{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.distance","code":"thing-q126017","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q126017/","name":"distance","alternateNames":["medium track gauge railway","minimum track gauge","1429 mm track gauge","1050 mm track gauge","1200 mm track gauge","1100 mm track gauge","1106 mm track gauge","four-foot gauge","track gauge","track gauge in Spain","Ten and a quarter inch gauge","pupillary distance"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.TME"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The length of the straight line connecting two points in a measurable or observable physical space, expressed in units of length.","purpose":"Let an agent state distances with their path, unit, method and uncertainty, and never mix straight-line, route and travel-time distances.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["It measures straight-line length between two points.","It is distinct from displacement, which has direction.","It is distinct from travel time, which depends on speed.","It always needs a unit and ideally a stated measurement method."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"definition-and-path","name":"Definition and path","description":"What distance is meant.","layers":[{"id":"path","name":"Path","description":"Straight line, great circle or route.","findings":[{"id":"path-finding","name":"Path type","description":"The path along which distance is taken.","questions":[{"text":"Along which path is this distance measured?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How different is it from the straight-line distance?","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"endpoints","name":"Endpoints","description":"The two points.","findings":[{"id":"endpoints-finding","name":"Endpoint definition","description":"The points and their coordinates.","questions":[{"text":"Between which two points exactly?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How precisely are those points located?","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"measurement","name":"Measurement","description":"How it was obtained.","layers":[{"id":"method","name":"Method","description":"Survey, GNSS, odometer, calculation.","findings":[{"id":"method-finding","name":"Measurement method","description":"The method and instrument.","questions":[{"text":"How was this distance measured or computed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What is its uncertainty?","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"reference","name":"Reference system","description":"Datum and projection.","findings":[{"id":"reference-finding","name":"Reference frame","description":"The datum and projection used.","questions":[{"text":"Which datum and projection were used?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How much distortion does the projection introduce?","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"units","name":"Units","description":"Units and conversion.","layers":[{"id":"unit","name":"Unit","description":"The unit stated.","findings":[{"id":"unit-finding","name":"Unit stated","description":"The unit and its definition.","questions":[{"text":"In which unit is this distance given?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Could the unit be misread?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"conversion","name":"Conversion","description":"Converting units.","findings":[{"id":"conversion-finding","name":"Conversion factors","description":"Exact conversion factors.","questions":[{"text":"Which exact factor converts this unit to metres?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What rounding was applied?","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Distances in decisions.","layers":[{"id":"application","name":"Application","description":"Where the distance is used.","findings":[{"id":"application-finding","name":"Use context","description":"The decision the distance feeds.","questions":[{"text":"What decision does this distance feed?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Would a travel time be more appropriate?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"margins","name":"Safety margins","description":"Distances as limits.","findings":[{"id":"margins-finding","name":"Margin rules","description":"Required minimum distances.","questions":[{"text":"Is a minimum distance required here, and by which rule?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How is compliance measured?","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Measure or compute distances, stating the path, unit and method.","Convert distances between units for its user."],"mustNot":["Mix straight-line, route and travel-time distances in one answer without saying so.","Report a distance in the wrong unit where navigation, aviation or dosing depends on it.","Use distance calculations to track a person's movements without consent."],"requiresHuman":["Relying on a computed distance for safety-critical clearances."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Distance errors in navigation and engineering can put lives at risk.","Distance from services decides access to care and help in an emergency."],"affectedParties":["Travellers and navigators","People relying on emergency response"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns it; national metrology institutes maintain the units of length.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q107715","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q181175","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q30241068","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"length","type":"related","note":"a physical quantity measured in metres"},{"target":"displacement","type":"related","note":"displacement is a vector"},{"target":"transport and navigation","type":"related","note":"routes, fares and plans depend on it"},{"target":"track gauge","type":"related","note":"the distance between rails"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.distance","Wikidata: Q126017 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126017)","SI unit: metre, symbol m base unit of length"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["unit: metre (SI) m - mile 1609.344 m, nautical mile 1852 m"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["A number with a length unit: m, km, mi, nmi, ft","Road signs and maps state route or straight-line distances","Track gauge, a distance between rails, is one specialised distance","Not a thing to look at; seen on maps, signs and instruments as a number with a unit."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["measure it, by survey, GNSS, laser or odometer","compute it, from coordinates or a network","convert it between units","use it, for routing, pricing and planning"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Unit confusion, such as miles for kilometres or feet for metres","Mixing straight-line and route distances","Projection errors when measuring on flat maps"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["International System of Units (SI)","ISO 80000-3 space and time quantities","WGS 84 for geodetic distances"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Measuring separation, for navigation, planning, engineering and science.","Euclidean, great-circle, geodesic, route or network distance","specialised distances such as track gauge and wheelbase","abstract distances in mathematics, such as metric distances"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q126017: distance","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126017","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Distance","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should route distance and straight-line distance be separate entries?","How should uncertainty in measured distances be recorded?","Should specialised distances such as track gauge be children of this entry?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q126017/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q126017/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T04:26:34Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}