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...

  • construct: refers to an OWL class, object property, or data property
    OWL Reference

  • entity (object): item that is perceivable or conceivable
    Note 1 to entry: The terms ‘entity’ and ‘object’ are catch-all terms analogous to ‘something’. In terminology circles
    [ISO/IEC 21838-1:2021(E)]

  • particular: individual entity
    Note 1 to entry: In contrast to classes or types, particulars are not exemplified or instantiated by further entities
    Note 2 to entry: only relevant to first-order logic
    [ISO/IEC 21838-1:2021(E)]

  • instance: particular that instantiates some universal
    Note 1 to entry: two types of particular, one XX is an instance of a universal and the other is not
    Note 2 to entry: only relevant to first-order logic
    [ISO/IEC 21838-1:2021(E)]

  • individual: instance of an OWL class
    OWL Reference

  • primitive: expression for which no non-circular definition can be provided
    Note 1 to entry: construct lacking necessary or sufficient conditions
    [ISO 21838-2:2021 (E)]
    Note 2 to entry: definition refers to a first-order logic definition or OWL definition

  • universal: item that is perceivable or conceivable that has indefinitely many instances
    Note 1 to entry: only relevant to first-order logic
    [ISO 21838-2:2021 (E)]

  • axiom: statement that is asserted as true but which is not derivable from other statements
    Note 1 to entry: Axioms may be formulated as natural language sentences or as formulae in a formal language. In the OWL community, ‘Axiom’ is used to refer to statements that say what is true in the domain that are ‘basic’ in the sense that they are not inferred from other statements.

    [ISO/IEC 21838-1:2021(E)]
    Note 2 to entry: A statement may be a formula of first-order logic or a sentence of natural language or of the semi-formal counterpart

...

  1. MUST: This word means that the definition is an absolute requirement of the specification.

  2. MUST NOT: This phrase means that the definition is an absolute prohibition of the specification.

  3. SHOULD: This word means that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore a particular item, but the full implications MUST be understood and carefully weighed before choosing a different course.

  4. SHOULD NOT: This phrase means that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances when the particular behavior is acceptable or even useful, but the full implications should be understood and the case carefully weighed before implementing any behavior described with this label.

  5. MAY: This word means that an item is truly optional. One user may choose to include the item because a particular marketplace requires it or because the vendor feels that it enhances the product, while another vendor may omit the same item.

...

  • MUST provide non-versioned ontology IRI (See: IRI Structure and Format V2.2 )

  • When released, MUST provide version IRI(owl:VersionIRI)(See: IRI Structure and Format V2.2 )

  • MUST provide label

  • MUST provide title

  • MUST provide abstract

  • MUST provide copyright

  • MUST provide license

  • MUST provide maturity

  • MUST provide a versionInfo

  • MUST provide changeNotes for each release.

For all constructs:

  • MUST provide label

  • MUST provide natural language definition

...

  • natural language definition – iof-av:naturalLanguageDefinition

    • Definition: plain text for industry practitioner understanding

    • Exactly one natural language definition MUST be given for any construct

      • Note: this definition MUST be present for both primitive and non-primitive constructs

      • State the source as a class, property, or other. Check if the serializer removes annotations on annotations. Open Issue regarding how the serializer does this.

      • No nested annotations in the serializer and moved to the bottom of the file. Should fix the serializer. See: ARCH-86

    • The definition MUST adhere to ISO 704 rules and requirements for terminology

      • For non-primitive constructs, the natural language definition MUST NOT be circular

      • For primitive constructs, the natural language definition SHOULD NOT be circular

      • The definition MUST be substitutable in a sentence where the term appears

        • We MAY reconsider this as a requirement if there is no way to express it as a formal substitutable definition. There MUST be a rationale, expressed as an explanatory note, for why this is the case and the rationale MUST be agreed to by the Architecture TG.

      • The definition MUST NOT begin with an article (The, A or An).

