Summary of `two contrasting approaches to product data modelling: ISS and STEP´

The product data modelling aspects of two separate projects are reviewed. The projects are the STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data) program under the ISO (International Standards Organization) and the ISS (Information Support Systems for Design and Manufacture) project based in the Universities of Leeds and Loughborough. Both projects have a product data model at their core yet they represent two different routes to integration: data exchange versus a central repository. The paper outlines the key areas of the two projects and indicates where they can learn from each other. The emphasis is on the form of product data models used by each project, current integration strategies and their use of appropriate tools, including languages and software