Systems engineering has become an indispensable part of cooperation between companies in the manufacturing, utility, health and other industries. In the whole lifecycle of products, engineers must exchange information in many formats from different sources. For better understanding, the data must be semantically linked. This is where the Specification Integration Facility (SpecIF) comes into play, which version 1.1 is described by this specification.
When manufacturers and suppliers want to coordinate the design of a complex product with all its components, the interaction between mechanics, electronics and software must be analyzed and tested. Systems engineering methods are increasingly gaining acceptance; the tools and data used in the respective disciplines must engage with each other in an integrative manner. With model-based systems engineering, the transition from a document-centered to an artifact-based working style is facilitated. SpecIF gathers the information generated in the whole product lifecycle in a semantic net, allowing for high scalability and ultra-fast searching.
SpecIF is method- as well as vendor-independent and is based on international standards such as the Requirements Interchange Format (OMG ReqIF). SpecIF also adopts concepts of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) for the categorization and description of information items and endeavors to integrate or develop further vocabularies or ontologies. The GfSE strives to establish SpecIF as an international standard and cooperates with the Object Management Group (OMG) and other interest groups.
SpecIF is being developed as an open-source project with a free license including even commercial use, so that users and product providers alike can participate in the initiative and make their own contributions.
The GfSE working group Product Lifecycle Management for Model-based Systems Engineering (PLM4MBSE) pursues the goal of digital transformation in product development from classic, geometry- and CAD-centered Product Lifecycle Management to interdisciplinary Model-based Systems Engineering. The members of this working group are the main contributors behind the SpecIF.
SpecIF is a vital GfSE project with promising benefits! I would like to thank the active contributors and wish them a wealth of ideas and creativity for the future!
Walter Koch
Chairman of GfSE e. V. and President German Chapter of INCOSE