Standard / Spec Artifact
Published standards and specifications as versioned artifacts with issuer, status and scope.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
3 bundles · 3 layers · 5 findings · 11 questions
Identity and edition Which artifact and which version is meant.
Edition
Issuer, designation, edition and status.
Designated edition
The artifact has an issuer, a designation and a dated or numbered edition.
- Which body issued the artifact, and under which designation?
- Which edition or version is meant, and when was it published?
- Is the edition current, withdrawn, superseded or a draft?
Supersession
Links between editions and to replacing artifacts.
- Which earlier edition does it replace, and which later one replaces it?
- What transition period applies between editions?
Content and scope What the artifact defines.
Normative content
Scope, normative parts and referenced artifacts.
Scope and references
The artifact states its scope and the other artifacts it normatively references.
- What is the stated scope of the artifact?
- Which other artifacts does it reference normatively, and in which editions?
Machine-readable form
Schemas, ontologies or code lists published with the artifact.
- Is a machine-readable form published, such as a schema or ontology file?
- Does the machine-readable form match the published edition?
Use and rights Who may use it and how conformance is claimed.
Licence and conformance
Licence, access terms and conformance rules.
Use terms
The artifact states its licence and how conformance may be claimed.
- Under which licence or access terms is the artifact available?
- Does the artifact define conformance classes or a test suite?
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.INF.REC.STD
- Domain
- INF.REC.STD
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- standardspecartifactinf.rec.std
- Also called
- N6
What it is Filled
A standard or specification artifact is a published normative document or formal model, such as an international standard, a technical specification, a data model or an ontology, treated as a versioned object with an issuer, a status and a scope. The subject is the artifact and its editions, not the requirements an organisation derives from it, the conformity of a product to it, or a general document record.
Why it exists Filled
Published standards and specifications as versioned artifacts with issuer, status and scope.
Distinguishing features Filled
- It is the published normative artifact with editions, not the internal requirements derived from it.
- Status and supersession are central: the same designation can point to several editions.
- Models and ontologies are included as first-class artifacts with their own version identifiers.
- Distinct from a certificate or conformity claim, which states that something meets the artifact.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Reproduce paywalled standard text beyond what its licence allows.
- Cite a withdrawn or superseded edition as current.
- Claim conformance to an artifact without assessment evidence.
- Alter a published artifact in place instead of issuing a new version.
- Present a draft as an adopted standard.
Only with a human decision
- Adopting or withdrawing an edition within the issuing body.
- Declaring an organisation's or product's conformance.
- Deciding which edition becomes binding in a contract or regulation.
May
- Resolve the current edition of an artifact and its supersession history.
- Cite artifacts with issuer, designation and edition.
- Check that referenced editions match those the artifact requires.
Moral aspects Filled
- Standards referenced in law should be accessible to those who must comply with them.
- Standard-setting can favour well-resourced participants over smaller ones and the public.
- Using outdated editions can expose people to known safety or security risks.
Who is affected
- Implementers and users of the artifact
- Standards bodies and editors
- Regulators referencing the artifact
- People protected by the requirements
Owners Filled
Steward
The standards body or specification consortium that issues and maintains the artifact.
Master systems
- Standards body catalogue
- Specification repository with version history
- Ontology registry
Links to other meta-models Filled
extends
- wm-rec-001-document-record - A standard is a document record with normative status and editions.
related
- wm-rec-006-requirement - Requirements are often derived from standards.
- wm-knw-018-taxonomy-classification-scheme - Classification schemes are often published as specification artifacts.
- world-n6-model-and-ontology - Split off from this legacy card on 2026-10-05; the legacy card keeps the primary subject.
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- A standard is identified by its issuer, designation and edition, such as a number with publication year.
- Specifications and ontologies are identified by persistent URIs, often with a separate version IRI, or by a DOI.
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
A standard or specification is an information artifact with no physical properties to measure.
Recognition optional Filled
- An artifact is recognised by its issuer, designation, edition and normative language.
- Often confused with guidance documents, drafts, or an organisation's internal policy based on it.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Editions can be tracked with status and supersession.
- Normative references can be resolved to specific editions.
- Machine-readable forms can be validated against the published edition.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Implementing a withdrawn or superseded edition.
- Drift between the published text and its machine-readable form.
- Licence breaches when copying protected standard text.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- OWL 2 ontology and version IRIs for published ontologies.
- Persistent identifiers such as DOI for published specifications.
- Dublin Core metadata for describing artifacts.
Context of use required Filled
- Used in engineering, regulation, procurement and data exchange.
- Many standards are referenced in law, contracts and certification schemes.
Sources Filled
- ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2: Principles and rules for the structure and drafting of ISO and IEC documents (ISO and IEC)
- W3C Process Document (W3C)
- OWL 2 Web Ontology Language Document Overview (W3C)
Open questions
- Planned model: boundary questions, research and every section remain to be written.
Machine files
Provenance
planned (registry candidate) · todo
Built from: models/runtime-index.json, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-rec-005-standard-spec-artifact.json
Planned entry, hidden from the catalogue until researched.