duration
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The time interval of duration of a perdurant.
inverse of: duration-of
domain: perdurant
range: time-interval
sub property of: temporal-location

geographic-part-of
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: The transitive proper part relation between political (non-physical) geographic objects. It is a primitive proper-part, and not a composed relation through the physical depend-ons of political places, since geographical parts can be dependent on disconnected physical places.
inverse of: geographic-part
domain: political-geographic-object
range: political-geographic-object
sub property of: proper-part-of

happens-at
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Perdurant presence (happening) is axiomatized as being temporally located at a point in one's life.
inverse of: time-of-happening-of
domain: perdurant
range: time-interval
sub property of: temporal-location

unit
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation for composing regions by means of a reference metrics. One of them (the measurement unit) should be explicitly used to represent a measurement space.
range: measurement-unit
inverse of: unit-of
sub property of: r-location
domain: region

abstract-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Analytical location holding between non-physical endurants and abstract regions.
inverse of: abstract-location-of
range: abstract-region
sub property of: exact-location
domain: non-physical-endurant

atomic-part
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The part relation between a particular and an atom.
inverse of: atomic-part-of
sub property of: part
domain: particular
range: particular

boundary-of
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A boundary here is taken to be a part (mereological treatment). Consequently, in the case of endurants, (reified) boundaries are features.
inverse of: boundary
domain: particular
range: particular
sub property of: proper-part-of

constant-participant
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Anytime x is present, x has participant y. In other words, all parts of x have a same participant.Participation can be constant (in all parts of the perdurant, e.g. in 'the car is running'), or temporary (in only some parts, e.g. in 'I'm electing the president').
inverse of: constant-participant-in
range: endurant
sub property of: participant
domain: perdurant

exact-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A location relation bounded to regions and defined analytically through the composition of inherence and q-location. This is the analytical version of 'generic location'.
inverse of: exact-location-of
sub property of: generic-location
domain: particular
range: region

generic-constituent
type: ObjectProperty
comment: 'Constituent' should depend on some layering of the ontology. For example, scientific granularities or ontological 'strata' are typical layerings. A constituent is a part belonging to a lower layer. Since layering is actually a partition of the ontology, constituents are not properly classified as parts, although this kinship can be intuitive for common sense. Example of specific constant constituents are the entities constituting a setting (a situation), whilethe entities constituting a collection are examples of generic constant constituents.
inverse of: generic-constituent-of
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: particular
domain: particular

generic-dependent
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The dependence on an individual of a given type at some time. This is traditionally a relation between particulars and universals, but this one states that x generically depends on y if a z different from y, but with the same properties, can be equivalently its depend-on.This is a temporally-indexed relation (embedded in this syntax).
inverse of: generically-dependent-on
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: particular
range: particular

generic-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The most generic location relation, probably equivalent to more than one image schema in a cognitive system (e.g. containment for exact location, proximity for approximate location).This is meant to reason on generalized, common sense as well as formal locations, including naive localization, between any kinds of entities. Generic location is branched into 'exact' location, ranging on regions, and 'approximate' (naive) location, ranging on non-regions.
inverse of: generic-location-of
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: particular
range: particular

has-quale
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A quality having a q-location at an atomic region.
sub property of: q-location
range: quale
inverse of: quale-of
domain: quality

host
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The immediate relation holding for features and entities.
domain: feature
range: physical-endurant
sub property of: specifically-constantly-dependent-on

identity-c
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: Any pair of individuals are ontologically identical if they are identical to themselves. Reflexive, symmetric, and transitive.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: particular
domain: particular

identity-n
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: Any pair of individuals are notionally identical iff they instantiate all and only the same concepts.
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: particular
range: particular

immediate-relation
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation that holds without additional mediating individuals. In logical terms, a non-composed relation.
domain: particular
range: particular

immediate-relation-i
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation that holds without additional mediating individuals. In logical terms, a non-composed relation.
inverse of: immediate-relation
range: particular
domain: particular

inherent-in
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The immediate relation holding for qualities and entities.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: particular
domain: quality

life
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Total constant participation applied to the mereological sum of the perdurants in which an endurant participates.
sub property of: constant-participant-in
domain: endurant
inverse of: life-of
range: perdurant

mediated-relation
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation that composes other relations. For example, a participation relation composed with a representation relation.Composed relation cannot be directly expressed in OWL-DL, then (at least some) compositions are expressed as class or restriction axioms.
range: particular
domain: particular

mediated-relation-i
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation that composes other relations. For example, a participation relation composed with a representation relation. Composed relation cannot be directly expressed in OWL-DL, then (at least some) compositions are expressed as class or restriction axioms.
inverse of: mediated-relation
domain: particular
range: particular

mereologically-coincides
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Having the same parts at time t.
domain: endurant
range: endurant
sub property of: temporary-part

overlaps
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Mereological overlap: having a common part.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: particular
domain: particular

part
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: The most generic part relation, reflexive, asymmetric, and transitive.
sub property of: immediate-relation
inverse of: part-of
domain: particular
range: particular

participant
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The immediate relation holding between endurants and perdurants (e.g. in 'the car is running').Participation can be constant (in all parts of the perdurant, e.g. in 'the car is running'), or temporary (in only some parts, e.g. in 'I'm electing the president').A 'functional' participant is specialized for those forms of participation that depend on the nature of participants, processes, or on the intentionality of agentive participants. Traditional 'thematic role' should be mapped to functional participation.For relations holding between participants in a same perdurant, see the co-participates relation.
range: endurant
sub property of: immediate-relation
inverse of: participant-in
domain: perdurant

partly-compresent
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A composed (mediated) relation used here to make relations 'temporary': by adding it as a superrelation, the effect is that the two related endurants cannot be present at all the same time intervals, but are compresent at least at some time interval (see related axiom).In FOL, the same constraint can be stated directly by coreference.This workaround can be used to index time of relations that involve reciprocal dependency, but it cannot be used in general with relations involving multiple strata of reality. For example, _about_ relation can be temporally indexed, without involving that the time of the information object overlaps with the time of the entity the information is about (but this works for e.g. the _realizes_ relation between information objects and entities whatsoever). The different temporal constraints of about vs. expresses probably derive from the dependency of aboutness from conception (to be about x, an information object should also express a description d that is satisfied by a situation including x, then temporal overlapping of _about_ is true in virtue of d). On the other hand, even conceives cannot be indexed in this way, because overlapping does not hold between the time og the conceiving agent, and the conceived description (or situation).
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: particular
domain: particular

physical-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Analytical location holding between physical endurants and physical regions.
sub property of: exact-location
domain: physical-endurant
inverse of: physical-location-of
range: physical-region

proper-part
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: The proper part relation: irreflexive, antisymmetric, and transitive.
sub property of: part
range: particular
domain: particular

q-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The immediate relation holding for qualities and regions. See 'generic location' branching for the various mediated relations that embed q-location.
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: quality
range: region

q-present-at
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Presence of a physical quality when inheres in an endurant.
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: physical-quality
range: time-interval

r-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation for representing regions within other regions, e.g. in measurement spaces (space composition).The result of r-location composition is a new 'composed region', which can either preserve the same region type (e.g. physical+physical->physical, or physical+abstract->physical), or not (e.g. physical+abstract->abstract). See 'composition description' for more details.In some cases, space composition is conventional, i.e. a space is just 'located' at another space, as in the case of measurement spaces:(direct composition): r r-location r1In other cases, r-location implies a complex path, e.g. :(homogeneous composition): r q-location-of q inherent-in x has-quality q1 q-location r1(heterogeneous composition across endurants and perdurants): r q-location-of q inherent-in e participant-in p has-quality q1 q-location r1(heterogeneous composition across physical and non-physical endurants): r q-location-of q inherent-in pe specific-constant-dependent npe has-quality q1 q-location r1
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: region
range: region