      • One SHOULD avoid jargon and domain-specific terminology

    • It MUST be understandable by a practitioner in the industrial domain

      • It MUST NOT use specialized ontological terminology

        • Examples: perdurant, endurant, continuant, etc.

      • Ontological construct label MUST be provided in parenthesis

        • Example: role ​⁠held by (bearer of) ​⁠a material entity when it is a proper part of another material entity or is planned to be a proper part of another material entity

      • It MUST NOT use special formatting for properties or classes referenced in the definition

        • MUST NOT use upper camel case capitalization

        • MUST NOT use apostrophes to contain terms as a parenthetical

          • Examples: must not be as follows: ‘part-of’, ‘Information Content Entity', InformationContentEntity

      • It MUST NOT contain acronyms or abbreviations

        • Acronyms MAY be accepted if they appear in the dictionary and are widely used in conversation. Use of such an acronym use MUST be approved by the Architecture TG.

    • If the definition is taken from another source, dcterms:source or one of its sub-properties MUST cite the original reference. See dcterms:source in the Source Annotations section below.

    • Examples:

      • shipment preparation process: planned process in which some material entities are prepared to be transported together to a receiver’s location

      • postal address: designation of a location (site) to which mail is delivered

...

  • The following rules MUST be followed when using variables in a first-order logic axiom (formalization) or definition and semi-formal natural language axiom or definition

    • MUST NOT nest variables in single quotes

      • Examples: 'instance i' ‘, 'continuant c’

    • MUST use lower case variable for particular (individual or instance) of a universal

    • Multiple first-order logic axioms MUST be considered as a combined set using the ∧ (conjunction operator).

      • The axioms can be rewritten using the conjunction operator and remain logically consistent

    • Variable SHOULD use the first letter of a construct’s label when possible

    • Variable MUST only be one letter

    • MUST append numeric suffixes (x1, x2, etc.) OR one or more primes (x', x'', etc.) for multiple instances of the same construct

    • MUST reserve the use of t, t', etc., for temporal regions; expressions such as 'for all times' SHOULD be interpreted as meaning ‘for all temporal regions’

    • MUST only use r, r', s, s', etc., for spatial and spatiotemporal regions

    • MUST only the use of R, R', etc. for relations

    • MUST NOT use the character a or A

  • The following rules MUST be followed in a first-order logic axiom (formalization) or definition

...

  • Examples:

    • product:

      • obo:Continuant(c) ∧ ¬(obo:SpecificallyDependentContinuant(c) ∨ Person(c) ∨ Organization(c)) ∧ ∃r (ProductRole(r) ∧ obo:hasRole(c, r))

  • first-order logic definition

    Jira Legacy
    serverSystem Jira
    serverIde40ab0a4-b576-382d-85fc-495e1da7d966
    keyARCH-64
    – iof-av:firstOrderLogicDefinition

    • Definition: formal definition of construct using predicate logic semantics

    • The first-order logic definition MUST occur exactly once if the term is not primitive (is primitive is false )

    • The definition MUST provide individually necessary and sufficient conditions

  • semi-formal natural language definition – iof-av:semiFormalNaturalLanguageDefinition

    • Definition: transitional definition expressing first-order logic definition using semantics

      Jira Legacy
      serverSystem Jira
      serverIde40ab0a4-b576-382d-85fc-495e1da7d966
      keyARCH-66
      understandable by ontologically knowledgable domain practitioner without predicate logic semantics

    • The semi-formal natural language definition MUST be provided if the term is not primitive (is primitive is false )

    • The semi-formal natural language definition MUST only occur once

    • Variables SHOULD be removed if they do not need to be referenced later in the expression

    • Rules for writing necessary axioms, sufficient axioms, and necessary and sufficient axioms:

      • SHOULD use “every instance of {term} is defined as exactly an instance of {conditions}” for necessary and sufficient conditions

        • Agent(x) ↔ (Person(x) ∨ GroupOfAgents(x) ∨ EngineeredSystem(x)) ∧ ∃y (AgentRole(y) ∧ hasRole(x,y))

