With ontology extended to a vital open network, the results of SC³ are now implemented on a large industrial scale. The network comprising all partners and entities including machines and even sensors opens a new chapter in terms of size and comprehensiveness. In general, the approach to work with ontology in the field of IT already dates back to years ago, but with its fundamental perfection in SC³ it is taken from its starting block to a level where the use cases make it learn to run.
Components and their relationships
To catch the idea of the specific subject of ontology, here some basic info: An ontology is a formal description of knowledge as a set of concepts that include the relationships among them. It is based on a formal specification of components such as individuals, classes, attributes and relations as well as restrictions or rules. It defines a common vocabulary for a specific domain and includes machine-interpretable definitions of concepts with the relations among them. Overall, ontologies introduce a sharable and reusable knowledge representation, and they can add new knowledge about the domain.
Transparency and shared knowledge
With regard to the use cases in AIMS5.0, the basic concept of DR/ontology is taken from SC³ and extended concerning the relevant issue. In the case of sustainability including its CO2 relevant energy consumption, for instance, all partners involved upload their measured info; and the complex international semiconductor supply chain with lots of energy consuming machines creates an enormous mass of these data points. The DR/ontology enables to structure, classify and process all these data points. This is the basis for the next step where partners can exchange and share certain data, for example when it comes to analyse further potentials in energy saving. In the end, suppliers, producers and customers have a clear picture of how “green” a produced chip is.
Workshop for all partners
During a recent workshop, Infineon’s Hans Ehm team - leader of WP4 – introduced AIMS5.0 partners to the techniques in handling DR and ontology, followed by a brainstorming and the exchange of experience in the field. “Besides sustainability, one of the other fields of practice was quality management,” a team member says, explaining the procedure. “We asked a partner to draw in power point how his data points are related to each other. A customer complaint, for example, has a customer number, his name, a complaint type and a time stamp. Then we started to draw the system of data point interrelations in an ontology file, with its typical OWL format (Web Ontology Language). To be concise, we call this procedure “DrOWLing” – a coinage of drawing and OWL. The resulting mind map, transferred into an ontology, is then a standardised “illustration”, and even machine readable.” As an exercise, first timers and those with little knowledge about ontology had the chance to create their individual DrOWLing, which will later be converted into an ontology.
Passing on the fire for new horizons
The described result is a perfect foundation for exchanging, analysing and finding new ways to optimise systems and procedures with regard to the use cases and the overall goals of AIMS5.0. The further development of the SC³ results in the project already prepare the way for a follow-up in the project SC4EU. With respect to a superordinate level, the whole approach with transparent information in a common mind-set stands for AIMS5.0 as a driving force in a collaborative network, much like a beacon passing on the fire for new horizons.