sibling-part
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Mereological sibling: having a common whole
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: particular
range: particular

specific-constant-constituent
type: ObjectProperty
comment: 'Constituent' should depend on some layering of the ontology. For example, scientific granularities or ontological 'strata' are typical layerings. A constituent is a part belonging to a lower layer. Since layering is actually a partition of the ontology, constituents are not properly classified as parts, although this kinship can be intuitive for common sense. Example of specific constant constituents are the entities constituting a setting (a situation), whilethe entities constituting a collection are examples of generic constant constituents.
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: particular
range: particular

specific-constant-dependent
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The constant dependence between two individuals. Taken here as primitive.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: particular
domain: particular
inverse of: specifically-constantly-dependent-on

strong-connection
type: ObjectProperty
comment: By strong connection here we mean a connection between two entities that share a boundary.
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: particular
range: particular

t-inherent-in
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The immediate relation holding for qualities and entities at time t.
sub property of: inherent-in
range: particular
domain: quality

temporary-atomic-part
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Having an atom as part at a time t.
domain: endurant
range: endurant
sub property of: temporary-proper-part

temporary-part
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Being part at time t. It holds for endurants only. This is important to model parts that can change or be lost over time without affecting the identity of the whole. In FOL, this is expressed as a ternary relation, but in DLs we only can reason with binary relations, then only the necessary axiom of compresence is represented here.
domain: endurant
range: endurant
sub property of: part
sub property of: partly-compresent

temporary-participant
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Only some parts of the perdurant p have a participant e.In fact, participation can be constant (in all parts of the perdurant, e.g. in 'the car is running'), or temporary (in only some parts, e.g. in 'I'm electing the president').Implicitly, this relation has a temporal indexing.If needed, in OWL one can derive such indexing by expliciting what parts of p have e as _constant_ participant.An appropriate OWL axiom is created to bind this relation to a proper part of it, which has the temporary-participant as a constant one.
range: endurant
sub property of: participant
domain: perdurant

temporary-participant-in
type: ObjectProperty
comment: x participates in some of y's parts.
domain: endurant
sub property of: participant-in
range: perdurant
inverse of: temporary-participant

temporary-proper-part
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Being proper part at time t. It holds for endurants only. This is important to model proper parts that can change or be lost over time without affecting the identity of the whole.
domain: endurant
range: endurant
sub property of: proper-part
sub property of: temporary-part
inverse of: temporary-proper-part-of

total-constant-participant
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The perdurant p has a participant e that constantly participates in p with all its parts, e.g. in 'I played the concert' (where the concert is a solo concert).
sub property of: constant-participant
range: endurant
domain: perdurant

total-temporary-participant
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The perdurant p has a participant e that temporarily participates in p with all its parts, e.g. in 'I played the concert' (where I actually played just an ouverture).See also 'temporary-participant'.
range: endurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: temporary-participant
inverse of: total-temporary-participant-in

weak-connection
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The basic connection, not requiring a common boundary.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: particular
domain: particular

about
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between information objects and entities they are about. The difference with 'expresses' is that the last requires a situation to be about something. E.g. Dante's Comedy is about facts like Dante's travel to the hereafter. The Comedy expresses a script as well as various related meanings, while the facts talked about are not 'expressed'.Given that descriptions are expressed by at least one IO, and that interpretations of IOs requires conceiving a description, and the (plausible) claim that being about something can only be done in context, i.e. within a situation, we can propose that the conceived description is satisfied by the situation (the context) of the entity the IO is about.On this basis, about would result to be a mediated relation. This is still a proposal, then we keep about here as a primitive for some time.
range: particular
domain: information-object
sub property of: references

acts-for
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Figures are not dependent on roles defined or used in the same descriptions they are defined or used, but they can act because they depute some powers to some of those roles. In other words, a figure selected by some agentive role can play that role because there are other roles in the descriptions that define or use the figure. Those roles select endurants that result to act for the figure.For example, an employee acts for an organization that deputes the role (e.g. turner) that classifies the employee. Simply put, a guy working as a turner at FIAT acts for (or on behalf of) FIAT.In complex figures, like organizations or societies, a total agency is possible when an endurant plays a delegate, or representative role of the figure.
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: agent
range: figure

admits
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The composition of d-uses and valued-by relations: a description d-uses a parameter that is valued by a region.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: region
domain: description

adopted-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An important relation between agents and descriptions is adoption, requiring previous creation by a rational agent, and internal representation by the same agent. It can involve an actual desire to perform the possibly expected actions.
inverse of: adopts
domain: description
sub property of: internally-represented-in
range: rational-agent

adopts
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An important relation between agents and descriptions is adoption, requiring previous creation by a rational agent, and internal representation by the same agent. It can involve an actual desire to perform the possibly expected actions.
range: description
sub property of: internally-represents
domain: rational-agent

attitude-towards
type: ObjectProperty
comment: It is the immediate relation between roles or figures, and tasks. It is the descriptive counterpart of the 'participant-in' relation for agentive roles or figures.In other words, it is used to state attitudes, attention or even subjection that an object can have wrt an action or process. Formally, a modality target is a task that sequences a perdurant that has a participant that plays a role bound to that modality target with a certain modality.For example, a person is usually obliged to drive in a way that prevents hurting other persons. Or a person can have the right to express her ideas.Another, more complex example: a BDI application to a certain ordered set of tasks including initial conditions (beliefs), final conditions (desires), and ways to reach goals (intentions). In other words, to move from beliefs to goals is a way of bounding one or more agent(s) to a sequence of actions.
range: course
sub property of: modal-target
domain: Class
  union of: agent-driven-role
  union of: agentive-figure

c-sat
type: ObjectProperty
comment: C-SAT - like R-SAT - concerns entities that exist in a situation entirely prior to the description. Moreover, it assumes redundant satisfaction. But, differently from P-SAT and R-SAT, no qualified satisfaction is assumed. In fact, C-SAT implies no dependency of a situation on its description. C-SAT typically applies to different views of existing situations, as for regulative descriptions (disclaimer: the situation can be already created by complying to the regulation, e.g executing it as a plan, but in this case there actually exists a plan that has the regulation as part), narratives, symbolic interpretations, etc.
inverse of: c-sat-by
range: description
sub property of: satisfies
domain: situation

characterizes
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A role r characterizes a collection c when proper subsets of the members of c play different roles r,...,rn that are all used by a same description or deputed by a same figure.
range: collection
sub property of: intensionally-references
domain: role

classified-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A.K.A. 'selected-by'.The referencing relation between concepts defined by descriptions and constituents of situations. It can be understood as a reification of a 'satisfiability' relation holding between elements of theories and elements of models.It has a time index, but this should not be intended as a partial compresence, since the time only refers to a part of the classified particular life or extension.
domain: particular
range: concept
sub property of: intensionally-referenced-by

classifies
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A.K.A. 'selects'.The referencing relation between concepts defined by descriptions, and constituents of situations. It can be understood as a reification of a 'satisfiability' relation holding between elements of theories and elements of models.It has a time index, but this should not be intended as a partial compresence, since the time only refers to a part of the classified particular life or extension.
range: particular
inverse of: classified-by
domain: concept
sub property of: intensionally-references

