Published

Situation

vr.wm-act-017 · wm-act-017-situation

Represent a state of affairs holding for an identified subject over time, with scoped assertions, evidence and revision history.

World Models Activities and processes ACT.SIT

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Classifiers What it is Why it exists Distinguishing features What robots and AI may and may not do Moral aspects Owners Links to other meta-models Identity and identifiers Direct properties Recognition Capabilities and actions Hazards and failure modes Standards and interfaces Context of use Sources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

6 bundles · 12 layers · 12 findings · 36 questions

Identity and meaning Define the situation thread and the condition whose persistence is being described.

Situation identity context

Proposed entity boundary: continuity belongs to an identified thread; revisions and assertion issuers have their own identifiers. A corrected start time does not create a new identity.

Situation identity

Proposed entity boundary: continuity belongs to an identified thread; revisions and assertion issuers have their own identifiers. A corrected start time does not create a new identity.

Which master identifier distinguishes this situation from another episode about the same subject? identity
What condition dimension makes this one coherent situation thread? definition
When does a recurrence require a new situation rather than a revision? lifecycle

Condition scheme context

Bind condition terms to a versioned vocabulary. Do not confuse a condition value with record approval state, evidence status, alert handling status or a physical measurement.

Condition scheme

Bind condition terms to a versioned vocabulary. Do not confuse a condition value with record approval state, evidence status, alert handling status or a physical measurement.

Which scheme and version define the asserted condition term? classification
Which separate fields describe record review and confidence rather than the condition itself? state
Which combinations of condition terms are incompatible in this profile? constraint

Subject and reach Bind statements to the correct subject, parts and effective scope.

Primary subject context

Use one primary subject reference per thread as a local design convention. A collective subject must be explicitly identified; membership and participant roles remain externally mastered.

Primary subject

Use one primary subject reference per thread as a local design convention. A collective subject must be explicitly identified; membership and participant roles remain externally mastered.

Which authoritative subject does this condition concern? relationship
If several entities are involved, what defines the collective subject and its membership version? composition
Who stewards the situation record and how is that role distinct from owning the subject? ownership

Effective reach context

Scope can be spatial, organizational or a subset of a subject. Preserve scope revisions and exclusions; an alert audience is not the area in which a condition holds.

Effective reach

Scope can be spatial, organizational or a subset of a subject. Preserve scope revisions and exclusions; an alert audience is not the area in which a condition holds.

What part, area or organizational scope is affected by this assertion? spatial
When does a revised extent become applicable? temporal
How is partial overlap between two scope descriptions represented without assuming equal coverage? validation

Validity and knowledge time Keep what holds when distinct from when information entered the record.

Validity interval context

Interval bounds carry precision and basis. Unknown start, open end and forecast end are different states. No missing bound proves indefinite persistence.

Validity interval

Interval bounds carry precision and basis. Unknown start, open end and forecast end are different states. No missing bound proves indefinite persistence.

What are the begin and end bounds and the evidence basis for each? temporal
Which endpoint inclusion and temporal reference rules apply? constraint
How is uncertain or interrupted validity represented without fabricating exact instants? exception

Recording and revision time context

Retain when an assertion was made, observed, received and superseded. Backdated validity is a correction with provenance, not a rewrite of what a consumer previously knew.

Recording and revision time

Retain when an assertion was made, observed, received and superseded. Backdated validity is a correction with provenance, not a rewrite of what a consumer previously knew.

When was this assertion observed, produced and recorded? provenance
What changed in this revision and why was earlier effective time retained or corrected? process
Which record revision was available at the requested knowledge-time cutoff? temporal

Assertion and assurance Separate observations, interpretations and official claims, including disagreement and stale evidence.

Assertion basis context

Each claim states whether it is observed, inferred, declared, planned or hypothetical. Those proposed basis codes need an adopter profile and do not establish truth or legal effect.

Assertion basis

Each claim states whether it is observed, inferred, declared, planned or hypothetical. Those proposed basis codes need an adopter profile and do not establish truth or legal effect.

Which evidence supports this particular condition assertion? evidence
If a measurement informed the condition, which procedure and interpretation rule were used? measurement
What gives this issuer authority to attest a declared status for this subject and interval? authority

Disagreement and freshness context

Do not silently select the newest claim. Profile-specific freshness and authority checks can leave a current view unknown, stale or disputed; confidence scores require a defined meaning.

Disagreement and freshness

Do not silently select the newest claim. Profile-specific freshness and authority checks can leave a current view unknown, stale or disputed; confidence scores require a defined meaning.

What fitness and freshness criteria apply to reliance on this assertion? quality
Which contrary assertions remain unresolved within overlapping validity and reach? exception
What documented rule permits one assertion to be preferred for a particular view? decision

Change and communication Record changes to assertions without confusing messaging with changes in the world.

