{ "vercy": "1.0-draft", "publication": { "status": "research-draft", "adjudicationStatus": "unreviewed", "publishableCanonical": false, "generatedAt": "2026-09-12T10:20:52Z", "providers": [ "Codex" ], "breadth": "recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read", "missingProviders": [], "pass": 2, "cost": { "grok": { "seconds": 22.4, "error": "Reading additional input from stdin...\nOpenAI Codex v0.153.4\n--------\nworkdir: R:\\02_PROJECTS\\02_Meta_Models_Platforms\\Ver.cy\\current\\thing-registry-backlog\nmodel: gpt-6-astra\nprovider: openai\napproval: never\nsandbox: read-only\nreasoning effort: none\nreasoning summaries: none\nsession id: 01a09521-4baa-7223-8b56-5187b4a3b9ad\n--------\nuser\nDescribe what is already known about one registered thing. Answer as JSON only, no prose around it.\n\nThing: human composting\nSense to describe: (none recorded)\nDomain code: ACT.ACT\nAlso known as: (none)\n\n\nContext for this batch of 1001 things:\n# Batch 043: 100", "usd": 0.0, "recall": true }, "codex": { "seconds": 71.1, "error": "Reading additional input from stdin...\nOpenAI Codex v0.153.4\n--------\nworkdir: R:\\02_PROJECTS\\02_Meta_Models_Platforms\\Ver.cy\\current\\thing-registry-backlog\nmodel: gpt-6-astra\nprovider: openai\napproval: never\nsandbox: read-only\nreasoning effort: none\nreasoning summaries: none\nsession id: 01a09521-4b9c-7652-a2e4-415920cb80d7\n--------\nuser\nYou are drafting a Vercy meta-model for one registered thing. Answer as JSON only, no prose around it.\n\nThing: human composting\nRegistry id: vr.tr.human-composting\nPlane / domain: ACT / ACT.ACT\nRegistry definition: (none recorded)\nNames folded into this entry:" } }, "enrichment": { "pass": 3, "engine": "claude", "producedAt": "2026-10-06T12:00:00Z", "ingestedAt": "2026-10-06T08:50:04+00:00", "fields": [ "agent_conduct", "ethics", "owners" ] }, "gate": { "passed": true, "version": "1.0", "at": "2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00", "evidence": [ "completeness 1.00", "sense: Wikidata description", "2 live sources", "review by codex: pass" ] } }, "metaModel": { "id": "THING-Q116030281", "registryId": "vr.tr.human-composting", "name": "human composting", "version": "0.1.0-research.1", "entryKind": "thing", "family": "Thing Registry", "domain": [ "ACT.ACT" ], "status": "research-draft" }, "canonicalUrl": "https://ver.cy/models/thing/q116030281/", "model": { "registry_id": "vr.tr.human-composting", "name": "human composting", "purpose": "Enable an AI agent to recognise a human-composting activity, assess its documented state and identify which next actions require consent, process evidence or jurisdiction-specific authorisation.", "definition": "Human composting, also called natural organic reduction, is a method of disposition of human remains that uses managed aerobic microbial decomposition, usually with added plant material, to transform a body into a soil-like organic material.", "scope_statement": "This model owns human composting as an intentional activity that transforms human remains into soil-like material through managed biological decomposition, including authorisation, process control, verification and disposition of the resulting material.", "in_scope": [ "Recognition of human composting and its relationship to natural organic reduction terminology", "Identity, custody, consent and eligibility of the human remains", "Preparation, biological decomposition, curing and material handling", "Evidence of process performance and material release readiness", "Authorised destinations, restrictions and traceability of the resulting material" ], "out_of_scope": [ "Death certification, investigation and determination of cause of death", "General funeral planning, bereavement support and memorial services", "Design and manufacture of composting vessels and facility equipment", "Conventional burial, cremation and alkaline hydrolysis as separate disposition methods", "General compost production and agricultural soil management", "The complete business and licensing model of a funeral-service provider" ], "distinguishing_features": [ "The intentional subject of the transformation is human remains; decomposition of animal remains or ordinary organic waste belongs to neighbouring models.", "The activity deliberately manages biological decomposition to produce recoverable soil-like material; incidental decomposition after burial does not by itself qualify.", "The principal transformation mechanism is biological decomposition, distinguishing it from combustion-based cremation and chemical alkaline hydrolysis.", "The resulting material has an explicit release and destination decision; an environmentally framed funeral without this transformation is not sufficient evidence of human composting.", "Terms such as natural organic reduction must be mapped to their documented process and jurisdictional meanings rather than treated as automatically interchangeable." ], "characteristics": [ { "name": "Disposition-method designation", "kind": "category", "unit_or_values": "Human composting, natural organic reduction or another documented designation, with definition and authority", "why_it_matters": "Connects ordinary terminology to the actual process and any applicable legal category." }, { "name": "Remains identity and custody", "kind": "relation", "unit_or_values": "Links among the deceased person, received remains, custody events, processing unit and resulting