co-participates-with
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation holding between two endurants participating in a same perdurant. This typically subsumes many common sense, verbally encoded, relations, such as "making", "moving", "transforming", etc.
range: endurant
domain: endurant
sub property of: mediated-relation

component
type: ObjectProperty
comment: 'Component' is a proper part with a role (or function) in a system or a context. Roles can be different for the same entity, and the evaluation of them changes according to the kind of entity. For instance, components of endurants can 'play functional roles' in a whole, while components of perdurants are the essential 'episodes' in their whole.As a functional part relation, component is not transitive, because functions depend on intentions and/or designs, and something intentionally essential for a direct whole, can be non-essential for another, indirect whole.
range: particular
domain: particular
sub property of: proper-part

covers
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The role shared by all members of a collection has a covering relation towards the collection.
range: collection
sub property of: intensionally-references
domain: role

created-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An important relation between agents and descriptions is creation, implying that a given description is *specifically* dependent on a rational agent.
inverse of: creates
domain: description
sub property of: internally-represented-in
range: rational-agent

creates
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An important relation between agents and descriptions is creation, implying that a given description is *specifically* dependent on a rational agent.
range: description
sub property of: internally-represents
domain: rational-agent

d-uses
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Descriptions can d-use (descriptively use) concepts or figures, provided that used ones are defined by some description.
sub property of: component
inverse of: d-used-by
domain: description
range: Class
  union of: concept
  union of: figure

defines
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Descriptions define either concepts or (social) figures. Once defined, they can be d-used by other descriptions.
sub property of: d-uses
domain: description
range: Class
  union of: concept
  union of: figure

deputes
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Figures can depute roles that are played by endurants that are supposed to 'act for' the figure.
sub property of: immediate-relation
inverse of: deputed-by
domain: figure
range: role

direct-predecessor
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Anti-transitive predecessor.
range: particular
domain: particular
sub property of: predecessor

direct-successor
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Anti-transitive succession.
domain: particular
range: particular
inverse of: direct-predecessor
sub property of: successor

empowered-to
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation between a role and a power allowed towards some function/task.This is dispositional, and implies that a participation classified by this relation is an 'empowered participation'.
sub property of: attitude-towards
inverse of: empowered-for
range: task
domain: Class
  union of: agent-driven-role
  union of: agentive-figure

expands
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A partial order relation that holds between descriptions. It represents the proper part relation between a description and another description featuring the same properties of the former, with at least an additional one.Descriptions can be expanded either by adding other descriptions as parts, or by refining concepts or figures that are d-used by them.Specializing the concepts or figures that are d-used by them is on the contrary a case of description specialization.For descriptions, an intention to expand must be present (unless purely formal theories are considered, but even in this case a criterion of relevance is usually active).
sub property of: proper-part
range: description
domain: description

expected-setting-for
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A double composition is needed here for linking situations and descriptions components, since many possible constituents could be available in the situation. The first one constrains the classifies relation through description components, the second one constrains it through situation constituents.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: concept
domain: situation

expects
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The composition of d-uses and sequences relations: a description d-uses a course that sequences a perdurant.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: perdurant
domain: description

exploits
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A method can exploit an involved endurant when it plays a device-like role.
range: endurant
sub property of: involves
domain: method

expresses
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation between information objects that are used as representations (signs) and the content (meaning, conceptualization) they represent. In this ontology content is reified as a 'description'.Information objects are 'systemic' objects created by the system of rules of a semiotic code. For the representation between the physical implementation of information objects (physical representations) and information objects, the 'realized-by' relation is used.
range: description
domain: information-object
sub property of: references

extensionally-equivalent
type: ObjectProperty
type: SymmetricProperty
comment: Two or more collections can be extensionally equivalent and still not be the same collection. Each collection needs a unifying description which provides its intensional identity criterion.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: collection
domain: collection

functionally-unifies
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A description can provide its unity criterion to a physical object. In this case we say that the description *functionally unifies* the physical object. This relation is equivalent to a composition of a description that unifies a collection whose members are (usually connected) proper parts of a physical object.Ideally, this notion should be used to provide a definition to physical objects, but this application would destroy the distinction between a 'perceived' object (an endurant whose unity depends on the perception competence of an agent), and a 'functional' object, since each perceived object would be such because it is functionally unified by a description conceived by the perceiving agent. In DOLCE we still apply to the distinction between perception and function.
range: physical-object
domain: description
sub property of: references

has-in-scope
type: ObjectProperty
comment: When there is an 'epistemological layering', i.e. a description d involves another description d' (one of the roles in d classifies d'), a situation that satisfies d', will be in the scope of d as well.For example, a judgment procedure will have a legal case in its scope, but being a legal case depends on satisfying some legal description not identical to that procedure.Another example: a plan assessment is a technique to evaluate a plan execute, and the assessment 'has in scope' the plan execution.
domain: description
sub property of: references
range: situation

has-method
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An activity expected by a method.
domain: activity
sub property of: expected-by
range: method

hypostasis
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A particular has a figure as (one of) its hypostases, e.g. a personification like the holy grail or a goddess.
sub property of: immediate-relation-i
domain: particular
range: figure
inverse of: hypostasis-of
sub property of: referenced-by

hypostasis-of
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A figure is an hypostasis of a particular, e.g. a personification like the holy grail or a goddess, or an organization, which is the hypostatis of a (postulated) collective).
range: particular
domain: figure
sub property of: references

instantiates
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The maximal specialization achievable according to some criterion. Only applicable to social objects that logically reify set-related entities (relations, classes, sets).
sub property of: specializes
domain: Class
  union of: collection
  union of: concept
  union of: description
range: Class
  union of: collection
  union of: concept
  union of: description

internally-represented-in
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between descriptions and agents. Agents have inner (a.k.a. 'mental') states and are endowed with, or produce, representations or conceptualizations, both corresponding here to 'descriptions'. The relation has a time index, but this should not be intended as a partial compresence, since time only refers to the part of the agent's life in which it represents the description (a.k.a. 'conceives', now rejected because of its strong human-rationality connotation). Provisionally, internally-represents is introduced here as an immediate (primitive) relation, but other options are under study. The first involves mediating internal representation through an ontology of mental states and events, while the second is semiotic: since descriptions are expressed by at least one information object, representing internally requires at least one creation/interpretation of an information object, therefore internally-represents would be a 'mediated' relation.
sub property of: immediate-relation-i
range: agent
domain: description

internally-represents
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between agents and descriptions. Agents have inner (a.k.a. 'mental') states and are endowed with, or produce, representations or conceptualizations, both corresponding here to 'descriptions'. The relation has a time index, but this should not be intended as a partial compresence, since time only refers to the part of the agent's life in which it represents the description (a.k.a. 'conceives', now rejected because of its strong human-rationality connotation). Provisionally, internally-represents is introduced here as an immediate (primitive) relation, but other options are under study. The first involves mediating internal representation through an ontology of mental states and events, while the second is semiotic: since descriptions are expressed by at least one information object, representing internally requires at least one creation/interpretation of an information object, therefore internally-represents would be a 'mediated' relation.
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: agent
range: description
inverse of: internally-represented-in

interprets
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between agents and information objects. In order to interpret something, an agent should conceive a description that results to be 'expressed by' that information object.Interprets implies that an expressed description is conceived by the agent (i.e., when an agent interprets an IO, it conceives of a description expressed by the IO; of course two agents can conceive of different descriptions, then resulting in different interpretations).
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: agent
range: information-object
inverse of: interpreted-by

involves
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The composition of d-uses and played-by relations: a description d-uses a role that is played by an endurant.
range: endurant
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: description
inverse of: involved-in

