Beyond physical product configuration – Configuration in unusual domains

Abstract

Configuration technologies are typically applied in domains with physical products. In this article, we determine characteristics of configuration technologies that are used to compose non-pure physical products. Starting from two case studies (software-intensive systems and scene interpretation) where we successfully applied configuration, we determine some characteristics of knowledge representation languages and configuration systems that enable to solve configuration tasks in domains beyond pure physical products. As such, the article provides thinking outside the box of physical product configuration.