material", "why_it_matters": "Supports attribution and detects identity gaps or unintended mixing." }, { "name": "Disposition authorisation", "kind": "state", "unit_or_values": "Unverified, pending, documented, disputed, withdrawn where applicable", "why_it_matters": "Distinguishes a requested disposition from one whose authority has been established." }, { "name": "Process eligibility", "kind": "state", "unit_or_values": "Not assessed, eligible under named criteria, requires review, ineligible under named criteria", "why_it_matters": "Prevents assumptions about acceptance when medical, chemical or other exclusions may apply." }, { "name": "Processing stage", "kind": "state", "unit_or_values": "Received, prepared, active decomposition, curing or finishing, verification, released, exception hold", "why_it_matters": "Makes progress and permitted transitions explicit without assuming every provider uses identical stages." }, { "name": "Temperature exposure", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Degrees Celsius over time, with sensor locations, sampling intervals and calibration evidence", "why_it_matters": "Allows evaluation against a specified process criterion while preserving spatial and temporal coverage." }, { "name": "Moisture condition", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Percentage with wet- or dry-basis convention and measurement method", "why_it_matters": "Helps interpret biological activity and identify process departures." }, { "name": "Aeration condition", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Oxygen percentage, airflow or another documented indicator, with units and measurement location", "why_it_matters": "Records how oxygen availability is assessed rather than inferring it from equipment operation." }, { "name": "Verification status", "kind": "state", "unit_or_values": "Not sampled, awaiting results, meets named criteria, fails named criteria, inconclusive", "why_it_matters": "Separates a completed processing period from evidence that material can be released." }, { "name": "Resulting material quantity", "kind": "measurement", "unit_or_values": "Kilograms and/or cubic metres, with moisture condition and accounting boundary", "why_it_matters": "Supports allocation and custody records while distinguishing total output from claims about body-derived material." }, { "name": "Material destination", "kind": "relation", "unit_or_values": "Links to recipient, site, intended use, permissions and restrictions", "why_it_matters": "Enables destination-specific decisions after processing." } ], "affordances": [ "Classify a proposed disposition process against the model boundary and its documented terminology.", "Identify missing consent, custody or eligibility evidence before a process transition.", "Compare monitoring records with the criteria specified for the process and jurisdiction.", "Flag process deviations, incomplete verification and material that requires a hold.", "Trace released portions of material to their authorised recipients and destinations.", "Explain which conclusions remain unsupported, including safety, completion and environmental-benefit claims." ], "agent_conduct": { "may": [ "Explain natural organic reduction and where it is legally permitted.", "Help families find licensed providers and understand the process in general terms." ], "must_not": [ "Suggest composting human remains outside a licensed facility or where the law does not allow it.", "Handle or move human remains without legal authority and the family's consent.", "Mislead families about how the remains or the resulting soil will be used.", "Dismiss religious or cultural objections to the practice." ], "requires_human": [ "Choosing a method of disposition for a person's remains." ] }, "ethics": { "considerations": [ "Treatment of the dead touches deep religious and cultural beliefs.", "Families must give informed consent and be told the truth about the process." ], "affected_parties": [ "The deceased and their families", "Religious communities", "Funeral workers" ] }, "owners": { "steward": "The licensed provider and the family; the law of each jurisdiction governs disposition of remains.", "master_systems": [ "Civil death and burial registers" ] }, "what_it_is_for": [ "Human composting is encountered in funeral planning and licensed death care services in jurisdictions that permit this form of disposition.", "It provides an option for transforming human remains into organic material whose subsequent handling depends on consent and applicable rules." ], "standards_and_regulation": [ "Washington State Legislature, Laws of 2019, Chapter 432, established a legal framework for natural organic reduction of human remains in Washington." ], "failure_modes_and_hazards": [ "Inadequately controlled decomposition can leave biological hazards in the resulting material.", "Failures in identification or recordkeeping can cause remains or resulting material to be misattributed.", "Disposition without valid consent or required authorisation can violate legal rights and cause severe distress.", "Poor containment and facility management can expose workers or nearby people to contaminated material and offensive odours." ], "facets_not_applicable": { "recognition": "Human composting is a managed procedure whose identity cannot be established from visual appearance alone." } }, "sources": [ { "id": "wikidata", "title": "Wikidata item Q116030281: human composting", "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q116030281", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "identity and sense of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api" }, { "id": "wikipedia-en", "title": "Wikipedia: Human composting", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_composting", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "general description of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api sitelink" } ], "structure": { "bundles": [ { "id": "process-identity-and-boundaries", "name": "Process identity and boundaries", "description": "Establishes what activity is being proposed or performed and why it counts as human composting.", "rationale": "Environmental language and overlapping disposition terminology can conceal materially different processes.", "layers": [ { "id": "terminology-and-authority", "name": "Terminology and authority", "description": "Connects the process designation to definitions used by identifiable authorities and providers.", "findings": [ { "id": "designation-mapping", "name": "Designation mapping", "description": "Record the asserted meaning of human composting and any equivalence claimed with natural organic reduction.", "questions": [ { "text": "How does the relevant authority or provider define this disposition method?", "kind": "definition", "id": "designation-mapping-q01" }, { "text": "Which document establishes whether human composting and natural organic reduction refer to the same activity in this case?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "designation-mapping-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "transformation-boundary", "name": "Transformation boundary", "description": "Identifies the transformation mechanism, inputs and intended output.", "findings": [ { "id": "qualifying-transformation", "name": "Qualifying transformation", "description": "Record evidence of intentionally managed biological decomposition and planned recovery of soil-like material.", "questions": [ { "text": "Which documented operations establish biological decomposition as the principal transformation mechanism?", "kind": "definition", "id": "qualifying-transformation-q01" }, { "text": "What distinguishes this activity from natural burial or another disposition process with an environmental claim?", "kind": "boundary", "id": "qualifying-transformation-q02" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "remains-authorisation-and-custody", "name": "Remains authorisation and custody", "description": "Connects the deceased person and received remains to authority, acceptance decisions and processing records.", "rationale": "A technically feasible process cannot establish who may authorise it or whether particular remains may enter it.", "layers": [ { "id": "consent-and-eligibility", "name": "Consent and eligibility", "description": "Records authority to proceed and the criteria governing acceptance.", "findings": [ { "id": "acceptance-basis", "name": "Acceptance basis", "description": "Keep disposition wishes, decision-making authority and process eligibility separately evidenced.", "questions": [ { "text": "Who has documented authority to approve this disposition, and how are the deceased person's recorded wishes represented?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "acceptance-basis-q01" }, { "text": "Which applicable acceptance criteria have been checked, and which unresolved issues require review before receipt or processing?", "kind": "action", "id": "acceptance-basis-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "identity-through-transformation", "name": "Identity through transformation", "description": "Maintains attribution through transfers, processing and division of material.", "findings": [ { "id": "custody-and-separation", "name": "Custody and separation", "description": "Record identifiers and handling events sufficient to evaluate continuity and any mixing.", "questions": [ { "text": "What records connect received remains to the processing unit and each released portion of resulting material?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "custody-and-separation-q01" }, { "text": "What separation or mixing practices apply, and what action follows an identity discrepancy or unintended mixing event?", "kind": "action", "id": "custody-and-separation-q02" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "biological-process-management", "name": "Biological process management", "description": "Represents preparation, decomposition conditions and justified movement between processing stages.", "rationale": "Elapsed time alone does not describe how the transformation was managed or whether it progressed as intended.", "layers": [ { "id": "preparation-and-inputs", "name": "Preparation and inputs", "description": "Records the remains, added materials and preparation decisions entering the process.", "findings": [ { "id": "input-and-removal-record", "name": "Input and removal record", "description": "Document added organic materials and the handling of implants, belongings and other non-target materials.", "questions": [ { "text": "Which materials were added, in what quantities and condition, and under which process specification?