makes
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A particular case of an endurant participating in a perdurant that meets (is connected to the beginning of) the life of another endurant.
domain: endurant
range: endurant
sub property of: co-participates-with

member
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Being a (generic, temporary) constituent in a countable collection, for example: member of a society, bacterium in a colony, etc.
range: endurant
sub property of: generic-constituent
domain: collection

metaphorically-plays
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An endurant of type e1 metaphorically plays a role (defined in a description d2), when that role comes from a metaphorical mapping between the description d1 that grants a unity criterion to endurants of type e1, and another description d2 that grants a unity criterion to endurants of type e2.
domain: endurant
sub property of: plays
range: role

modal-target
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between roles and courses. Modal target subrelations can be seen as 'reifications' of the operators of modal logics.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: course
domain: Class
  union of: agentive-figure
  union of: non-agentive-figure
  union of: role

obliged-to
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation between a role and a duty binding towards some function/task.This is dispositional, and implies that a participation classified by this relation is a 'due participation'.
sub property of: attitude-towards
inverse of: obligation-for
range: task
domain: Class
  union of: agent-driven-role
  union of: agentive-figure

optionally-used-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A task (as any other concept) can be optional within some plan (or any description). In this case, it can be ignored in plan execution without affecting the satisfaction of the plan.Within plans, an task said to be optional should be placed in a way that preserves the topology (the connectedness) of the maximal task, except for sequential tasks, where it can be skipped without affecting the control structure. In fact, an optional task must either be component of a bag or sequential task, or have the concurrent task or the any-order task as a direct predecessor.
domain: concept
sub property of: d-used-by
range: description
inverse of: optionally-uses

ordered-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: a.k.a. 'expressed according to'. The relation between information objects and the languages, codes, grammars, etc. that they are ordered by. E.g. Dante's Comedy is ordered by Middle Age Italian language (in this case, a complex of encoding systems).In principle, any description can be used as an encoding system, but in practice, only some combinatorial systems are used for encoding (see module on 'information objects').
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: description
domain: information-object
inverse of: orders

p-sat
type: ObjectProperty
comment: P-SAT assumes two satisfaction semantics: redundant satisfaction and qualified satisfaction. In order to allow for a correct implementation of the qualified satisfaction, P-SAT requires that the description exists prior to at least some of the entities in the setting of the satisfying situation. Ontologically, it results that P-SAT also implies a specific dependency of the situation on its description. P-SAT typically applies to plans, projects, designs, methods, techniques, game rules, instructions, punishment rules, constitutive descriptions, sanctions, and strategies.A sample P-SAT qualified satisfaction axiom for plans is given in OWL.
range: description
sub property of: satisfies
domain: situation

parametrized-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The mediated relation between an entity and a parameter through the region at which the entity is localized and that is the value for the parameter.
sub property of: mediated-relation-i
domain: particular
range: parameter
inverse of: parametrizes

played-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: This is the immediate relation between roles and endurants. A role classifies the position (function, use, relevance, ...) of an endurant within a context (description). Roles can be ordered, interdependent, at different layers. etc.
range: endurant
sub property of: classifies
inverse of: plays
domain: role

plays
type: ObjectProperty
comment: This is the immediate relation between roles and endurants. A role classifies the position (function, use, relevance, ...) of an endurant within a context (description). Roles can be ordered, interdependent, at different layers. etc.
domain: endurant
sub property of: classified-by
range: role

predecessor
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: To be understood as 'entity x has predecessor y'.This is the transitive version, but it results to be a complex property in OWL-DL, and transitivity should be overruled.
sub property of: immediate-relation-i
range: particular
domain: particular

r-sat
type: ObjectProperty
comment: R-SAT assumes redundant satisfaction and qualified satisfaction, but it works out that semantics with entities in the situation that entirely exist prior to the description.This seems paradoxical, since a description hardly motivates what happens if it is not present to any agent involved in things happening. For this reason, we postulate a so-called specific retroactive dependency (SRD), meaning that the creator of the description is willing to attribute the status of a scientific law to that description, despite it could not be present before the situation. R-SAT typically applies to explanations that are considered as well-founded in science (physical, social, or cognitive), reverse engineering, criminal investigation, etc. Consider that the actual validity of the explanation is not addressed by the description, but by external evaluation descriptions.
range: description
inverse of: r-sat-by
sub property of: satisfies
domain: situation

realized-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: a.k.a. support.A (usually physical) representation (p. endurant, p. perdurant, p. quality, p. region, or p. situation) realizes a non-physical object according to a system of rules.The main use of this relation is between information objects and the entities through which information objects are used and interpreted. E.g. a paper copy of the 1861 edition of Dante's Comedy, with Dore's illustrations, realizes the Comedy (as an information object).There is a sense in which any entity that realizes an IO also realizes an IO about itself.For example, a painting realizing information about a woman also realizes information about its own information. Of course, the converse of the previous axiom does not hold in general.For example, the information about a woman can be realized by entities different from that woman (as when referring to an absent woman). In other words, an entity (in a semiotic perspective) always realizes two information objects: one about itself, and another about something else.In the non-representation cases, the information objects are identical (an entity only realizes information about itself).Therefore entities, once they have a relevance in a society, can have semiotic properties. Even physical artifacts that are not built primarily for communicative purposes e.g. a chair can be considered as realizing some IO that expresses a design description (cf. system-design), and is about a context (situation) of use, fruition, or just affordance that satisfies the design.
domain: non-physical-object
sub property of: intensionally-references
range: physical-realization
inverse of: realizes

referenced-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation holding between non-physical objects and entities whatsoever (thus including non-physical objects themselves). An intuition for the references relation could be that a non-physical object adds 'information' to an entity. In fact, non-physical objects depend on a communication setting. In most cases, this is the characteristic relation that provides a unity criterion to objects, events, etc. For example, cars are objects and not mere aggregates because there is a project, a design, a social value, a functional structure, a personal emotional structure, etc. attached to them. This attachment can be represented by means of 'non-physical objects' that 'reference' cars. The most obvious application is for situations, which do not exist without a description, although they still are extensional entities: a situation without a part is no more the same situation, but a situation is not a mere aggregate, since it has references to a description as its unity criterion. Adding information to an entity can also be thought as an intentional solution to a holistic stance. Defenders of this view -within different frameworks- are Kant, Brentano, Husserl, Gestalt psychologists, Merleau-Ponty ... References is distinguished according to the kinds of non-physical objects and referenced ground entities: referencing between descriptions and situations is called 'SATISFIED-BY', while referencing between description components and situation components is called 'CLASSIFIES'. 'SETTING-FOR' is a referencing relation between a situation and the entities in its setting (it was formerly a constitution relation, but since situation appear to be social objects from the DOLCE viewpoint, the constitution solution is no more applicable). 'EXPRESSES' is bound to information objects and the meaning (description of a representation or conceptualization) in which they are involved. 'REALIZED-BY' is bound to information objects and physical representations that are used to communicate them, e…
sub property of: immediate-relation-i
range: non-physical-object
domain: particular
inverse of: references

