A product model is a formal and structured definition of product information. The most common procedure for defining a product data model is to first describe the business and/or engineering process in a formal process model, then to create a product data model based on the process model. However, there is a logical gap between process modeling and product modeling methods in the current ISO 10303 standard product modeling process. We propose a new formal approach, called Process to Product Modeling (PPM) in which process and product modeling can be logically linked. This paper focuses on the semantics and syntax for the Requirements Collection and Modeling (RCM) of PPM. The new RCM method aims to model heterogeneous business processes and their information flows. The major difference between the proposed method and traditional requirements collection methods is that it provides a theoretical linkage between process models and a set of specific information items used in them. This theoretical linkage enables modelers to capture the contents, scope, granularity, and semantics of information used in activities, which are depicted in process models. An RCM tool, called GT PPM, has been developed and was deployed for the North American Precast Concrete Software Consortium; examples from this effort are presented. Experience to date indicates that the new RCM method and the GT PPM tool hold the potential to improve and expedite elicitation of information for product model development.

The EU project InteliGrid (2004-2007) combined and extended the state-of-the-art research and technologies in the areas of semantic interoperability, virtual organisations and grid technology to provide diverse engineering industries with a collaboration platform for flexible, secure, robust, interoperable, pay-perdemand access to information, communication and processing infrastructure. This paper describes the system architecture and the technical aspects of the developed platform as well as the key components it offers, including services for document management, access to product model servers and utilisation of high-performance computing infrastructure. Povzetek: Predstavljena je semantična grid platforma za podporo inženirskim virtualnim organizacijam. 1

Abstract. Nowadays it has been widely recognized that traditional transaction models with ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation and Durability) properties generally are not applicable to cooperative applications. To solve this problem, a new transaction model called CovaTM is proposed. CovaTM views one execution of a cooperative process as a transaction with its sub-transactions corresponding to activities. It provides sophisticated but flexible control over cooperative process and relaxes the restrictions on atomicity and isolation. Therefore, it can meet the requirements of cooperative applications well. This paper details the implementation issues of CovaTM including how to construct a transaction according to the cooperative process description as well as the mechanism and algorithm adopted at runtime. 1