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table

vr.tr.table-q580889 · thing-q580889

Let an agent recognise tablelands and mesas as a landform type with form, origin and scale, and separate this sense from the table as furniture.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.PLC
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Form Shape and size.

Shape

Flat top and scarp.

Form description

Summit and scarp dimensions.

  1. What are the summit area and scarp height? measurement
  2. Is it a mesa, butte or plateau by scale? definition

Location

Where it is.

Location

Location and name.

  1. Where is it, and what is its official name? provenance
  2. Which gazetteer lists it? provenance
Geology Why it is flat.

Caprock

Resistant layer.

Caprock

The capping rock.

  1. What rock caps it? definition
  2. What lies beneath? definition

Erosion

How it is changing.

Erosion rate

Retreat of the scarp.

  1. How fast is the scarp retreating? measurement
  2. What drives the erosion? definition
Ecology and use Life and people.

Ecology

Summit habitats.

Habitats

Habitats and endemic species.

  1. Which habitats and endemic species occur on it? definition
  2. Is it protected? provenance

Culture and use

Settlement and heritage.

Human use

Human uses and meanings.

  1. How have people used it? definition
  2. Does it have cultural or sacred significance? boundary
Safety Visiting safely.

Hazards

Rockfall and weather.

Hazards

Main hazards.

  1. Which hazards affect visitors? boundary
  2. Are there closures? boundary

Access

Routes and rules.

Access rules

Access routes and rules.

  1. How is the summit reached, and is access permitted? action
  2. Is a permit or guide required? boundary

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.PLC

What it is Filled

In geography, a flat-topped elevated landform with steep sides, such as a tableland, mesa or table mountain, which may form through differential erosion where resistant rock caps softer layers or through other geological processes.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent recognise tablelands and mesas as a landform type with form, origin and scale, and separate this sense from the table as furniture.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • The landform has a flat top and steep sides.
  • Differential erosion under a resistant caprock is one possible formation mechanism.
  • Scale separates mesa, butte and plateau.
  • The furniture sense is a different entry.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Confuse the landform with furniture in data or answers.
  • Encourage visitors near unstable scarp edges or onto summits in poor weather.
  • Disturb protected or sacred sites on the landform.

Only with a human decision

  • Closing access to a summit or route for safety.

May

  • Describe a tableland, mesa or table mountain from geological and geographic sources.
  • Report weather and access conditions for visitors from official sources.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Many table mountains are sacred or protected; respect for those who hold them matters.

Who is affected

  • Visitors and climbers
  • Communities who hold the land

Owners Filled

Steward

The landowner or protected area authority; nobody owns the landform as such.

Master systems

  • Protected area registers
  • National geographic name registers

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q271669 - registry parent class

related

  • landform - elevated landform
  • table as furniture - a homonym
  • erosion - differential erosion
  • named table mountain - for example Table Mountain in Cape Town

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.table-q580889
  • Wikidata: Q580889 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q580889)
  • GeoNames feature code: MESA, PLAT, BUTE feature types

Direct properties required Filled

  • relief above surroundings: 50-1500 m
  • summit area: hectares to thousands of square kilometres area - mesas to plateaus

Recognition required Filled

  • A flat top and steep sides are visible on the skyline.
  • A caprock of resistant rock may be present but is not required.
  • Smaller isolated versions are buttes.
  • A broad flat summit bounded by cliffs or steep slopes, often with layered rock visible in the scarp.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • map and measure it
  • climb or visit it, subject to access rules
  • study its geology and erosion
  • protect it, as a landscape or heritage site

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Rockfall from scarps
  • Visitors caught by weather on exposed summits
  • Confusing the landform and furniture senses in data

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • National geographic naming authorities
  • Protected area and heritage designations

Context of use required Filled

  • Describing a distinctive terrain type important for hazards, habitats, water and settlement.
  • mesa
  • butte
  • table mountain
  • tepui
  • tableland or plateau

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q580889: table - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Tableland - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should mesa, butte and plateau be separate entries?
  • How should scale thresholds be defined?
  • The registry entry has no aliases; is the landform sense the one intended?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q580889/spec.json