references
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation holding between non-physical objects and entities whatsoever (thus including non-physical objects themselves). An intuition for the references relation could be that a non-physical object adds 'information' to an entity. In fact, non-physical objects depend on a communication setting. In most cases, this is the characteristic relation that provides a unity criterion to objects, events, etc. For example, cars are objects and not mere aggregates because there is a project, a design, a social value, a functional structure, a personal emotional structure, etc. attached to them. This attachment can be represented by means of 'non-physical objects' that 'reference' cars. The most obvious application is for situations, which do not exist without a description, although they still are extensional entities: a situation without a part is no more the same situation, but a situation is not a mere aggregate, since it has references to a description as its unity criterion. Adding information to an entity can also be thought as an intentional solution to a holistic stance. Defenders of this view -within different frameworks- are Kant, Brentano, Husserl, Gestalt psychologists, Merleau-Ponty ... References is distinguished according to the kinds of non-physical objects and referenced ground entities: referencing between descriptions and situations is called 'SATISFIED-BY', while referencing between description components and situation components is called 'CLASSIFIES'. 'SETTING-FOR' is a referencing relation between situation and the entities in its setting (it was formerly a constitution relation, but since situation appear to be social objects from the DOLCE viewpoint, the constitution solution is no more applicable). 'EXPRESSES' is bound to information objects and the meaning (description of a representation or conceptualization) in which they are involved. 'REALIZED-BY' is bound to information objects and physical representations that are used to communicate them, etc…
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: non-physical-object
range: particular

refines
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Concepts and figures can be refined by adding components, e.g. an elementary task can become complex, a complex task can increase its complexity, maximal tasks can be composed, etc.A description gets expanded if one of the concepts or figures it uses are refined.Refinement applies also to collections, situations, and information objects.Descriptions are refined by adding component descriptions.
sub property of: proper-part
domain: social-object
range: social-object

regulates
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A regulation states reified conditions on how a situation should look like. Regulations are mostly taken as descriptions for the social world.
inverse of: regulated-by
domain: regulation
sub property of: satisfied-by
range: situation

requisite
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Requisites are constraints over the attributes of entities. Within DnS, a requisite-for relation holds between parameters (that bound regions to certain value ranges), and either roles, figures or courses. When a situation satisfies a description with parameters, endurants and perdurants in the situation must have attributes that range within the boundaries stated by parameters (in DOLCE terms, entities must have qualities that are mapped to certain value ranges of regions).
sub property of: immediate-relation-i
range: parameter
domain: Class
  union of: course
  union of: figure
  union of: information-object
  union of: role

requisite-for
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Requisites are constraints over the attributes of entities. Within DnS, a requisite-for relation holds between parameters (that bound regions to certain value ranges), and either roles, figures or courses. When a situation satisfies a description with parameters, endurants and perdurants in the situation must have attributes that range within the boundaries stated by parameters (in DOLCE terms, entities must have qualities that are mapped to certain value ranges of regions).
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: parameter
inverse of: requisite
range: Class
  union of: course
  union of: figure
  union of: information-object
  union of: role

right-to
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation between a role and a right allowance towards some function/task.This is dispositional, and implies that a participation classified by this relation is a 'righteous participation'.
sub property of: attitude-towards
range: task
domain: Class
  union of: agent-driven-role
  union of: agentive-figure

satisfied-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: See also comment on 'satisfies' for a different explanation.This is the primitive relation between descriptions and situations. It can be understood as a reification of the 'satisfiability' relation of formal semantics that holds between theories and models. A theory is reified as a description, thus acquiring a life-cycle: a theory can be changed, versioned, discussed, issued, etc. 'Theory' can be a 'potential' theory in the sense that most conceptualizations that could be formalized, could also be reified, e.g. plans, norms, stories, projects, diagnoses, methods, etc. No position is taken on the extensionality of descriptions. For example, if a theory is required to be reified in fine detail, if it changes an axiom, it could be considered no more the same theory. On the other hand, if theories are reified without such a strong assumption, some axioms can be changed just like non-essential parts of physical objects, with the theory preserving its identity.In case a theory is considered extensional, it might be considered a member of a class of 'theory changing history'. The 'refines' relation provides this possibility.A model is reified as a situation, thus a *class* of models that can satisfy a theory is reified as a situation type (class). Situations can depend on descriptions, but not vice-versa (constructivist stance). Components of descriptions 'classify' entities of situations.There are at least three satisfaction subrelations, and a lot of conditions can be stated for allowing an automatic matching of satisfaction. See the FOL version of DLP for details.
domain: description
sub property of: intensionally-references
inverse of: satisfies
range: situation

satisfies
type: ObjectProperty
comment: See 'satisfied-by'.
range: description
sub property of: intensionally-referenced-by
domain: situation

sequences
type: ObjectProperty
comment: This is the immediate relation between courses and perdurants. A course can be either atomic, being a simple 'perdurant role', or it can be complex, thus creating an abstract ordering over a temporal or causal sequence of processes or actions. The ontology of plans develops in detail intentional complex courses.
range: perdurant
sub property of: classifies
domain: course
inverse of: sequenced-by

setting-for
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between a situation and the entities that are referenced by it. (At least some of, or all) such entities must be classified by concepts defined by the description that the situation is supposed to satisfy.
range: particular
sub property of: references
domain: situation

situation-place
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A highly mediated relation used to talk of the endurant(s) that is roughly associated to the regions in which the constituents of a situation are located. The locator endurant is supposed to be a situation constituent on its own.
range: endurant
domain: situation
inverse of: situation-place-of
sub property of: approximate-location

specialized-by
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Specialization as reification of a partial-order relation between type- or set-reified social objects, i.e. descriptions, concepts, and collections.For example, concepts that are apparently classified by other concepts; e.g. a manager that plays the role of buyer, where the role manager actually specializes the role buyer. Descriptions can be specialized by other descriptions that specialize their concepts. For descriptions, an intention to specialize must be present (unless purely formal theories are considered, but even in this case a criterion of relevance is usually active). Specialization does not imply expansion (proper part) for descriptions. If there exists a concept that is defined by the specialized description, which is not d-used in the specializing one, the second only specializes a part of the first. If there exists a concept that is defined by the specializing description, which is not d-used by the specialized one, the first both specializes and expands the second.
sub property of: immediate-relation-i
inverse of: specializes
domain: Class
  union of: collection
  union of: concept
  union of: description
range: Class
  union of: collection
  union of: concept
  union of: description

specializes
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Specialization as reification of a partial-order relation between social objects. For example, concepts that are apparently classified by other concepts; e.g. a manager that plays the role of buyer, where the role manager actually specializes the role buyer. Descriptions can be specialized by other descriptions that specialize their concepts or figures. For descriptions, an intention to specialize must be present (unless purely formal theories are considered, but even in this case a criterion of relevance is usually active). Specialization does not imply expansion (proper part) for descriptions. If there exists a concept that is defined by the specialized description, which is not d-used in the specializing one, the second only specializes a part of the first. If there exists a concept that is defined by the specializing description, which is not d-used by the specialized one, the first both specializes and expands the second.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: Class
  union of: collection
  union of: concept
  union of: description
domain: Class
  union of: collection
  union of: concept
  union of: description

successor
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: To be understood as 'entity x has successor y'. Succession does not exclude connection, but it excludes overlapping. It can be direct or indirect, and assumes a choice (temporal, spatial, abstract, etc.) Cf. the cognitive 'path' schema. This is the transitive version.
sub property of: immediate-relation
domain: particular
range: particular
inverse of: predecessor

temporary-component
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Being component at time t. It holds for endurants only. This is important to model components that can change or be lost over time without affecting the identity of the whole.
domain: endurant
range: endurant
sub property of: temporary-proper-part
sub property of: component
inverse of: temporary-component-of

unifies
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Based on characterizing roles, collections specifically depend on some description.We can therefore build a new relation of unification between collections and the descriptions on which they depend. Unification is axiomatized by means of sufficient conditions, and is not temporalized, since changing the description (differently from changing some members) creates a new collection.
range: collection
domain: description
sub property of: references

