Product Data Models

This contribution summarizes the results of more than a decade of product data modeling at the authors' institute. In this effort, a series of consecutive product data models has been developed for the domain of chemical engineering, starting with the chemical engineering data model VeDa, followed then by the conceptual information model CLiP and finally by the domain ontology OntoCAPE. The evolution of these different models is described, and their similarities and differences are discussed with regard to scope, structural design, conceptualization, representation language, and intended usage.