Meta-modelling for interoperability in product design

Interoperability of tools for product design relies on the utilization of common information models like ISO 10303 STEP. However STEP is based on the EXPRESS modelling language which is not supported by state-of-the-art software development tools. To reuse the huge repository of information models defined in the STEP Application Protocols transformations into other representations are needed. A generic and sound approach is provided by OMG's Model Driven Architecture (MDA) and Meta Object Facility (MOF). This paper describes meta-modelling methods and tools for the coexistence and integration of EXPRESS with UML, the commonly used modelling language in modern software development environments.