uses
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The use relations between endurants: an endurant e1 uses e2 within a perdurant in which both are participating. A rule then states that if e1 uses e2, e2 is used *in* a perdurant.
range: endurant
domain: endurant
sub property of: co-participates-with

value-for
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The "selected by" relations holding between regions and parameters. At least one region is supposed to be a value for a parameter.
domain: region
sub property of: classified-by
range: parameter
inverse of: valued-by

functional-participant
type: ObjectProperty
comment: This relation constrains participation within the scope of a description: a perdurant is participated by an object according to a description and its components.
range: endurant
sub property of: participant
domain: perdurant

generic-target
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional participation relation holding between activities and targeted endurants.It catches the everyday language notion of being the destination of an action. Unfortunately, such a notion can't be formalized in general, because it is sensible to the particular plan that drives the action. Possibly, once a rich taxonomy of actions and related personal and social plans is developed, a better axiomatization can be provided.
range: endurant
domain: activity
sub property of: functional-participant
inverse of: generic-target-of

instrument
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional usage participation relation holding between activities and physical objects.It catches the everyday language notion of being the tool, support or devisce of an action. Unfortunately, such a notion can't be formalized in general, because it is sensible to the particular plan that drives the action. Possibly, once a rich taxonomy of actions and related personal and social plans is developed, a better axiomatization can be provided.
range: physical-object
domain: activity
sub property of: use-of

patient
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional participation relation assuming a relatively static role played by the endurant (e.g. not conceiving a plan, being subjected to some manipulation without involvement, etc.).Unfortunately, such a notion can't be formalized in general, because it is sensible to the particular plan that drives the action. Possibly, once a rich taxonomy of actions and related personal and social plans is developed, a better axiomatization can be provided.
range: endurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: functional-participant

performs
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional participation relation holding between agents and actions. It catches the everyday language notion of being the initiator of an action, or having a leading or primary role. Unfortunately, such a notion can't be formalized in general, because it is sensible to the particular plan that drives the action. Possibly, once a rich taxonomy of actions and related personal and social plans is developed, a better axiomatization can be provided.
range: action
domain: agent
sub property of: functional-participant-in
inverse of: performed-by

prescribes
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The power of enforcing a plan of action to other agents.
range: action
domain: agent
sub property of: performs
inverse of: prescribed-by

product
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional participation relation that assumes a meet relation between an activity and the life of an endurant.Unfortunately, such a notion can't be formalized in general, because it is sensible to the particular project that drives the action. Possibly, once a rich taxonomy of actions and related personal and social plans is developed, a better axiomatization can be provided.
range: endurant
domain: activity
sub property of: functional-participant
inverse of: product-of

resource
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An amount of matter can be a resource in some activity, if it has some role bound to the course that sequences the activity in a same description (typically a plan).
range: amount-of-matter
domain: activity
inverse of: resource-for
sub property of: use-of

result-of
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A perdurant p1 results from another one p2 if they are sequenced within a same course, if a same endurant participates in both perdurants, and if p1 follows p2.
domain: perdurant
range: activity
sub property of: causally-follows
inverse of: result

substrate
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional participation relation assuming a total constant participation, beyond certain roles and courses defined by a description.
range: endurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: total-constant-participant
sub property of: functional-participant

substrate-of
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional participation relation assuming a total constant participation, beyond certain roles and courses defined by a description.
domain: endurant
range: perdurant
sub property of: total-constant-participant-in
sub property of: functional-participant-in
inverse of: substrate

target
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Targeting at an endurant, which in principle can avoid bearing modifications.
range: endurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: patient
inverse of: target-of

theme
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A perdurant can have some information object as patient participant, e.g. in a communication activity.
domain: perdurant
range: information-object
sub property of: patient

use-of
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A functional participation between an action and an endurant that supports the goals of a performer.It catches the everyday language notion of being exploited during an action by someone/something that initiates or leads it.Unfortunately, such a notion can't be formalized in general, because it is sensible to the particular plan that drives the action. Possibly, once a rich taxonomy of actions and related personal and social plans is developed, a better axiomatization can be provided.
range: endurant
domain: action
sub property of: functional-participant
inverse of: used-in

broader-than
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The proper part relation between subjects.
sub property of: proper-part
domain: subject
range: subject

identifies
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Being about an antity with the main purpose of conventionally naming that entity. Typically, proper nouns identify entities.
sub property of: about

prototype
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between an entity (playing the role of example, sample, prototype, master, etc.), and another that has all the properties of the first (or a given set of them), except space-time.
sub property of: immediate-relation
range: particular
domain: particular

q-represents
type: ObjectProperty
comment: This relation supports the representation of conceptual regions by information objects. It is defined as a composed relation: an information object is expressed according to an information encoding description that maps a quality space. In other words, this means that a representation of conceptual regions within quality spaces requires an explicit conceptualization of the dimensions operating in the quality space. In still other words, a quality space can be mapped to a theory, which can be reified as a special kind of 'information encoding description'.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: region
domain: information-object

refers-to
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Referring to something is assumed here under a 'negotiated reference' approach, i.e. agents refer to entities by conceiving a description appropriate to context.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: particular
domain: agent

bdi
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A generic attitude relation that holds between agent-driven roles or agentive figures and tasks. This is used here as a shortcut for saying that someone participates to some action with a plan in mind, and desiring it. An analytic account of this relation requires an explicit plan, and that the course be a goal inside that plan.The acronym 'bdi' in the name is for 'belief, desire, intention', a well known model of deliberation used in many agent architectures.The intuition goes to the deliberative agent as something that, provided it has the belief _p_, the desire to have _q_, and the intention to do _r_ in order to get _q_, then it is ready to deliberate an action.Here it is as a placeholder, wating for a more comprehensive ontological theory that takes into account not only BDI, but also the details of interacting, cooperative, competitive agents in the context of complex social and legal modalities of action.This is a simple summary of how BDI is usually understood and implemented in information systems:- According to Wooldridge and Jennings, strong agents can possess mental attitudes.- According to the BDI paradigm, the current state of entities and environment as perceived by the agent (preconditions) are the agent's beliefs.- Desires are some future states that an agent would like to be in. Desires are sometimes called goals.- Intentions are some commitment of an agent to achieve a goal by progressing along a particular future path that leads to the goal. Such path is sometimes called a plan. - One advantage with using intentions is that the effort associated with creating them needs not be repeated every time they are required. Intentions can be pre-computed and cached. Each intention can be tagged with a trigger describing some situation in which this intention should be accessed and applied.- In a typical BDI paradigm, deliberation is done through the selection of a goal, the selection of a plan that will be used to form an intention, the selection of an in…
sub property of: attitude-towards
range: task
inverse of: bdi-target-of
domain: Class
  union of: agent-driven-role
  union of: agentive-figure

desire-towards
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A modal relation expressing that an agent conceives a description by 'desiring' a certain course of events.
sub property of: attitude-towards
range: course
domain: Class
  union of: agent-driven-role
  union of: agentive-figure

subjected-to
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A modality characterized by a low commitment, and bearing modifications to the player of the role, or the figure.
sub property of: attitude-towards
range: task
domain: Class
  union of: agent-driven-role
  union of: agentive-figure

achievable-through
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The goal state described by the goal of a plan can be achieved by executing activities that are sequenced by some task (either elementary or complex). The relation between the goal and the task is called here 'achievable-through'.
domain: goal
sub property of: references
range: task
inverse of: contributes-to-achieving-of

adopts-goal
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Adoption holding for goals.
sub property of: adopts
range: goal
domain: rational-agent