        • every instance of ‘agent’ is defined as exactly an instance of ‘person’, ‘group of agents’, or ‘engineered system’ that ‘has role’ some ‘agent role’

    • The following syntax MUST be used:

      • A construct label MUST be used and its exact syntax preserved for constructs in this or an imported ontology

      • Quotes (') MUST surround all labels

      • The words “is a” MUST NOT be used without a qualification

        • “is a subclass of” MUST be used to indicate a subclass relationship

        • “is an instance of” MUST be used to indicate an instance of a universal

      • Variables SHOULD be used where needed in formulating the definition

      • The rules for natural language definitions MUST be applied otherwise

    • Examples:

      • ‘product’: every instance of ‘product' is defined as exactly an instance of (‘continuant’ and not ‘person’ and not ‘organization’ and not ‘specifically dependent continuant’) that ‘bears' some ‘product role’

      • ‘agent’: every instance of ‘agent’ is defined as exactly an instance of ‘person’, ‘group of agents’, or ‘engineered system’ that ‘has role’ some ‘agent role’

  • first-order logic axiom

    Jira Legacy
    serverSystem Jira
    serverIde40ab0a4-b576-382d-85fc-495e1da7d966
    keyARCH-65
    - iof-av:firstOrderLogicAxiom

    • Definition: axiom of construct using predicate logic semantics

    • First-order logic axiom MAY be provided if the construct is primitive or non-primitive.

      • With the implication arrow → the left is sufficient, and the right is necessary

    • A construct MAY have more than one first-order logic axiom annotation

    • A first-order logic axiom value MUST adhere to first-order logic definition syntax

    • Multiple first-order logic axioms MUST be considered as a combined set using the ∧ (conjunction operator).

      • The axioms can be rewritten using the conjunction operator and remain logically consistent

    • If there is more than one axiom:

      • the axiom MUST be associated with the semi-formal natural axiom

      • The axiom MUST use a prefix consisting of a name and a colon.

        • The name MUST use LA<n>: where <n> is a monotonically increasing number starting at 1.

    • Examples:

      • Code Block
        iof-av:firstOrderLogicAxiom: "LA1: BusinessFunction(x) → Function(x) ∧ ∃o,∃i(Organization(o) ∧  ObjectiveSpecification(i) ∧ functionOf(x,o) ∧ genericallyDependsOnAtSomeTime(i,o) ∧ prescribedBy(x,i)) ∧ ∀y(hasRealization(x,y) → BusinessProcess(y))"
iof-av:firstOrderLogicAxiom: "LA2: Function(x) ∧ ∃o,∃i,∃p(Organization(o) ∧  ObjectiveSpecification(i) ∧ BusinessProcess(p) ∧ functionOf(x,o) ∧ genericallyDependsOnAtSomeTime(i,o) ∧ prescribedBy(x,i)) ∧  hasRealization(x,p)) →  BusinessFunction(x)"

  • semi-formal natural language axiom - iof-av:semiFormalNaturalLanguageAxiom

    • Definition: transitional definition expressing first-order logic axiom using semantics understandable by ontologically knowledgable domain practitioner without predicate logic semantics

    • Semi-formal natural language axioms MAY be provided if the term is primitive (is primitive is true )

    • A construct MAY include more than one semi-formal natural language axiom annotation

    • The definition MUST adhere to semi-formal natural language definition syntax

    • If there is more than one axiom:

      • The axiom MUST be associated with the first-order logic axiom

      • The axiom MUST use a prefix consisting of a name and a colon.

        • The name MUST use LA<n>: where <n> is a monotonically increasing number starting at 1.

