modification of the data, which derive from the dynamic characteristics of the objects themselves—called the functional model The significance of these models to data interchange for manufacturing and materials flow was recognized early in the Air Force Integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) Project and gave rise to the IDEF formal modeling project. IDEF produced a specification for a formal functional modeling approach (IDEF0) and an information modeling language (IDEF1). The more recent "Product Data Exchange Specification" (PDES) project in the U.S., the related ISO Standard for the exchange of product model data (STEP) and the Computer Integrated Manufacture Open Systems Architecture (CIMOSA) [ISO87] project in the European Economic Community have whole heartedly accepted the notion that useful data sharing is not possible without formal semantic data models of the context the data describes. Within their respective spectra of efforts, each of these projects has a panoply of information models for manufactured objects, materials and product characteristics, and for manufacturing and assembly processes. Each also has a commitment to detailed functional models of the various phases of product life cycle. The object of all of these recent efforts is to standardize the interchange of information in many aspects of product design, manufacture, delivery and support. Further research with ICAM definitions The research in expending and applying the ICAM definitions have proceeded. In the 1990s for example the Material Handling Research Center (MHRC) of the Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Arkansas had included it in their Information Systems research area. That area focuses on the information that must accompany material movements and the application of artificial intelligence to material handling problems. MHRC's research involves expanding the integrated computer-aided manufacturing definition (IDEF) approach to include the information flow as well as the material flow needed to support a manufacturing enterprise, as well as models to handle unscheduled events such as machine breakdowns or material shortages. Past research resulted in software to automatically palletize random-size packages, a system to automatically load and unload truck trailers, and an integrated production control system to fabricate optical fibers. See also CIMOSA IDEF References Further reading Charles Savage, 1996, Fifth Generation Management, Dynamic Teaming, Virtual Enterprising and Knowledge Networking, page 184, , Butterworth-Heinemann. Joseph Harrington (1984). Understanding the Manufacturing Process. Computer-aided design Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Computer-aided manufacturing