Knowledge-Based Systems Interoperability:
Standards and Implementation Issues

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites you to participate in a 1.5-day workshop to address standards and implementation issues associated the interoperability of knowledge-based systems with each other and with CAx systems.

The purpose of this conference is to bring together KBS/CAx developers, vendors and users from different engineering disciplines to discuss matters of common interest concerning software interoperability. Functional interoperability is fundamental to the success of complex engineering processes such as collaborative design. Although much effort has been put forth in standardizing geometric product data exchange with STEP 10303, such standards do not yet address exchanging parametric data such as design rationale, functional specification and design intent. To achieve functional interoperability, CAx applications in general, and KBS in particular, need to be implemented in such a way that exchange of data can occur without loss of information, tolerance or robustness. How to bring about this interoperation is precisely the reason for this workshop.

To encourage effective communicative environment, the workshop will be limited to 50 people -- primarily KBS/CAx vendors and developers, end-users from manufacturing industries, and researchers from industry, government and academia.

The workshop will have presentations from developers, vendors and users, a panel discussion on knowledge-based system interoperability and its present capabilities and some of its main drawbacks, and breakout sessions to target specific R&D and end-users needs. Workshop proceedings will be made available to the attendees.

For further information, please contact Robert Allen at (301) 975-3818 or by email at rhallen@cme.nist.gov. or Ram Sriram, Leader, Engineering Design Technologies Group

Workshop Objectives

The workshop mission is to provide an open forum for KBS/CAx vendors, and engineers and manufacturers, to identify gaps in current technology, and to begin proposing solutions to those problems.

Specific workshop goals include the following:

• to provide an overview of KBI issues in industry, government and academia,
• to present industry case studies on current practices in KBI,
• to draw road maps that will aid in research and development in KBI, especially in collaborative engineering projects, and
• to identify system level interoperability standards and technology issues.

Agenda

Monday, 3 November 1997, Bldg. 304 - Shops Conference Room

8:00 - 8:30 Registration and continental breakfast

8:30 - 9:00 Welcoming Remarks and Overview of Workshop Goals.

9:00 - 10:30 Presentations - Vendor Perspectives

10:30 - 10:45 Break

10:45 - 12:15 Presentations - Customer Perspectives

12:15 - 12:30 Summary - Breakout Group Organization

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch

1:30 - 3:15 Breakout Group Sessions

3:15 - 3:30 Coffee Break

3:30 - 4:30 Joint panel discussions of BG session summaries

4:45 - 5:30 Vendor demonstrations/Adjourn from NIST

6:30 p.m. Banquet

Tuesday, 4 November 1997, Bldg. 304 - Shops Conference Room

8:00 - 8:30 Continental breakfast

8:30 - 9:00 Summary

9:00 - 10:30 Breakout Group Sessions, Round 2

10:30 - 10:45 Coffee Break

10:45 - 12:00 Breakout Group Session Summaries/Directions

12:15 Lunch/Adjourn

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory
Manufacturing Systems Integration Division
Engineering Design Technologies Group