adopts-plan
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Adoption holding for plans.
sub property of: adopts
range: plan
domain: rational-agent

discarded-within
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A task can be discarded within some plan. In this case, it is ignored in plan execution without affecting the satisfaction of the plan. A discarded task can appear only as a direct successor to a deliberation task.
sub property of: d-used-by
range: plan
domain: task

disposition-to
type: ObjectProperty
comment: We define a disposition relation between the roles used in a plan having a main goal, and the influenced goal.For example, the role 'eater' can have a disposition to being satiated, meaning that a person playing the role of eater that adopts that plan can act in order to be satiated.Disposition relation is useful to account for those cases in which a task addressed by a role is not internal to the plan, but the plan is a subplan of another one in which that task is represented as a full-fledged goal.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: goal
domain: role

exit-condition
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Exit condition can be used to state what deliberation task causes to exit a cycle.
sub property of: successor
domain: control-task
range: control-task
inverse of: exit-condition-of

influences
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation between a goal and the main goal of the plan it is a subgoal of. Usable for talking of dependencies between goals.
sub property of: specific-constant-dependent
range: goal
domain: goal
inverse of: influenced-by

iteration-interval
type: ObjectProperty
comment: iteration interval can be used to state how much time should be taken by each iteration of the looped activity
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: time-interval
domain: task
inverse of: iteration-interval-of

main-goal
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The relation between a plan and its main goal.
sub property of: proper-part
range: goal
domain: plan

postcondition
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A situation is a post-condition of the execution of a method (and of its tasks) when it is a successor (however succession is interpreted, although temporal interpretation is the usual one) of that execution, and is constituted by a subset of the individuals that constitute the execution situation. For example, a surgical guideline describes how to carry out a heart transplant: its (expected) execution situation is constituted by the perdurants, endurants, and regions described by the guideline, while its post-condition situation might be only constituted by the transplanted heart, its anatomical and morphological environment, the physiological functions in which it participates, and some physiological values. But the devices used during the transplantation and the surgeon can be external to the post-condition situation. This definition does not cover the possibility of a post-condition having constituents that are not involved in the description. This is a difficult issue. A possible solution is that such post-conditions are actually referenced by other descriptions that -for instance- 'control' the outcome of a procedure, or 'reconstruct' a set of events under an independent unity criterion. If this solution is applicable, such post-conditions would be maximal situations requiring the composition (bundle) of two or more related descriptions.
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: description
range: situation
inverse of: postcondition-of

precondition
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A situation is a pre-condition of the execution of a method (and of its tasks) when it is a predecessor (however succession is interpreted, although temporal interpretation is the usual one) of that execution, and is constituted by a subset of the individuals that constitute the execution situation. For example, a surgical guideline describes how to carry out a heart transplant: its (expected) execution situation is constituted by the perdurants, endurants, and regions described by the guideline, while its pre-condition situation might be only constituted by the heart to be removed, the one to be transplanted, their anatomical and morphological environment, the physiological functions in which they participates, and some physiological values. But the devices used during the transplantation and the surgeon might (or might not) be external to the pre-condition situation. This definition does not cover the possibility of a pre-condition having constituents that are not involved in the description. This is a difficult issue. A possible solution is that such pre-conditions are actually referenced by other descriptions that -for instance- 'control' the feasibility of a procedure, or 'analyze' a set of events under an independent unity criterion. If this solution is applicable, such pre-conditions would be 'maximal' situations requiring the 'composition' of two or more related descriptions.
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: description
range: situation

sibling-task
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Two tasks contained in the same plan.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: task
domain: task

subgoal
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A subgoal (relative to a plan) is a goal that is a part of a subplan.A goal is not necessarily a part of the main goal of the plan it is a subgoal of. E.g. consider the goal: being satiated; eating food can be a subgoal of the plan that has being satiated as its main goal, but it is not a part of being satiated.See also relations: influence, disposition to.
sub property of: proper-part
range: goal
domain: plan

task-postcondition
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The execution of a task (an action classified by it) can make a new situation emerge: in this case the task has a task-postcondition.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: situation
domain: task

task-precondition
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The execution of a task (an action classified by it) can require that a situation holds: in this case the task has a task-precondition.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: situation
domain: task
inverse of: task-precondition-of

enforces
type: ObjectProperty
comment: An institution enforces a regulation by playing a role within the part of that regulation that describes its enforcement.
sub property of: involved-in
range: regulation
domain: institution

rules
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A control relation between socially constructed persons and either roles or figures. It requires that the socially constructed person is explicitly enabled to control in a description that d-uses both the socially constructed person and the controlled roles or figures.
sub property of: mediated-relation
domain: socially-constructed-person
range: Class
  union of: figure
  union of: role

approximate-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A spatial location relation holding between any two entities but regions. It assumes a mereotopological association (part, connection, overlaps, etc.) between shared spatial regions.
sub property of: generic-location
domain: spatio-temporal-particular
range: spatio-temporal-particular
inverse of: approximate-location-of

d-spatial-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Analytical indirect location holding between non-physical endurants and space regions.
sub property of: exact-location
domain: non-physical-endurant
range: space-region

descriptive-origin
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Original location of an endurant in a non-physical one. It assumes a shared region between the first and the depend-on of the second (see descriptive place).
domain: endurant
range: non-physical-endurant
sub property of: descriptive-place

descriptive-place
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Approximate location of an endurant in a non-physical one. It assumes a shared region.AKA fiat-place.
domain: endurant
range: non-physical-endurant
sub property of: approximate-location

material-place
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation of approximate location holding for physical endurants. It assumes a physical region that is shared by two physical endurants. Sharedness can be any mereotopological association, but no analytical definition can be done in OWL due to the lack of role value maps.
range: physical-endurant
domain: physical-endurant
inverse of: material-place-of
sub property of: place

origin
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The physical 'origin' of a physical endurant in the space region of the spatial quality of another physical endurant.
domain: physical-endurant
range: physical-endurant
sub property of: material-place
inverse of: origin-of

p-spatial-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Analytical indirect location holding between perdurants and space regions.
sub property of: exact-location
domain: perdurant
range: space-region

participant-place
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The place of a perdurant as provided by a reference region at which the spatial quality of a certain endurant is q-located.
range: endurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: approximate-location

place
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A relation of approximate location holding between any endurant and physical endurants. It assumes a shared physical region. Sharedness can be any mereotopological association, but no analytical definition can be done in OWL due to the lack of role value maps.
domain: endurant
range: physical-endurant
sub property of: approximate-location
inverse of: place-of

spatial-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Analytical location holding between physical endurants and spatial regions.
domain: physical-endurant
sub property of: physical-location
range: space-region

concludes
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A last part of a perdurant (any part that includes the 'final' boundary, but not the 'initial' one.
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
inverse of: concluded-by
sub property of: temporally-included-in

e-temporal-location
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Analytical indirect location holding between endurants and temporal regions.
domain: endurant
sub property of: exact-location
range: temporal-region

meets
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Temporal connection between perdurants: p1 ending part is connected to p2 beginning part.
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
inverse of: met-by
sub property of: temporally-connected

precedes
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: Temporal precedence between two perdurants. No further dependence is implied (e.g. mereological, causal).
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
inverse of: follows
sub property of: temporal-relation

present-at
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Presence is axiomatized as being temporally located in a part of one's life.
domain: endurant
range: time-interval
sub property of: e-temporal-location
inverse of: time-of-presence-of

starts
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A beginning part of a perdurant (any part that includes the 'initial' boundary, but not the 'final' one.
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: temporally-included-in

