How a scientific theory of modeling can benefit industry

Over the past two decades, industry has come to depend heavily on models throughout the life cycle of a product. Government and industry organizations base major decisions about safety, product reliability, economic return, and environmental impact on model-based information. This paper focuses on the role of modeling throughout the life cycle of a product and addresses the unique characteristics required of models at each stage of the product life cycle, including: determination of user need, definition of product requirements, product development and testing, production and distribution, use, maintenance, and disposal.