Change evidence context

Reference opening, change and cessation evidence when known. Closure of a record, expiration of a forecast or silence from a source cannot alone prove cessation of the condition.

Change evidence

Reference opening, change and cessation evidence when known. Closure of a record, expiration of a forecast or silence from a source cannot alone prove cessation of the condition.

What evidence indicates that the condition began, changed or ceased? event
Does this operation end the condition, retract an assertion or retire the local record? lifecycle
How are overlapping revisions, gaps and out-of-order updates reconciled? validation

Messages and projections context

A recipient view preserves its cutoff, selected assertion and limitations. CAP is an optional message binding whose status and timing fields do not replace situation semantics.

Messages and projections

A recipient view preserves its cutoff, selected assertion and limitations. CAP is an optional message binding whose status and timing fields do not replace situation semantics.

Which pinned mapping connects a received alert or exported view to this situation? interoperability
What does a message update, cancellation or expiry change in the local evidence view? state
Which provenance and uncertainty remain visible in a minimal status view for this recipient? access

Governed maintenance Apply local authority, access and retention policies to sensitive situation assertions.

Permission to maintain context

Attribution is not authorization. Local stewardship, evidence review and status-declaration authority are separate roles. Sensitive conditions require a documented purpose and access scope.

Permission to maintain

Attribution is not authorization. Local stewardship, evidence review and status-declaration authority are separate roles. Sensitive conditions require a documented purpose and access scope.

Which policy authorizes this actor to record, correct or retract this assertion? authority
What sensitive information can this condition or its history reveal about an affected party? privacy
How are unauthorized edits and exceptional access detected and reviewed? security

Retention and retirement context

Preserve necessary revision evidence under a qualified retention policy. Retirement removes a record from active views; lawful disposal of payloads is distinct from declaring a condition ended.

Retention and retirement

Preserve necessary revision evidence under a qualified retention policy. Retirement removes a record from active views; lawful disposal of payloads is distinct from declaring a condition ended.

Which retention rule and holds govern assertions, evidence copies and recipient projections? retention
What remains resolvable when a situation is superseded, merged or lawfully disposed? process
Which checks must a consuming system pass before relying on a migrated situation? validation

Classifiers Filled

Family: World Models
Category: Activities and processes
Entry kind: entity
Navigation path: NAV.ACT.SIT
Domain: ACT.SIT
Industry: Cross-industry
Tags: situationact.sit
Also called: X4

What it is Filled

One persistently identified situation thread about one primary subject and one declared condition dimension. Time-scoped assertions are attributed views of that situation, not guaranteed facts. Joint contexts use an explicit externally mastered collective subject. A situation can be planned, observed, inferred or disputed; its record lifecycle is separate from what holds in the world.

In scope

Situation identity and subject binding
Condition vocabulary, attributed assertions and bounded reach
Effective intervals, uncertain bounds, evidence freshness and retrospective revisions
Optional change-event and alert references, qualified views and local record governance

Out of scope

Subject master data and ownership transfer
Occurrence, observation, phenomenon, risk and simulation lifecycles
Sensor operation, runtime evaluation, public alert delivery and physical intervention
Legal status creation, enforcement, operational emergency instructions and domain-specific medical determinations
Universal state ontology, executable mappings and certified instance validation

Why it exists Filled

Represent a state of affairs holding for an identified subject over time, with scoped assertions, evidence and revision history.

Distinguishing features Derived, awaiting review

Unlike WM-ACT-015 Occurrence / Event: A change may explain an interval boundary; occurrence identity and lifecycle remain external. Events are not assumed universally instantaneous and unknown triggers remain explicit.
Unlike WM-MAT-008 Observation / Measurement Record and WM-ACT-016 Observed Phenomenon: Evidence records and phenomena are referenced. The situation is a scoped interpretation of what holds, not the observation activity, measured result or phenomenon master.
Unlike WM-VRT-003 Simulation and WM-KNW-015 Risk / Opportunity: Scenario-scoped assertions may be represented but simulation execution and likelihood-impact assessment remain external. The registry risk parent pointer is a candidate taxonomic link, not mandatory containment or an objective model.
Unlike Alert and declaration records: An alert announces information; its handling status, expiry or cancellation is not a generic world-state transition. Local recording does not issue a declaration.
Unlike Legacy X4 and unreviewed supplement: Retain subject, state and interval concerns as design leads. Reject owner-equals-authority, identity derived from mutable begin time, latest-transition truth and compulsory known occurrence triggers. No legacy conformance claim is inherited.

Note: Derived from boundary notes against neighbouring models.

What robots and AI may and may not do Derived, awaiting review

Must not

Separate actual, planned and hypothetical contexts; never silently promote simulation output to an observed fact.
Deny access unless a role and purpose policy grants the requested scope; possession of a subject identifier is not a grant.