      • Example:

        • Code Block
          iof-av:semiFormalNaturalLanguageAxiom: "LA1: if x is a 'business function' then x is a 'function' that is 'function of' some 'organization' and that is 'prescribed by' some 'objective specification' and whenever x 'has realization' y that y must be a 'business process'"
iof-av:semiFormalNaturalLanguageAxiom: "LA2: if x is a 'function' that is 'function of' some 'organization' and that is 'prescribed by' some 'objective specification' and that 'has realization' some 'business process' then x is a 'business function'"

    • All variables refer to instances

    • Rules for writing a necessary or sufficient axiom:

      • SHOULD use if and then to indicate the implication/conditional pattern for necessary or sufficient axiom: if antecedent, then consequent

        • AgentRole(x) → Role(x) ∧ ∃m ∃n ((MaterialEntity(m) ∧ ¬FiatObjectPart(x)) ∧ (Person(n) ∨ GroupOfAgents(n) ∨ EngineeredSystem(n)) ∧ actsOnBehalfOfAtSomeTime(m, n) ∧ roleOf(x,m))

        • 'agent role': if x is an instance of 'agent role', then x is an instance of 'role' that is the 'role of' some ('material entity' and not 'fiat object part') that 'acts on behalf of at some time' some other 'person', 'group of agents', or 'engineered system'

      • SHOULD use some type of for a universal pattern

        • InformationContentEntity(x) ∧ ∃c, ∃r ( continuant(c) ∧ RequirementSpecification(r) ∧ satisfies(x,r) ∧ prescribes(x,c)) ∧ ∀c'(prescribes(x,c') → Continuant(c')) → DesignSpecification(x)

        • if d is a ‘design specification’, then d is an ‘information content entity’ that ‘prescribes' some type of 'continuant'

      • SHOULD use whenever when representing a multi-place temporal expression

        • ∀ p,q,t (hasContinuantPart(p, q, t) ∧ instanceOf(p, MaterialEntity, t) → instanceOf(q, site, t) ∨ instanceOf(q, ContinuantFiatBoundary, t) ∨ instanceOf(q, MaterialEntity, t)

        • whenever a ‘material entity’ ‘has part’ y then y must be a ‘site’ or a ‘material entity’ or a ‘continuant fiat boundary’

    • Complete Example with more than one axiom:

      • Code Block
        iof-av:firstOrderLogicAxiom "LA1: Assembly(x) → MaterialArtifact(x) ∧ ∃c,∃c'(MaterialComponent(c) ∧ MaterialComponent(c') componentPartOfAtAllTimes(c,x) ∧ componentPartOfAtAllTimes(c',x) ∧ ¬(c=c'∨ (componentPartOfAtAllTimes(c,c') ∨ componentPartOfAtAllTimes(c',c))))"
iof-av:semiFormalNaturalLanguageAxiom "LA1: if x is an 'assembly' then x is a 'material artifact' and there are at least two distinct 'material component' that are 'component part of at all times' x"
iof-av:firstOrderLogicAxiom "LA2: MaterialArtifact(x) ∧ ∃p(AssemblyProcess(p)  ∧ isSpecifiedOutputOf(x,p)) → Assembly(x)"
iof-av:semiFormalNaturalLanguageAxiom "LA2: Material Artifact x that 'is specified output of' some Assembly Process p implies x is an Assembly"

...

  • see also – rdfs:seeAlso

    • Definition: rdfs:seeAlso is an instance of rdf:Property that is used to indicate a resource that might provide additional information about the subject resource [rdfs]

    • The reference MUST be a concise reference to the related documentation

    • The reference SHOULD be a URL, if possible, otherwise a brief description of the external reference

  • replaced by – iof-av:replacedBy

    • Definition: reference to the IRI of the target of a deprecated construct

    • The value MUST be an IRI referencing the target construct

Addressing Citations

A source is a related resource from which the described resource is derived. Since annotations can be applied to annotations, the appropriate source annotation property described below SHOULD be attached to the element where the influence of the source manifests. This element could be an entire construct or an annotation on a construct such as a natural language definition. A source annotation SHOULD be concise, but may be in the form of a URL, bibliographic citation, or other standard description.

...

