CASCaDE is a project to standardize collaboration in systems engineering with respect to data format and ontology. A Request for Proposal (RFP) has been accepted by OMG in December 2024. Information in different formats and from diverse sources are transformed and integrated to a common knowledge graph.
A publicly available reference implementation shall validate the concepts of the standard as developed by the CASCaDE submission team. Validation is successful, if real-world data is ingested and the information needs of all users in the product lifecycle are met. Users and software vendors are given the opportunity to influence the project to assure their ideas and needs are met. A joint effort on fundamental features (where differentiation isn't possible anyways) avoids duplicate work, improves quality and assures interoperability.
The reference implementation addresses the following aspects:
- Check data format and constraints according to the Product Information Graph (PIG) meta-model to assure data quality.
- Persistently store and retrieve PIG data using the standardized API (to be defined).
- View and edit PIG data in a web-browser.
- Transform input data with the formats ReqIF, SysML v1 and v2, STEP and FMI/SSP. Other input formats may follow.
- Integrate input data with different formats to an interwoven knowledge graph.
- Create output data with the formats RDF/Turtle, JSON-LD and XHTML.
- Provide a set of standard queries ('competency questions') that work for all data complying with the meta-model.
- Bring the data into a standardized form to facilitate machine learning and AI applications.
Major requirements (capabilities and characteristics) must be satisfied:
- Separate syntax and semantics: The software must not be changed, if the ontology is further developed.
- Comply with web-technology and avoid propriatory formats.
- Extend the software using a documented, if possible standardized plug-in mechanism.
