diff --git a/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/ComponentDistribution.h b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/ComponentDistribution.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3d8e5ee8339931cb2bb584480e671089cf1db35e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/ComponentDistribution.h
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/**
+ * \file
+ * \author Norihiro Watanabe
+ * \date 2013-04-16
+ * \brief
+ *
+ * \copyright
+ * Copyright (c) 2013, OpenGeoSys Community (http://www.opengeosys.org)
+ * Distributed under a Modified BSD License.
+ * See accompanying file LICENSE.txt or
+ * http://www.opengeosys.org/project/license
+ *
+ */
+
+#ifndef COMPONENTDISTRIBUTION_H_
+#define COMPONENTDISTRIBUTION_H_
+
+#include <vector>
+#include <numeric>
+
+#include "MeshItems.h"
+
+namespace VecMatOnMeshLib
+{
+
+/**
+ * Distribution information of a single data component
+ *
+ * This class contains information about on which mesh items a data component is
+ * assigned.
+ */
+class ComponentDistribution
+{
+public:
+
+ /**
+ * constructor for a single mesh use
+ *
+ * This data component is distributed over the given mesh items in a single mesh
+ * @param mesh_items
+ */
+ explicit ComponentDistribution(const MeshItems* mesh_items)
+ {
+ _mesh_items.push_back(mesh_items);
+ _n_total_items = mesh_items->getNTotalItems();
+ }
+
+ /**
+ * constructor for multiple-mesh use
+ *
+ * This data component is distributed over the given mesh items in multiple meshes
+ * @param vec_mesh_items a vector of MeshItems
+ */
+ explicit ComponentDistribution(const std::vector<MeshItems*> &vec_mesh_items)
+ : _mesh_items(vec_mesh_items.begin(), vec_mesh_items.end())
+ {
+ _n_total_items = std::accumulate(vec_mesh_items.begin(), vec_mesh_items.end(),
+ 0u,
+ [](std::size_t sum, const MeshItems* items)
+ {
+ return sum+items->getNTotalItems();
+ }
+ );
+ }
+
+ /// return the total number of mesh items (in all meshes) where this component is assigned
+ std::size_t getNMeshItems() const { return _n_total_items; }
+
+ /// return the number of related meshes
+ unsigned getNMeshes() const { return _mesh_items.size(); }
+
+ /// return MeshItems
+ const MeshItems& getMeshItems(std::size_t mesh_index) const { return *_mesh_items[mesh_index]; }
+
+private:
+ std::vector<const MeshItems*> _mesh_items;
+ std::size_t _n_total_items;
+};
+
+}
+
+#endif /* COMPONENTDISTRIBUTION_H_ */
diff --git a/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItem.h b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItem.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b04b5c4f798e57b5dd8063651c0227f81d8b2efb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItem.h
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/**
+ * \file
+ * \author Norihiro Watanabe
+ * \date 2013-04-16
+ * \brief
+ *
+ * \copyright
+ * Copyright (c) 2013, OpenGeoSys Community (http://www.opengeosys.org)
+ * Distributed under a Modified BSD License.
+ * See accompanying file LICENSE.txt or
+ * http://www.opengeosys.org/project/license
+ *
+ */
+
+
+#ifndef MESHITEM_H_
+#define MESHITEM_H_
+
+#include "MeshItemType.h"
+
+namespace VecMatOnMeshLib
+{
+
+/**
+ * Mesh item data
+ *
+ * This data are used in VectorComposition
+ */
+struct MeshItem
+{
+ std::size_t mesh_id;
+ MeshItemType::type item_type;
+ std::size_t item_id;
+
+ MeshItem(std::size_t meshid, MeshItemType::type itemtype, std::size_t itemid)
+ : mesh_id(meshid), item_type(itemtype), item_id(itemid){};
+};
+
+inline bool operator<(const MeshItem& left, const MeshItem& right)
+{
+ if (left.mesh_id != right.mesh_id) return left.mesh_id < right.mesh_id;
+ if (left.item_type != right.item_type) return left.item_type < right.item_type;
+ return left.item_id < right.item_id;
+}
+
+
+}
+
+
+#endif /* MESHITEM_H_ */
diff --git a/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItemType.h b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItemType.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..42d5c9983b73abbf78b6c099034a35d17051bb4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItemType.h
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/**
+ * \file
+ * \author Norihiro Watanabe
+ * \date 2013-04-16
+ * \brief
+ *
+ * \copyright
+ * Copyright (c) 2013, OpenGeoSys Community (http://www.opengeosys.org)
+ * Distributed under a Modified BSD License.