  • comment – rdfs:comment

    • comment MUST NOT be used. Use one of the following instead:

      • iof-av:explanatoryNote

      • iof-av:usageNote

      • skos:scopeNote

  • explanatory note – iof-av:explanatoryNote

    • Definition: supplemental information used to clarify or describe the construct

    • explanatory note MAY be used to supplement the natural language definition of the construct

    • Example: “Item is another term semantically close to Product. But it is more general because the Item may not sellable. It is an overloaded term used by information systems to capture catalog information about real and sort of unreal (e.g., product family or option class which is a group of similar products) materials the enterprise concerns with.”

  • usage note – iof-av:usageNote

    • Definition: describes how to use the term in particular situations

    • usage note MAY be used to describe how the term is used in particular situations through an example instantiation.

    • Example: “This is how the Supplying Relation class may be used to convey who supplies what to who. SupplierRole(sr1) and BuyerRole(br1) and Product(p1) and SupplyingRelation(s1) and specificallyDependsOn(s1, sr1) and specificallyDependsOn(br1, s1) and specificallyDependsOn(p1,s1)”

  • scope note – skos:scopeNote

    • If required, scope note MUST be used to provide additional domain contextualization on the use of the term

    • From skos:

      • A note that helps to clarify the meaning and/or the use of a concept

    • Example:

  • change note - skos:changeNote: The note MUST have the following information:

    • Reference to the Jira issue related to the change

    • Brief description of the change

Synonyms and Abbreviations

  • General Rules

    • Synonyms and abbreviations MUST include language tag xml:lang.

  • synonym – iof-av:synonym

    • Definition: alternate label that may help users discover the construct

    • synonym MAY be used to indicate alternate term. If alternate term is context specific, it SHOULD be supplemented with the scope note annotation.

    • Example:

      • “process plan” is a synonym for the “plan specification” in the context/scope of discrete manufacturing, “recipe” is a synonym for the “plan specification” in the context/scope of batch and continuous manufacturing.

  • symbol – iof-av:symbol

    • Definition: terse designation (abbreviation) for the construct

    • One SHOULD use symbol when a commonly used abbreviation exists, such as chemical symbols or units of measure

    • Examples:

      • m (meter)

      • C (carbon)

  • abbreviation – iof-av:abbreviation

    • Definition: alternate short label for the element

    • OneSHOULDuse abbreviation when there is an alternate short label

    • One MUST use symbol if the abbreviation is a chemical or unit of measure.

  • acronym –iof-av:acronym

    • Definition: specialized abbreviation

    • One SHOULD use acronym when there is a commonly accepted acronym

    • Examples:

      • PLM (Product Lifecycle Maintenance)

      • CAD (Computer Aided Design)

Maturity

Description

Maturity designates an ontology's development status and how it will integrate into the development and release process. released indicates that the ontology has been through the entire release and voting process and is now a normative part of the IOF ontologies. provisional indicates that the ontology is in development and may contain errors or omissions. A maturity annotation encompasses an entire ontology, and all constructs, axioms, and annotations in that ontology file have the same maturity. Two workflows depend on whether the ontology has been released. If an ontology has never been released, a new file is created with a provisional maturity using the name of the ontology. If the ontology has been released, annotated with released maturity, then a new ontology file is in the provisional subdirectory (provisional/Xxx), where Xxx is the base name of the ontology and the target of the new ontology file. All new constructs, properties, and axioms are added to the provisional/Xxx file. One caveat is the constructs in the provisional/Xxx file must have the IRI of the base target ontology.

A few examples:

  • A new ontology:

    • A new development branch is created.

    • A new ontology file is created with the ontology's name and a provisional maturity.

    • Constructs are added to the new ontology file.

    • When complete, the working group votes on the new ontology. Upon successful vote, the maturity changes to released, and a pull request is created to merge into master.

    • Two reviewers must approve the new ontology, and it must pass the CI/CD tests

    • Upon approval and tests are passed, the TOB votes on the release of the ontology

    • Once TOB approves, the changes are merged into the master branch

  • An existing ontology:

    • A new development branch is created

    • An ontology file is created in the provisional directory below the target ontology file with the same name as the target ontology file. The maturity is provisional.

    • Changes and additions are made to the provisional ontology file.

