Representing layout information in the CMSD specification

Developing mechanisms for the efficient exchange of information between simulations and other manufacturing tools is a critical problem. For many areas of manufacturing, neither representations for the information nor mechanisms for exchanging the information have been agreed upon. Manufacturing plant layout is one such area. The core manufacturing simulation data (CMSD) specification is being developed to address some of these issues, through the definition of neutral representations for the ¿core¿ manufacturing entities that need to be exchanged between simulations and other applications, through the creation of a Unified Modeling Language information model that defines the relationships between the core manufacturing entities, and through the definition of eXtensible Modeling Language Schemas based on the information model to facilitate the exchange of information that adheres to the model. This paper describes an effort to extend the CMSD specification to cover the definition and exchange of layout information.