Ontology alignment for networked enterprise information system interoperability in supply chain environment

Supply chain interactions are complex in general and can be viewed as a networked enterprise. In this paper, we address information system interoperability for exploring and analysing the interoperation problem in heterogeneous networked enterprise systems. We propose a common shared ontology-based framework for networked enterprise interoperability for the context of information flows in supply chain interactions. A supply chain ontology, supply chain operations reference (SCOR) ontology, is developed based on the SCOR model. Subsequently, by formalising the similar concepts of SCOR ontology and product ontology, ONTO-PDM, using description logic, we propose a product-centric supply chain ontology framework for facilitating the interoperation between all enterprise applications involved in an extended supply chain. A case study of a supply chain make-to-order process is used to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.