    • The IRIs match the target ontology.

    • When complete, the working group votes on the new ontology. Upon successful vote, the changes are merged into the target ontology, and a pull request is created to merge into master.

    • Two reviewers must approve the new ontology, and it must pass the CI/CD tests

    • Upon approval and tests are passed, the TOB votes on the release of the ontology

    • Once TOB approves, the changes are merged into the master branch

  • Some changes are not approved in a new ontology:

    • Follow same process as a new ontology.

    • New constructs that are not approved are moved into a provisional ontology in the provisional sub-directory with the name of the target ontology.

    • Remaining constructs follow the previous release procedure.

  • Some changes are not approved in an existing ontology.

    • Follow same process for an existing ontology.

    • Only merge approved constructs into the target ontology.

    • Continue on with the release process.

Rules

maturity – iof-av:maturity

...

Definition: annotation property used to indicate the development status of an ontology.

...

Each IOF ontology MUST have exactly one maturity annotation with a value of type iof-av:MaturityLevel

...

All new constructs, axioms, and annotations MUST be placed in an ontology file with an iof-av:maturity of iof-av:Provisional

...

Provisional ontologies MUST be included in the AboutIOFDev.rdf file in the directory of the target ontology

...

Provisional ontologies MUST NOT be included in the related AboutIOFProd.rdf file in the directory of the target ontology

...

Only released constructs, axioms, and annotations MUST be placed in an ontology file with iof-av:maturity of iof-av:Released

...

Once released, the ontology maturity MUST remain released and MUST NOT change back to provisional

...

Released constructs MUST NOT be dependent on provisional constructs

...

For a new ontology, the following procedure MUST be followed:

  • A new ontology is created, and with iof-av:maturity of iof-av:provisional

  • The maturity MUST be changed to iof-av:released after the working group votes to release the ontology

...

For an existing ontology, the following procedure MUST be followed:

  • A provisional ontology MUST be created in a provisional sub-directory relative to the target ontology

  • The target ontology refers to the ontology into which the provisional ontology will be merged

  • In the provisional directory, the additions or changes MUST be in a separate file named Xxx, where Xxx is the target ontology being developed

  • If the provisional ontology is in a sub-topic, a subdirectory MUST be created as follows: provisional/<sub-topic>/Xxx from the base directory where <sub-topic> is the sub-topic directory under the topic as outlined in the IRI structure and format.

  • The IRI must match the target ontology

  • Provisional constructs in the iof-av:provisional ontology file MUST be moved to the released ontology after the working group votes to release the ontology

...

IF the working group wants to use a version IRI, the ontology in a development branch MUST use a version IRI formatted using YYYYMMFLNN where F is the first initial and L is the last initial of the person making the change or chair if WG change and NN is a monotonically increasing number for each change in that month.

Each ontology MUST use the following vocabulary when specifying the maturity:

...

iof-av:Released

  • Will not be removed from the ontology for a reasonable length of time

  • Indicates an ontology that is considered to be stable and mature from a development perspective

  • Release notes will be provided for any changes concerning released content, and any revisions will be backward compatible with the prior version to the degree possible

iof-av:Provisional

...

Indicates an ontology that is considered to be under development

...

Provisional sub-topic ontologies require a sub-directory in the provisional directory for their ontologies; the provisional directory is not created under the sub-topic directory.

Rules

  • maturity – iof-av:maturity

    • Definition: annotation property used to indicate the development status of an ontology.