+ * See accompanying file LICENSE.txt or
+ * http://www.opengeosys.org/project/license
+ *
+ */
+
+
+#ifndef MESHITEMTYPE_H_
+#define MESHITEMTYPE_H_
+
+namespace VecMatOnMeshLib
+{
+
+struct MeshItemType
+{
+ enum type
+ {
+ Node,
+ Edge,
+ Face,
+ Cell
+ };
+};
+
+}
+
+#endif /* MESHITEMTYPE_H_ */
diff --git a/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItems.h b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItems.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..01bc9e0b972033272f912b8e6aa7881dcbf74242
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VecMatOnMeshLib/VecMeshItems/MeshItems.h
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/**
+ * \file
+ * \author Norihiro Watanabe
+ * \date 2013-04-16
+ * \brief
+ *
+ * \copyright
+ * Copyright (c) 2013, OpenGeoSys Community (http://www.opengeosys.org)
+ * Distributed under a Modified BSD License.
+ * See accompanying file LICENSE.txt or
+ * http://www.opengeosys.org/project/license
+ *
+ */
+
+
+#ifndef MESHITEMS_H_
+#define MESHITEMS_H_
+
+#include <vector>
+#include <algorithm>
+
+#include "MeshLib/Mesh.h"
+#include "MeshLib/Node.h"
+#include "MeshLib/Elements/Element.h"
+
+
+namespace VecMatOnMeshLib
+{
+
+/**
+ * Collection of mesh items from a single mesh (nodes and elements are currently supported)
+ *
+ * Remark: At the moment, this class is only used to return the total number of mesh items
+ * on which data are assigned.
+ */
+class MeshItems
+{
+public:
+ /// construct from nodes
+ MeshItems(const MeshLib::Mesh* msh, std::vector<MeshLib::Node*> const& vec_items)
+ : _msh(msh), _nodes(&vec_items), _eles(nullptr)
+ {}
+
+ /// construct from elements
+ MeshItems(const MeshLib::Mesh* msh, std::vector<MeshLib::Element*> const& vec_items)
+ : _msh(msh), _nodes(nullptr), _eles(&vec_items)
+ {}
+
+ /// construct from both nodes and elements
+ MeshItems(const MeshLib::Mesh* msh,
+ std::vector<MeshLib::Node*> const& vec_nodes, std::vector<MeshLib::Element*> const& vec_eles)
+ : _msh(msh), _nodes(&vec_nodes), _eles(&vec_eles)
+ {}
+
+ ~MeshItems() {};
+
+ /// return the total number of mesh items
+ std::size_t getNTotalItems() const { return getNNodes() + getNElements(); }
+
+ /// return this mesh ID
+ std::size_t getMeshID() const { return _msh->getID(); }
+
+ /// return the number of registered nodes
+ std::size_t getNNodes() const { return (_nodes==nullptr) ? 0 : _nodes->size(); }
+
+ /// return the number of registered elements
+ std::size_t getNElements() const { return (_eles==nullptr) ? 0 : _eles->size(); }
+
+
+// const MeshLib::Node* getNode(std::size_t index) const { return (_nodes==nullptr) ? nullptr : (*_nodes)[index]; }
+
+// const MeshLib::Element* getElement(std::size_t index) const { return (_eles==nullptr) ? nullptr : (*_eles)[index]; }
+
+// bool has(const MeshLib::Node &item) const { return (std::count(_nodes->begin(), _nodes->end(), &item)>0); }
+
+// bool has(const MeshLib::Element &item) const { return (std::count(_eles->begin(), _eles->end(), &item)>0); }
+
+
+private:
+ const MeshLib::Mesh* _msh;
+ std::vector<MeshLib::Node*> const* _nodes;
+ std::vector<MeshLib::Element*> const* _eles;
+
+};
+
+}
+
+#endif /* MESHITEMS_H_ */