# Namespace **Meta-Universe Specification** **Document ID:** MU-V2-CORE-003 **Title:** Namespace — The Unit of Publication and Discovery **Document Class:** Normative **Version:** 2.0 (Draft) **Status:** Working Draft **Normative References:** MUC, MMAS, MUFP **Informative References:** [Universe](../04-core-concepts/Universe.md), [Dimension](../04-core-concepts/Dimension.md) **Copyright:** © Orkestron.AI **License:** Apache-2.0 --- # 1. Purpose This document defines the concept of a **Namespace** within the Meta-Universe architecture. A Namespace is the canonical semantic boundary that organizes related concepts, identifiers and definitions within a Dimension. It provides uniqueness, discoverability and long-term semantic stability, and it is the **unit of publication and discovery** through which knowledge enters registries and is imported by other meta-models. --- # 1a. The Three Governance Axes The Meta-Universe separates governance into three orthogonal axes. A Namespace occupies the third axis: - **Universe** — *who holds sovereignty* (the jurisdiction); - **Dimension** — *in which management context* (the management space); - **Namespace** — *how concepts are organized and identified* (the organization). Whereas the Universe answers *who governs* and the Dimension answers *in which context*, the Namespace answers *how concepts are organized, named and made discoverable*. A Namespace SHALL NOT claim sovereignty (that is the Universe's role) and SHALL NOT define a management context (that is the Dimension's role); it organizes, identifies and publishes concepts. --- # 2. Historical Note In Meta-Universe v1.x this concept was named **Galaxy**. Beginning with Meta-Universe v2, the term **Namespace** SHALL be used. The architectural role remains conceptually similar while adopting terminology that is more familiar across software engineering, semantic technologies and distributed systems. --- # 3. Definition A Namespace is a named semantic scope that: - belongs to exactly one Dimension; - groups related concepts; - defines canonical identifiers; - prevents naming collisions; - serves as the primary unit of semantic organization. Namespaces are logical constructs and SHALL NOT imply physical storage. --- # 4. Relationship to Higher Levels A Namespace SHALL belong to one and only one Dimension. Recommended hierarchy: Universe └── Dimension └── Namespace ├── Meta-Models ├── Objects ├── Relationships ├── Events └── Contracts --- # 5. Responsibilities A Namespace SHALL: - define canonical semantic names; - provide identifier uniqueness within its scope; - organize related concepts; - expose public semantic structure; - support discovery and federation. Namespaces SHALL NOT define constitutional rules. --- # 6. Identity Every Namespace SHALL declare: - globally unique identifier; - canonical namespace name; - parent Dimension; - version; - owner or steward. Identifiers SHALL remain stable. --- # 7. Canonical Naming Every public concept SHOULD be referenced using its canonical semantic name. Recommended format: namespace:Concept Examples: employee:Employee employee:Skill organization:Department security:AccessPolicy Canonical names SHALL remain stable across compatible versions. --- # 8. Ownership Every Namespace SHALL have a responsible owner or steward. Ownership includes responsibility for: - semantic consistency; - lifecycle management; - documentation; - compatibility; - publication. Ownership MAY be delegated by the governing Dimension. --- # 9. Public Schema A Namespace SHOULD expose a public schema describing: - available concepts; - relationships; - version; - imports; - dependencies. Publishing a schema SHALL NOT imply disclosure of instance data. --- # 10. Imports Namespaces MAY import concepts from external standards or other Namespaces. Imported concepts SHALL preserve: - original namespace; - originating standard; - version; - provenance. Local extensions SHALL be additive and SHALL NOT redefine imported semantics. --- # 11. Federation Namespaces are discoverable through their parent Universe. Federation SHOULD exchange canonical namespace references and semantic mappings. Equivalent concepts in different Namespaces SHALL be connected through explicit mappings rather than duplicate definitions. --- # 11a. Unit of Publication and Discovery The Namespace is the **unit of publication and discovery** within the Meta-Universe. While the Universe is sovereign and the Dimension is the management context, it is the Namespace that crosses the boundary into the shared ecosystem. Specifically, the Namespace: - SHALL be the artifact that is **published to registries**; - SHALL be the artifact **imported by other meta-models**; - SHALL carry its own **Semantic Fingerprint**, identifying its semantic content independently of its name; - SHALL be capable of passing **MMAS Validation** as a coherent, self-describing unit; - SHALL **federate via MUFP**, exchanging canonical namespace references, Semantic Fingerprints and semantic mappings. Because the Namespace is what other parties import and depend upon, it SHALL remain self-contained with respect to its declared imports, provenance and version, so that a consuming meta-model can resolve and trust it without access to the private internals of its Universe or Dimension. --- # 12. Evolution Namespaces MAY evolve independently. Compatible evolution MAY include: - new concepts; - new relationships; - new projection profiles; - additional mappings. Breaking changes SHALL follow the Meta-Universe Change Process. --- # 13. Typical Examples Enterprise / HR Dimension Namespaces: - employee - recruitment - payroll - competencies Enterprise / Technology Dimension Namespaces: - software - infrastructure - security - architecture Personal Universe Namespaces: - identity - education - finance - health --- # 14. Architectural Invariants Every Namespace SHALL preserve: - semantic identity; - canonical naming; - ownership; - provenance; - traceability; - constitutional compliance. Namespace evolution SHALL NEVER invalidate existing semantic identities. --- # Future Directions Because the Namespace is the unit of publication and discovery, the Meta-Universe anticipates a **global Namespace catalog** — a federated registry analogous to npm or Maven, but distributing *semantics* instead of code. In such a catalog, Namespaces would be published, versioned and resolved by their Semantic Fingerprint; consuming meta-models would declare semantic dependencies and import published Namespaces with full provenance; and a **Federation of Registries** governed by MUFP would allow discovery to span independent catalogs without any central authority. This direction is anticipated but not yet normative. --- # Final Statement A Namespace is the canonical semantic organization unit of the Meta-Universe. It provides stable semantic boundaries, globally understandable identifiers and a reusable foundation for Meta-Models, enabling large semantic ecosystems to evolve without naming conflicts while remaining interoperable across federated Universes.