Product Service System (PSS) Reference Ontology
type: Ontology
label: Product Service System Reference Ontology
abstract: A basis ontology for enhancing engineering of Product Service System(s) (PSS) in manufacturing, by modelling all the aspects that affect, or could affect a PSS.
contributor: Ana Teresa Correia, Institut fuer angewandte Systemtechnik Bremen GmbH (ATB-Bremen)
contributor: Dragan Stokic, Institut fuer angewandte Systemtechnik Bremen GmbH (ATB-Bremen)
contributor: Dusan Sormaz, Ohio University
contributor: Gabriela Henning, CONICET
contributor: Marcela Vegetti, University of Santa Fe
contributor: Mark Schubert, Parson Europe
contributor: Roberto Sala, University of Bergamo
contributor: Todd Schneider, Engineering Semantics
creator: Product Service System (PSS) working group
license: http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
publisher: Industrial Ontology Foundry
imports: Core
imports: SupplyChain
version IRI: ProductServiceSystem
copyright: Copyright (c) 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Open Applications Group
maturity: Provisional

business model
type: Class
subclass of: PlanSpecification
example: In the case of a Product Service System, the Business Model can be product-oriented, use-oriented or result-oriented
is primitive: true
natural language definition: plan specification to fulfill objectives of a business organization
primitive rationale: at this stage we do not have sufficient constructs to create necessary and sufficent conditions for this class. We know what it should be in the case of product service system(s) but on a Business Model level it should be generic for many type of business model

commercial service realizable entity
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000017
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000054
  all values from: CommercialService
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: BFO_0000017
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: BFO_0000164
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: CommercialServiceSpecification
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: isAbout
        some values from: MaterialProduct
natural language definition: realizable entity that concretizes a commercial service specification which is about a product and that is realized in a commercial service

consumable resource role
type: Class
subclass of: MaterialResourceRole
editorial note: needs to be harmonized with consumable resource role in BMIC ontology
is primitive: true
natural language definition: role that is borne by a material entity, when that entity is intended to be consumed/transformed in a planned process and the quantity of the resource is reduced after use
primitive rationale: The required constructs for providing necessary and sufficient conditions are not available in this release.

manufacturing resource role
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000023
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000054
  some values from: ManufacturingProcess
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: roleOf
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: BFO_0000040
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000056
      some values from: ManufacturingProcess
natural language definition: role that inheres in an independent continuant where that continuant bears a disposition that, if realized, is realized in a manufacturing process

non-consumable resource role
type: Class
subclass of: MaterialResourceRole
editorial note: needs to be harmonized with non-consumable resource role in BMIC ontology
example: infrastructure, machines
is primitive: true
natural language definition: role that is borne by a material entity, when that entity is intended to be used but quantity is not reduced in a planned process
primitive rationale: The required constructs for providing necessary and sufficient conditions are not available in this release.

product design specification
type: Class
subclass of: DesignSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  some values from: MaterialProduct
comment: This class will be harmonized with MaterialProductSpecification in ProductionPlanning ontology
explanatory note: In the industrial context they can be also understood as normative prescriptions, defined by a blueprint/recipe
natural language definition: design specification that is a set of characteristics essential for a type of material products and that have to be jointly taken into account to prescribe the material product

product family
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000027
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000115
  some values from: product variant set
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribedBy
  some values from: product family specification
natural language definition: group of related goods produced by the same company under the same business organization

product family specification
type: Class
subclass of: InformationContentEntity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000178
  some values from: product variant set specification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  some values from: product family
natural language definition: specification that is a set of characteristics essential to group material products based on design and / or production processes and / or value proposition of the business organization

product provider
type: Class
subclass of: Supplier
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Class
    union of: BusinessOrganization
    union of: Person
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasRole
    some values from: ProductProviderRole
natural language definition: person or organization which has a product provider role

product quality
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000019
editorial note: needs to be harmonized with ´quality attribute´ and ´quality attribute specification´ concepts in BMIC ontology
is primitive: true
natural language definition: quality that describes an aspect, or attribute, related to the product
primitive rationale: The required constructs for providing necessary and sufficient conditions are not available in this release.

product requirement specification
type: Class
subclass of: RequirementSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  some values from: MaterialProduct
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: recognizedByAtSomeTime
  some values from: Class
    union of: Agent
    union of: GroupOfAgents
natural language definition: requirement specification that prescribes a material product

product service system
type: Class
subclass of: EngineeredSystem
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000115
  some values from: BusinessOrganization
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000115
  some values from: MaterialProduct
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000115
  some values from: Class
    union of: Agent
    union of: GroupOfAgents
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000196
  some values from: commercial service realizable entity
editorial note: PSS is a system which includes at least one material product and at least one commercial service, related to this product, and may include agents or groups of agents and infrastructure and which bears a PSS Role. For now, we are only considering material products, no software products (to be reviewed in the future)
editorial note: The class may also include infrastructure (facility or software infrastructure)
editorial note: The commercial service in the PSS is related to the material product, it's not "any" service
acronym: PSS
adapted from: Mont, Oksana K. "Clarifying the concept of product–service system." Journal of cleaner production 10.3 (2002): 237-245.
natural language definition: engineered system that aims to satisfy a need of the market (e.g. to be sold in order to provide profit and support customers by covering their needs), and jointly fulfil customer’s needs and it must include some material product and commercial service specification, and agents or group of agents and may include infrastructure (software or hardware)