May

Register situation thread: Proposed local operation to create a scoped thread; does not create a real-world condition.
Attach attributed assertion: Proposed local operation to associate a claim and its evidence.
Revise assertion record: Proposed local correction preserving prior knowledge and effective times.
Record reliance assessment: Proposed local recording of a profile-qualified assessment supplied by a reviewer or referenced evaluator.
Build scoped view: Proposed read operation selecting only eligible assertions under a pinned policy.
Retire local thread: Proposed local retirement and disposition assessment; deletion execution follows the adopting policy.

Note: Derived from functions, policies, CRUD and access rules; prohibitions were not authored for agents as such.

Moral aspects Derived, awaiting review

Adopter review required for jurisdiction, regulated status, privacy and retention profiles.
Domain-specific authority, closure, freshness, temporal precision, legal applicability and privacy requirements need expert profile review.

Note: Sentences mentioning harm, privacy, consent or similar, collected from the specification.

Owners Filled

Steward

Name a role-based situation record steward and authoritative master namespace.

Roles

Situation steward: Maintains the local thread, subject binding and continuity rules.
Attesting authority: Provides evidence of a scoped mandate for official assertions.
Evidence reviewer: Assesses support, contradiction and freshness without assuming ownership implies authority.
Access custodian: Applies recipient permissions and time-limited exceptions.
Records custodian: Applies retention, holds and authorized disposition.

Links to other meta-models Filled

references

WM-ACT-015 - Candidate optional occurrence link for change evidence; event lifecycle stays external.
WM-ACT-016 - Candidate phenomenon link, without importing its observation or physical dynamics.
WM-MAT-008 - Candidate evidence-record link; measurement acquisition and source units stay with the observation master.
WM-XCT-009 - Candidate temporal profile reference; calendar rules are not owned here.
WM-KNW-015 - Optional related risk record. Registry parent pointer does not mandate containment; risk assessment stays external.
WM-VRT-003 - Optional scenario origin for hypothetical assertions; no inheritance from simulation or ownership of its runtime.

aligned

https://www.w3.org/TR/2017/REC-owl-time-20171019/ - Conceptual temporal alignment only; operational endpoint rules need a tested binding.
https://docs.oasis-open.org/emergency/cap/v1.2/CAP-v1.2-os.html - Optional alert profile; preserve message identity, separate information and condition validity, and explicitly transform timestamp conventions.

neighbor

WM-ACT-015 Occurrence / Event - A change may explain an interval boundary; occurrence identity and lifecycle remain external. Events are not assumed universally instantaneous and unknown triggers remain explicit.
WM-MAT-008 Observation / Measurement Record and WM-ACT-016 Observed Phenomenon - Evidence records and phenomena are referenced. The situation is a scoped interpretation of what holds, not the observation activity, measured result or phenomenon master.
WM-VRT-003 Simulation and WM-KNW-015 Risk / Opportunity - Scenario-scoped assertions may be represented but simulation execution and likelihood-impact assessment remain external. The registry risk parent pointer is a candidate taxonomic link, not mandatory containment or an objective model.
Alert and declaration records - An alert announces information; its handling status, expiry or cancellation is not a generic world-state transition. Local recording does not issue a declaration.
Legacy X4 and unreviewed supplement - Retain subject, state and interval concerns as design leads. Reject owner-equals-authority, identity derived from mutable begin time, latest-transition truth and compulsory known occurrence triggers. No legacy conformance claim is inherited.

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Incomplete

Sources Filled

Time Ontology in OWL - W3C
Semantic Sensor Network Ontology - W3C
PROV-O: The PROV Ontology - W3C
Common Alerting Protocol Version 1.2 - OASIS
Date and Time on the Internet: Timestamps - IETF
SKOS Simple Knowledge Organization System Reference - W3C
Data on the Web Best Practices: Data Quality Vocabulary - W3C

Open questions

Restore independent external review and verify admitted source versions, errata, claims and application suitability before any canonical promotion.
Build adoption profiles and adversarial fixtures for contradictory issuers, uncertain bounds, moving collective scope, stale open intervals, cancelled alerts, retrospective corrections and lawful erasure.
Implement and test nested schemas and loss-aware mappings, including the CAP/RFC 3339 timestamp distinction and optional registry relationships.
Executable nested schemas, test fixtures and round-trip mappings are not provided.
Domain-specific authority, closure, freshness, temporal precision, legal applicability and privacy requirements need expert profile review.
Non-Gregorian temporal bindings, moving collective membership and complex recurrent episodes require further profiles.
Cross-language concept equivalence, causal inference and calibrated confidence are not established.
Seven sources cover selected concepts, not all possible kinds of situations.

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification AGENTS.md Source Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

world-models research · reviewable-draft

Built from: models/wm-act-017-situation/spec.yaml