Competencies

We have many years of experience in developing and prototyping CAD systems. Our expertise covers most areas in this field. We have in-depth knowledge

• in the use of CAD kernels such as ACIS, OpenCascade, SMLib, …
• in standardized data interfaces such as STEP or IFC
• in CAD programming interfaces of common CAD systems (CATIA, UG, PRO/E, SolidWorks, Inventor, AutoCAD, …)
• in parametric data exchange between different CAD systems using a custom-defined standard as well as emerging standard interfaces (STEP)
• in the general architecture and development of CAx systems

We often base our work on our in-house development, ClassCAD.

ClassCAD

ClassCAD is an object-oriented CAD operating system developed at the former FHS St. Gallen (since 2020 OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences). With ClassCAD, industry-specific CAD software can be developed in a short amount of time. Classes or features developed with ClassCAD are implicitly parametric and offer a wide range of basic CAD functionality. ClassCAD is available as a standalone application or as a plugin for various CAD systems such as UG, Pro/E, Inventor, AutoCAD, and others.

Operational data is without a doubt among the most important assets of any organization. Typically, operational data is consolidated and aggregated from a wide variety of sources through an ETL process (Extract–Transform–Load) and stored in a central database—the data warehouse. The systematic analysis of operational data—that is, the collection, evaluation, and visualization of data—is referred to as Business Intelligence (BI). Its goal is to use operational data to support well-founded, fact-based decision-making within organizations. The Institute of Engineering Informatics has many years of practical, hands-on experience in this field and can provide strong support to companies in implementing such solutions.

Today’s expert knowledge is extremely broad and deep. If this knowledge is to be made available in software for non-experts, it must be specifically structured and stored according to their needs. We have been working on the topic of “knowledge-based systems” for many years. For example, in collaboration with Semfinder AG, we developed the “Semfinder” interpreter, which operates on a foundation of several tens of thousands of rules. Semfinder interprets medical diagnoses and procedures using semantic analysis, automatically generates ICD-10 and OPS-301 codes, and guides users toward rule-compliant coding and classification.

Our activities in the field of knowledge-based systems include:

• Building knowledge shells
• Developing inference engines
• Efficient handling of large-scale knowledge bases
• Distributed computing for inference processes

In the area of mobile applications, our institute develops tourism-related apps featuring functions such as navigation for ski slopes and hiking trails; a multimedia guide that provides information about the region and available services; and an augmented reality feature that overlays points of interest onto the camera image.

For the increasingly popular field of building automation, our institute develops applications within projects and bachelor theses.

Nothing runs without software – modern systems communicate with each other and feature built-in intelligence. The applications are as diverse as life itself.

At Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST ), specialists research and teach in the following areas:

• CAx Software Development
• 3D Computer Vision
• AI (Artificial Intelligence)
• Mobile Applications
• Image Processing / Machine Vision

Digital Interaction Lab