    • Each IOF ontology MUST have exactly one maturity annotation with a value of type iof-av:MaturityLevel

    • All new constructs, axioms, and annotations MUST be placed in an ontology file with an iof-av:maturity of iof-av:Provisional

    • Provisional ontologies MUST be included in the AboutIOFDev.rdf file in the directory of the target ontology

    • Provisional ontologies MUST NOT be included in the related AboutIOFProd.rdf file in the directory of the target ontology

    • Only released constructs, axioms, and annotations MUST be placed in an ontology file with iof-av:maturity of iof-av:Released

    • Once released, the ontology maturity MUST remain released and MUST NOT change back to provisional

    • Released constructs MUST NOT be dependent on provisional constructs

    • For a new ontology, the following procedure MUST be followed:

      • A new ontology is created, and with iof-av:maturity of iof-av:provisional

      • The maturity MUST be changed to iof-av:released after the working group votes to release the ontology

    • For an existing ontology, the following procedure MUST be followed:

      • A provisional ontology MUST be created in a provisional sub-directory relative to the target ontology

      • The target ontology refers to the ontology into which the provisional ontology will be merged

      • In the provisional directory, the additions or changes MUST be in a separate file named Xxx, where Xxx is the target ontology being developed

      • If the provisional ontology is in a sub-topic, a subdirectory MUST be created as follows: provisional/<sub-topic>/Xxx from the base directory where <sub-topic> is the sub-topic directory under the topic as outlined in the IRI structure and format.

      • The IRI must match the target ontology

      • Provisional constructs in the iof-av:provisional ontology file MUST be moved to the released ontology after the working group votes to release the ontology

    • IF the working group wants to use a version IRI, the ontology in a development branch MUST use a version IRI formatted using YYYYMMFLNN where F is the first initial and L is the last initial of the person making the change or chair if WG change and NN is a monotonically increasing number for each change in that month.

    • Each ontology MUST use the following vocabulary when specifying the maturity:

      • iof-av:Released

        • Will not be removed from the ontology for a reasonable length of time

        • Indicates an ontology that is considered to be stable and mature from a development perspective

        • Release notes will be provided for any changes concerning released content, and any revisions will be backward compatible with the prior version to the degree possible

      • iof-av:Provisional

        • Indicates an ontology that is considered to be under development

        • Provisional content is subject to change and may change substantially before release. IOF users should be aware that it is not dependable but could be used for reference and as the basis for further work

Activities

image-20241017-150911.pngImage Added

Examples:

  • A new ontology:

    • A new development branch is created.

    • A new ontology file is created with the ontology's name and a provisional maturity.

    • Constructs are added to the new ontology file.

    • When complete, the working group votes on the new ontology. Upon successful vote, the maturity changes to released, and a pull request is created to merge into master.

    • Two reviewers must approve the new ontology, and it must pass the CI/CD tests

    • Upon approval and tests are passed, the TOB votes on the release of the ontology

    • Once TOB approves, the changes are merged into the master branch

  • An existing ontology:

    • A new development branch is created

    • An ontology file is created in the provisional directory below the target ontology file with the same name as the target ontology file. The maturity is provisional.

    • Changes and additions are made to the provisional ontology file.

    • The IRIs match the target ontology.

    • When complete, the working group votes on the new ontology. Upon successful vote, the changes are merged into the target ontology, and a pull request is created to merge into master.

    • Two reviewers must approve the new ontology, and it must pass the CI/CD tests

    • Upon approval and tests are passed, the TOB votes on the release of the ontology

    • Once TOB approves, the changes are merged into the master branch

  • Some changes are not approved in a new ontology:

    • Follow same process as a new ontology.

    • New constructs that are not approved are moved into a provisional ontology in the provisional sub-directory with the name of the target ontology.

    • Remaining constructs follow the previous release procedure.

  • Some changes are not approved in an existing ontology.

    • Follow same process for an existing ontology.

    • Only merge approved constructs into the target ontology.

    • Continue on with the release process.

Ontology Annotations

The following annotations apply to an entire IOF ontology and not to individual constructs of the ontology

...

6.2.3.2 Upper case characters, mathematical symbols, typographical signs and syntactic signs (e.g. punctuation marks, hyphens, parentheses, square brackets and other connectors or delimiters) as well as their character styles (i.e. fonts and bold, italic, bold italic, or other style conventions) shall be used in a term only if they constitute part of the normal written form of the term as conventionally used in running text. Syntactic signs shall not be used to show alternative terms. For complex terms (e.g. compounds and multiword terms), the natural word order shall be retained.

...