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "input-and-removal-record-q01" }, { "text": "Which implants, belongings or other materials require removal or special handling, and at what stage?", "kind": "action", "id": "input-and-removal-record-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "conditions-and-stage-transitions", "name": "Conditions and stage transitions", "description": "Connects process observations and interventions to stage decisions.", "findings": [ { "id": "monitored-decomposition", "name": "Monitored decomposition", "description": "Record condition histories, deviations and the evidence used to move into curing or finishing.", "questions": [ { "text": "How are temperature, moisture and oxygen availability measured across the processing unit and over time?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "monitored-decomposition-q01" }, { "text": "Which observations justify intervention, extended processing or transition to the next stage under the named protocol?", "kind": "action", "id": "monitored-decomposition-q02" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "completion-and-material-verification", "name": "Completion and material verification", "description": "Separates transformation progress from verified readiness to release resulting material.", "rationale": "Appearance, duration and isolated measurements may support different conclusions and must not be treated as interchangeable evidence.", "layers": [ { "id": "completion-evidence", "name": "Completion evidence", "description": "Records how decomposition, curing and finishing endpoints are evaluated.", "findings": [ { "id": "endpoint-assessment", "name": "Endpoint assessment", "description": "Identify the criteria for completion, including treatment of residual bone and other remaining material.", "questions": [ { "text": "What operational definition of completion is used, and how does it distinguish decomposition from curing or finishing?", "kind": "definition", "id": "endpoint-assessment-q01" }, { "text": "How are residual bone, foreign objects and signs of incomplete processing assessed and handled before release?", "kind": "action", "id": "endpoint-assessment-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "sampling-and-release-decision", "name": "Sampling and release decision", "description": "Links laboratory and process evidence to explicit release criteria.", "findings": [ { "id": "verified-release-basis", "name": "Verified release basis", "description": "Record the sampling basis, applicable analytes or indicators, results and disposition of failed or uncertain material.", "questions": [ { "text": "Which pathogen, contaminant or stability criteria apply, and how does the sampling method represent the material being released?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "verified-release-basis-q01" }, { "text": "Who may approve release, and what happens when evidence is missing, inconclusive or outside an applicable limit?", "kind": "action", "id": "verified-release-basis-q02" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "material-destination-and-outcome-claims", "name": "Material destination and outcome claims", "description": "Tracks where resulting material may go and what claims can be supported about the disposition.", "rationale": "Successful processing does not independently establish permission for every use or substantiate environmental benefits.", "layers": [ { "id": "allocation-and-permitted-use", "name": "Allocation and permitted use", "description": "Connects released quantities to recipients, locations and use restrictions.", "findings": [ { "id": "destination-authority", "name": "Destination authority", "description": "Record destination decisions, including material retained by families or managed by the provider.", "questions": [ { "text": "How much material is assigned to each recipient or destination, and how are uncollected portions accounted for?", "kind": "measurement", "id": "destination-authority-q01" }, { "text": "Which permissions and restrictions govern transport, placement and intended use at each destination?", "kind": "action", "id": "destination-authority-q02" } ] } ] }, { "id": "environmental-claim-evidence", "name": "Environmental claim evidence", "description": "Evaluates claims made about this process using explicit comparison boundaries.", "findings": [ { "id": "comparative-impact-basis", "name": "Comparative impact basis", "description": "Record the evidence and assumptions behind claims about emissions, resource use or soil benefits.", "questions": [ { "text": "What evidence supports each environmental claim, and does it describe this facility, this process design or an extrapolation?", "kind": "provenance", "id": "comparative-impact-basis-q01" }, { "text": "Which transport, energy, added-material, land-use and final-placement effects are included in the comparison with another disposition method?", "kind": "boundary", "id": "comparative-impact-basis-q02" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "evidence-and-external-alignment", "name": "Evidence and external alignment", "description": "What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.", "rationale": "A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.", "layers": [ { "id": "reported-evidence", "name": "Reported evidence", "description": "Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.", "findings": [ { "id": "evidence-confidence-notes", "name": "Check these first", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ "This is a recall-based description; no sources or current regulations were checked.", "Processing times, pathogen-control performance, and restrictions on resulting material should be checked against a specific provider's validated process and local rules.", "Environmental advantages over other disposition methods depend on system boundaries, energy use, transport, and the comparison method; no universal ranking is asserted." ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-confidence-notes-q01", "text": "Which of these check these first hold for the sense of human composting this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-real-world-use", "name": "Real-world use", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ "Offered by specialized death-care providers as an alternative to burial or cremation.", "Resulting material may be returned to relatives or used in landscape and conservation settings where permitted." ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-real-world-use-q01", "text": "Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of human composting this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-measurements", "name": "Typical measurements", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ { "quantity": "Process temperature", "typical_range": "Elevated temperatures during active decomposition; operating targets and required holding times depend on the process and applicable rules.", "unit": "°C" }, { "quantity": "Processing duration", "typical_range": "Several weeks to several months, depending on the system and whether curing is included.", "unit": "weeks or months" } ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-measurements-q01", "text": "Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of human composting this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards", "name": "Failure modes and hazards", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ "Inadequate aeration or excessive moisture can cause anaerobic conditions, odors, and incomplete decomposition.", "Insufficient treatment can leave viable pathogens in the resulting material.", "Some infectious agents, particularly prions, are resistant to ordinary composting conditions and require special consideration.", "Implants and other noncompostable objects require separation and appropriate handling.", "Failures in identification, tracking, or material handling can compromise the custody and intended disposition of remains." ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01", "text": "Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of human composting this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-regional-variation", "name": "Regional variation", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ "Legal recognition and availability vary by jurisdiction; permission for burial or cremation does not necessarily authorize natural organic reduction.", "Rules governing facilities, eligible remains, treatment verification, and use of the resulting material differ between jurisdictions.", "Religious and cultural acceptance varies, including disagreement over whether the process provides an appropriate treatment of human remains." ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-regional-variation-q01", "text": "Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of human composting this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] }, { "id": "evidence-neighbours", "name": "Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart", "description": "Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.", "evidence": [ { "name": "Natural burial", "difference": "Natural burial places remains in the ground for decomposition; human composting manages decomposition in a treatment system before disposition of the resulting material." }, { "name": "Cremation", "difference": "Cremation uses high-temperature combustion and leaves predominantly mineral remains; human composting uses microbial decomposition and retains an organic material." }, { "name": "Alkaline hydrolysis", "difference": "Alkaline hydrolysis uses heated water and alkali to break down tissues; human composting relies on aerobic microorganisms and a solid organic matrix." }, { "name": "Livestock mortality composting", "difference": "Both use managed decomposition, but human composting concerns human remains and carries distinct requirements for consent, identity, dignity, and death-care regulation." } ], "questions": [ { "id": "evidence-neighbours-q01", "text": "Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of human composting this model covers, and on what evidence?", "kind": "provenance" } ] } ] } ] } ] }, "openQuestions": [ "How do authoritative definitions of human composting and natural organic reduction differ across jurisdictions and process designs?", "Which eligibility exclusions and special handling requirements are supported for infectious risks, prior treatments and implanted materials?", "Which combinations of monitoring, sampling and testing adequately establish process completion and release readiness for different system designs?", "What legal status, transport rules and use restrictions apply to resulting material at its origin and intended destination?", "How robust are comparative environmental-benefit claims when actual facility performance, transport and final material use are included?" ], "statistics": { "bundles": 6, "layers": 11, "findings": 16, "questions": 26 } }