself)
making use of XML's ability to define rich networks of logical links between information elements, in order to relate the content of the model directly with other information assets on a corporate intranet and provide the groundwork from which further work can be done later.

Deliverables:

A list of the CIMOSA constructs mapped to XML.
An XML DTD (Document Type Definition) and an explanation of how the CIMOSA constructs map to it.
A set of XML files conforming to the DTD devel-oped in Stage 2, and representing the full content of the sample model.
A working demonstrator showing the model being able to be browsed and navigated in a Web browser according to a number of different views. All deliverables to be completed before the beginning of the wrap-up phase of PRIMA in December 1998.

At the PRIMA II Plenary Meeting held in Milan on September 8/9, out of the business functional require-ments (BFRs) of fifteen high level business processes developed in the project, four BFRs were reviewed and discussed, namely the BFRs on Quality Documentation Management , Lifecycle Information Asset Management, Online Operating Procedures and Plant Commissioning. All BFRs need further detailing work to the level of Enterprise Activities. An intensive discussion went on about the role, needs and priorities of the conceptual information model vis-a-vis the activity-process model during the creation of an enterprise model. Target is to use the BFRs in textual form or on modelling tools as a management and documentation vehicle and to de-velop pilot applications based on these requirements models. One outstanding example demo for online operator certification was presented. More informa-tion can be found at prima-europe.com

DARIF

Towards the termination of the DARIF project by YE 1998, a number of prototypes have been developed and installed at most of the SME user companies of the consortium. The pilots in the area of BP model-ling and Workflow - besides internet based informa-tion systems - cover very practical applications like process simulation for resource optimisation in parts manufacturing, shop floor buffer strategies, parts/product buffer control, structured control of factory equipment, manufacturing management of micro parts and systems. A presentation of all results will take place in Stuttgart within a special forum (98-12-08/09), more information is provided at http://www.darif.fh-offenburg.de.

Standardisation

ISO TC184/SC5/WG1 has submitted ISO/DIS 15704 'Requirements for Enterprise Reference Architectures and Methodology' to the member countries for ballot. Voting to be completed by 98-12-23. The voting for ISO/FDIS 14258 'Concepts and rules for enterprise modelling' has been completed and the standard has been accepted.

CEN TC 310 held a meeting in Senlis/France on September 08 with the objective to further develop the new work item on EMEIS (Enterprise Model Execution and Integration Services). The general structure of EMEIS has stabilised with the division into enterprise model development services (MDS), model execution services (MXS) and shared services to be supported by general IT. Each group of services contains several main services which are further structured into layers of sub-service functionality. The current version contains the following main services for the three groups:

MDS: Model creation (construct types, partial models, particular models), Model assessment (animation, simulation), Model management (component, configuration, Model build time re-pository).
MXS: Process management (event, business process, resource, activity), Presentation dialogue management (human, machine, application), In-formation management, System management (configuration, run time repository).
Shared Services: Reliability, Security, Contract and broking, Model encapsulation, Model distri-bution.
Base IT services. To be identified and provided by general IT.

The need for further detailing is to be discussed. The next Meeting to be held at Danish Standard, Copen-hagen, December 3/4.

Special Issue in Computers in Industry

A special issue on 'CIMOSA: CIM Open Systems Architecture - Evolution and Application in Enter-prise Engineering and Integration' with invited pa-pers will be published as a double issue of Computers in Industry edited by members of the CIMOSA Asso-ciation. The special issue will cover evolution and applications in Enterprise Engineering and Integra-tion, tools and Infrastructures as well as standardisa-tion - with reference to CIMOSA. The abstracts have been received from the contributors. The special issue will be published in 1Q 1999.

Upcoming Events (see also this page)

'AIT Forum', at Renault Research Centre, Guyancourt/France, 98-10-22/23.
'2nd Technology Ventures Congress', to be held in Glasgow on 98-10-29/30: contact K. Kosanke kosanke@t-online.de.
Forum 'Science meets Busines', Haus der Wirtschaft, Stuttgart 98-12-08/09 (Results from DARIF project - in German)
The workshop in Berlin to be held together with DIN e.V. had to be cancelled because of low in-terest.

Papers on project work of the CIMOSA Association will be presented at:

European Conference on Integration in Manu-facturing (IiM), Göteborg, Sweden, 98-10-6/8
IEEE SMC '98 Intern. Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics in San Diego/USA, 98-10-11/14

CIMOSA Promotion material

'CIMOSA - a primer on key concepts, purpose and business value', and selected papers at CIMOSA web site www.cimosa.cnt.pl.

CIMOSA Literature

'CIMOSA - Open System Architecture for CIM'; ESPRIT Consortium AMICE, Springer-Verlag 1993, (ISBN 3-540-56256-7), (ISBN 0-387-56256-7)
'CIMOSA - Open System Architecture for CIM', Technical Baseline, Version 3.2; CIMOSA Associa-tion e.V., private publication 96/02/15.
'Enterprise Engineering and Integration: Building International Consensus'; Proceedings of ICEIMT'97 Intern. Conference on Enterprise Integration and Modelling Technology; Kosanke, K., Nell, J.G. (Ed's) Springer Verlag 1997, (ISBN 3-540-63402-9)

CIMOSA Association

The CIMOSA Association is involved in promotion of CIMOSA, its active support in national, European and international standardisation and in consolidation of the evolution of its technical specification - the CIMOSA Technical Baseline. The CIMOSA Association acts as a focal point for all parties involved in applying CIMOSA in industrial and research environments.

Members of the CIMOSA Association are industrial and research organisations involved in exploitation of CIMOSA or interested in the subject of enterprise integration (EI). Membership is open to any organisation interested to support EI and CIMOSA.

For more information please contact K. Kosanke at the address given on the first page.

www-cimosa@cnt.pl, 27.10.1998 (last update: 27.10.1998)