Integration of Software Tools with Heterogeneous Data Structures in Production Plant Lifecycles

Today, most technical disciplines involved in the lifecycle of production plants process their tasks with software tools that establish their own data stocks. Thus, the corresponding information networks are characterized by heterogeneous data structures leading to drawbacks considering information retrieval, identification of interdisciplinary dependencies and creation of generalized design solutions. Information integration aims to solve these problems by providing unified access to distributed heterogeneous sources. This article first describes the information network in production plant lifecycles and discusses the required elements for the process of information integration. This is followed by an outline of current research and technology in the fields of neutral formats and engineering ontologies. The developed concepts for information integration in production plant lifecycles are presented based on this, and demonstrated with a model plant for bottling, commissioning, and recycling.