product provider role
type: Class
subclass of: SupplierRole
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: roleOf
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: Class
      union of: BusinessOrganization
      union of: Person
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000056
      some values from: Class
        union of: BuyingBusinessProcess
        union of: SupplyingBusinessProcess
natural language definition: supplier role held by a person or business organization that both produces and sells a product, or only sells it

product service system business customer
type: Class
subclass of: BusinessOrganization
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000196
  some values from: product service system consumer role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: owns
  some values from: product service system
example: the (group/company) customer of the Product Service Sytem, using the PSS for their own business
abbreviation: PSS business customer
natural language definition: business organization that buys and uses the PSS and related products and services

product service system business process
type: Class
subclass of: BusinessProcess
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribedBy
  some values from: product service system requirement specification
abbreviation: PSS business process
is primitive: The required constructs for providing necessary and sufficient conditions are not available in this release. The process will probably stay primitive, the sub-classes (when we define them in the next cycle) will be the ones with necessary and suficient conditions.
is primitive: true
natural language definition: business process in which PSS is developed, implemented, distributed and used

product service system consumer role
type: Class
subclass of: CustomerRole
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: roleOf
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: Class
      union of: BusinessOrganization
      union of: Person
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000056
      some values from: product service system business process
acronym: PSS consumer role
natural language definition: customer role held by a person or business organization when it receives and consumes a product service system

product service system indicator
type: Class
subclass of: MeasurementInformationContentEntity
comment: we might need a generic "indicator",needs to be further detailed
acronym: PSS indicator
is primitive: true
natural language definition: measurement information content entity used to measure/evaluate any aspect within the scope of PSS, namely a process, a PSS, a product, a service, etc.

product service system provider
type: Class
subclass of: Supplier
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Class
    union of: BusinessOrganization
    union of: Person
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasRole
    some values from: product service system provider role
abbreviation: PSS provider
natural language definition: supplier that bears a product service system provider role

product service system provider role
type: Class
subclass of: SupplierRole
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: roleOf
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: Class
      union of: BusinessOrganization
      union of: Person
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000056
      some values from: product service system business process
natural language definition: supplier role held by a person or business organization that offers product service system(s) and owns intellectual property rights (IPR) on the commercial service specification

product service system quality
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000019
editorial note: needs to be harmonized with ´quality attribute´ and ´quality attribute specification´ concepts in BMIC ontology
abbreviation: PSS quality
is primitive: true
natural language definition: quality that describes an aspect or attribute related to the PSS
primitive rationale: The required constructs for providing necessary and sufficient conditions are not available in this release.

product service system requirement specification
type: Class
subclass of: RequirementSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  some values from: product service system
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: recognizedByAtSomeTime
  some values from: Class
    union of: Agent
    union of: GroupOfAgents
abbreviation: PSS requirement specification
explanatory note: requirement specification that depicts the aspects which are necessary for the design, development or offer of PSS and is defined by an agent or group of agents
natural language definition: requirement specification that prescribes a product service system

product service system resource role
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000023
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: roleOf
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: BFO_0000040
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000056
      some values from: product service system business process
abbreviation: PSS resource role
natural language definition: role held by a material resource that is a mean (source) that can be used for the design, development, offer or delivery of a PSS

product service system supplier organization
type: Class
subclass of: BusinessOrganization
alternative label: product service system provider organization
alternative label: product service system vendor organization
abbreviation: PSS supplier organization
acronym: PSS supplier organization
is primitive: true
natural language definition: business organization that both produces and sells something (product, service, PSS), or only sells it
primitive rationale: The required constructs for providing necessary and sufficient conditions are not available in this release.

product variant set
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000027
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000115
  some values from: MaterialProduct
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribedBy
  some values from: product variant set specification
example: Product variants are versions of products with variations in attributes such as color, size, material, features, pricing, etc.
example: a specific item that is bundled in with related variants to form one distinguishable product
natural language definition: subset of goods that belongs to a product family, based on design and / or production processes and / or value proposition of the business organization

product variant set specification
type: Class
subclass of: InformationContentEntity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000178
  some values from: product design specification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  some values from: product variant set
natural language definition: specification that is a set of characteristics essential to group a subset of material products that belongs to a Product Family, based on design and / or production processes and / or value proposition of the business organization

service requirement specification
type: Class
subclass of: RequirementSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  some values from: CommercialService
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: recognizedByAtSomeTime
  some values from: Class
    union of: Agent
    union of: GroupOfAgents
natural language definition: requirement specification that prescribes a commercial service

service specification
type: Class
subclass of: DesignSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  some values from: CommercialServiceSpecification
explanatory note: we will need to address what the product may have to support the service
natural language definition: design specification that is a set of characteristics essential for a commercial service and that have to be jointly taken into account to prescribe the commercial service

owns
type: ObjectProperty
example: PSSProvider owns a PSS (inverse to PSS belongsTo PSSProvider)

is part of
type: ObjectProperty
natural language definition: relates something to another thing that it is some component or portion of, regardless of how that whole-part relationship is manifested

Axiom
comment: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mereology/
annotated property: naturalLanguageDefinition
annotated source: is part of
annotated target: relates something to another thing that it is some component or portion of, regardless of how that whole-part relationship is manifested

min qualified cardinality: 1