# Projection **Meta-Universe Specification** **Document ID:** MU-V2-CORE-009 **Title:** Projection — Federation Without Loss of Sovereignty **Document Class:** Normative **Version:** 2.0 (Draft) **Status:** Working Draft **Normative References:** MUC, MUFP **Informative References:** [Object](../04-core-concepts/Object.md), [Relationship](../04-core-concepts/Relationship.md), [Event](../04-core-concepts/Event.md), [Contract](../04-core-concepts/Contract.md), [Identity](../04-core-concepts/Identity.md) **Copyright:** © Orkestron.AI **License:** Apache-2.0 --- # 1. Purpose This document defines the concept of a **Projection** within the Meta-Universe. A Projection is a context-specific representation of a Meta-Object. It exposes only the semantic information required for a particular purpose, audience or interaction while preserving the identity, ownership and authority of the underlying Meta-Object. --- # 1a. The Five Fundamental Primitives A Projection is one of the five fundamental semantic primitives of the Meta-Universe. Each primitive answers exactly one question, and together they form a closed picture of how meaning exists and travels: | Primitive | Question it answers | | --- | --- | | [Object](../04-core-concepts/Object.md) | *what exists* | | [Relationship](../04-core-concepts/Relationship.md) | *how things are connected* | | [Event](../04-core-concepts/Event.md) | *how it changes over time* | | [Contract](../04-core-concepts/Contract.md) | *under which rules it may be used* | | **Projection** | *how it looks in a context* | The Object is the [Semantic Point of Truth](../04-core-concepts/Object.md); Relationships connect Objects; Events record how they change along the Semantic Timeline; Contracts license their use beyond the home Universe; and the Projection is how all of this *appears* in a given situation without ever becoming the truth itself. --- # 1b. Federation Without Loss of Sovereignty The Projection is the mechanism that enables **federation without loss of sovereignty.** Because only Projections — never the [Meta-Object](../04-core-concepts/Object.md) itself — cross a boundary, a Universe can collaborate widely while its source of truth never leaves home. One Meta-Object MAY carry many Projections at once, for example: - a **Public** projection (what anyone may see); - an **HR** projection (what the HR management context may see); - a **Finance** projection (what the Finance management context may see); - a **Security** projection (what the security context may see); - an **AI Agent** projection (what an autonomous agent is permitted to reason over); - a **Partner** projection (what a federated partner Universe may consume). All such Projections SHALL reference the **same Canonical [Identity](../04-core-concepts/Identity.md)**, SHALL be governed by **[Semantic Contracts](../04-core-concepts/Contract.md)**, and SHALL exist for **different declared Purposes**. No Projection SHALL ever become the source of truth for the entity it represents. --- # 2. Definition A Projection is a first-class semantic artifact derived from a Meta-Object. A Projection SHALL: - reference exactly one canonical Meta-Object; - preserve the canonical Identity of its source; - represent a specific context; - exist for an explicit purpose; - remain traceable to its origin. A Projection is **not** a copy of an object. It is an authorized semantic view of that object. --- # 3. Projection Principles Every Projection SHALL be: - context-specific; - purpose-driven; - traceable; - versioned; - technology independent; - governed by one or more Semantic Contracts. Different Projections MAY legitimately expose different subsets or interpretations of the same Meta-Object. --- # 4. Relationship to Meta-Object Every Projection SHALL reference one canonical Meta-Object. The Meta-Object remains the semantic source of truth. A Projection SHALL NEVER redefine: - identity; - ownership; - provenance; - constitutional authority. --- # 5. Projection Context Every Projection SHALL declare its context. Typical contexts include: - business; - operational; - analytical; - regulatory; - public; - internal; - AI reasoning; - visualization. Context SHALL be explicit. --- # 6. Purpose Every Projection SHALL declare its intended purpose. Typical purposes include: - reporting; - decision support; - federation; - integration; - user interface; - AI reasoning; - compliance. Purpose participates in authorization and disclosure decisions. --- # 7. Projection Profiles Projection behavior MAY be standardized through Projection Profiles. A Projection Profile SHOULD define: - included concepts; - hidden concepts; - transformation rules; - disclosure policy; - intended audience. Profiles SHOULD be reusable. --- # 8. Identity Every Projection SHALL preserve the canonical Identity of its source Meta-Object. Projection-specific identifiers MAY exist locally. Local identifiers SHALL NOT replace the canonical Identity. --- # 9. Ownership Ownership of a Projection SHALL remain traceable. Unless explicitly delegated, the authoritative owner of the Meta-Object remains the authoritative owner of the Projection. Delegated stewardship MAY be recorded without changing semantic authority. --- # 10. Lifecycle A Projection SHOULD have an explicit lifecycle. Typical states include: - Draft - Active - Suspended - Deprecated - Archived Lifecycle transitions SHOULD be represented through Events. --- # 11. Federation Projection is the preferred unit of knowledge exchange in Meta-Universe. Federation SHOULD exchange Projections rather than Meta-Objects. A receiving Universe SHALL treat the Projection as a context-specific representation rather than an authoritative replacement. --- # 12. Disclosure Projection disclosure SHALL be governed by Semantic Contracts. Contracts MAY define: - visible attributes; - hidden attributes; - transformation rules; - retention period; - redistribution rights. Disclosure SHALL always be purpose-driven. --- # 13. Traceability Every Projection SHALL preserve: - source Meta-Object; - originating Universe; - originating Namespace; - governing Contract(s); - provenance; - creation time; - version. Traceability SHALL remain reconstructable. --- # 14. Evolution A Projection MAY evolve independently from other Projections of the same Meta-Object. Evolution SHALL NOT invalidate the canonical Identity or semantic authority of the source Meta-Object. Changes SHALL remain versioned and traceable. --- # 15. Validation A conforming implementation SHOULD validate: - source object reference; - canonical identity preservation; - declared context; - declared purpose; - governing contracts; - disclosure consistency; - projection profile compatibility. --- # 16. Architectural Invariants Every Projection SHALL preserve: - canonical identity; - semantic traceability; - ownership; - provenance; - constitutional compliance. A Projection SHALL NEVER become the semantic authority over its source Meta-Object. --- # Future Directions The five-primitive framing anticipates a future **Projection Profile catalog** of reusable, federatable projection definitions (Public, HR, Finance, Security, AI Agent, Partner and others), each binding included and hidden concepts, transformation rules and a governing Semantic Contract template. Such a catalog would let Universes publish and import standardized projections the way they import Namespaces, making "federation without loss of sovereignty" a turnkey capability rather than a bespoke arrangement. This direction is anticipated but not yet normative. For projections whose content is *computed live from a source* rather than stored — runtime metrics and other volatile facts — see [Virtual Projection](../04-core-concepts/Virtual-Projection.md), which defines hot/cold descriptive facts and Virtual Stream Views. --- # Final Statement A Projection is the constitutional mechanism through which knowledge is safely shared within the Meta-Universe. It allows the same Meta-Object to appear differently in different contexts while preserving a single semantic truth. By exchanging Projections instead of ownership, sovereign Universes can collaborate, protect sensitive knowledge and maintain long-term semantic interoperability without compromising authority or identity.