temporal-relation
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Any mediated relation that composes temporal locations of perdurants with mereotopological relations between those locations.Mereotopological relations are those specified in the J. Allen's theory of time intervals.
sub property of: mediated-relation
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
inverse of: temporal-relation-i

temporally-coincides
type: ObjectProperty
comment: AKA 'co-occurs'. Temporal coincidence between perdurants.
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: temporal-relation

temporally-connected
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Having a common atomic temporal location.
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: temporal-relation

temporally-includes
type: ObjectProperty
type: TransitiveProperty
comment: All temporal locations of perdurant x are also temporal locations of perdurant y.
domain: perdurant
range: perdurant
sub property of: temporal-relation
inverse of: temporally-included-in

temporally-overlaps
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Temporal overlap: having a (partly) common temporal location.
range: perdurant
domain: perdurant
sub property of: temporal-relation

counted-by
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: A relation to compose a quality space with a numeric ordering at the symbol level. In practice, it enables to associate an instance of a numeric data type (currently float data types have been chosen) to a region.
domain: region
range: decimal

has-informal-description
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Similar to a generic annotation property. To be used when annotations can be incompatible with an ontology project.
domain: particular
range: string

iteration-cardinality
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: iteration cardinality can be used to state in a task how many times an action should be repeated
domain: task
range: integer

information-collection
type: Class
subclass of: non-physical-collection
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: member
  min cardinality: 2
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: member
  all values from: text
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: member
  some values from: text
comment: A collection of texts.

non-physical-collection
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: collection
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: member
    some values from: non-physical-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: member
    all values from: non-physical-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: member
    min cardinality: 2
comment: A collection of non-physical objects that is characterized by a conventional or emergent property, e.g. a corpus, a legal body, etc.A non-physical collection only has non-physical endurants as members.

organized-collection
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: collection
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: characterized-by
    some values from: role
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: characterized-by
    min cardinality: 2
disjoint with: simple-collection
comment: Organized collections introduce a different unity criterion for collections. They can be conceived as characterized by further roles played by some (or all) members of the collection, and related among them through the social objects (figures, descriptions, collections) that either use or depute or are covered by them.

parametrized-collection
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: simple-collection
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: member
    all values from: Restriction
      on property: generic-location
      some values from: Restriction
        on property: value-for
        some values from: Restriction
comment: A type of simple collections are parametrized collections, whose members must have a quality constrained by some parameter that is a requisite of their covering role(s).For example, a crowd of people has members that have spatial positions in a range that makes them proximal (a condition traditionally used to distinguish so-called aggregates (King 2004)).On the other hand, if positions are reciprocally relevant (as, for instance, in a living chess setting) according to multiple roles defined by some plan or design, the collection becomes organized.

physical-plurality
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: physical-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: proper-part
    all values from: Restriction
      on property: member-of
      cardinality: 1
comment: a.k.a. unitary collection in D18. The physical counterpart (realization) of a collection. A collection (see) is characterized by a conventional or emergent property. Physical pluralities have as *proper parts* only physical objects that are *members* of a same collection.

simple-collection
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: collection
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: characterized-by
    all values from: Class
      complement of: role
comment: A simple collection (for instance, a collection of saxophones, or a mass of lymphocytes ) is a collection having only covering roles.

taxonomic-collection
type: Class
subclass of: simple-collection
comment: A simple collection covered by roles corresponding to natural science properties ascribed to members.

text-repository
type: Class
subclass of: information-collection
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: member
  min cardinality: 2
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: member
  some values from: text
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: member
  all values from: text
comment: A collection having only texts as members.

biological-collective
type: Class
subclass of: type-based-collective
comment: Biological collectives are type-based collectives that are *covered* by roles typical of the biological world.They can be divided into various kinds (genetic, taxonomic, epidemiological, etc.).Biological properties produce either crisp or fuzzy/probabilistic types.

ecological-collective
type: Class
subclass of: organized-collective
comment: An organized collective that receives its organization from the characterizing roles of social interation between organisms in a niche.

genetic-collective
type: Class
subclass of: biological-collective
comment: A biological collective covered by genetic roles (whose members are identified by means of the genetic properties ascribed to them).

intentional-collective
type: Class
subclass of: organized-collective
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: unified-by
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: plan
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: d-uses
      some values from: Restriction
        on property: characterizes
        some values from: intentional-collective
comment: We use the presence and structure of a unifying plan in order to characterize kinds of collectives. A preliminary consideration is that plan unification can have two senses.The first one only takes into account the action schemas executed by the members, who do not necessarily interact in a 'global' way. In other words, the roles played by members cover the collective, because they are (dispositionally) played by each member.The second sense is richer, and assumes that the unifying (maximal) plan (d-)uses roles that characterize (are played by some members, and related between them in a typical way) the collective.The first sense of plan unification is applicable to a subclass of simple collectives that we call here 'simple-planned-collectives'.The second sense of plan unification applies to intentional collectives proper.An intentional collective can be said to act intentionally because its members act, and because it is unified by a plan that is conceived by some rational agent. Therefore, there is nothing special in a collective being intentional: it is just a matter of having a plan and agentive members playing its characterizing roles. What is special is the distinction between the diversified ways of acting collectively (see subclasses).

organized-collective
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: organized-collection
  intersection of: collective
comment: An organized collection with only agents as members.

simple-collective
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: simple-collection
  intersection of: collective
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: unified-by
    all values from: Class
      complement of: Class
        intersection of: plan
        intersection of: Restriction
comment: A simple collection with only agents as members.

simple-planned-collective
type: Class
subclass of: simple-collective
comment: We use the presence and structure of a unifying plan in order to characterize kinds of collectives. A preliminary consideration is that plan unification can have two senses.The first one only takes into account the action schemas executed by the members, who do not necessarily interact in a global way. In other words, the roles played by members cover the collective, because they are (dispositionally) played by each member.The second sense is richer, and assumes that the unifying (maximal) plan (d-)uses roles that characterize the collective.The first sense of plan unification is applicable to a subclass of simple collectives that we call here 'simple-planned-collectives'.

social-type-collective
type: Class
subclass of: type-based-collective
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: unified-by
  some values from: Class
    union of: practice
    union of: social-relationship
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: covered-by
  some values from: social-role
comment: Social type-based collectives are type-based collectives that are *covered* by roles typical of the social world.Social collectives are usually based on action schemas (practices, rather than plans, which are typical of intentional collectives).They can be distinguished into neighborhood, geographic (at various granularities), ethnic, linguistic, commercial, industrial, scientific, political, religious, institutional, administrative, professional, sportive, interest-based, stylistic, devotional, etc.WordNet contains an impressive set of social-type-based-collectives, which are encoded in the lexicon.

taxonomic-collective
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: taxonomic-collection
  intersection of: biological-collective
comment: A simple collective covered by roles corresponding to natural science properties ascribed to members.

type-based-collective
type: Class
subclass of: simple-collective
comment: Collectives can be classified according to different property kinds. The first one is the type of members (e.g. physical persons, boys, cows, left-handers, etc.). Types are used in traditional classifications. For example, biological collectives can be distinguished from social collectives, based on the (biological or social) properties ascribed to members.

biological-object
type: Class
subclass of: physical-body
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: generic-constituent
  some values from: chemical-object
disjoint with: chemical-object
comment: Any physical body at the biological granularity level. They are (generically) constituted by chemical objects.

causal-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
comment: A role defined (not just used!) by a causal description, and exploited to conceptualize some causation invariants.Causal notions are still primitive in this version of DLP.

chemical-object
type: Class
subclass of: physical-body
comment: Any physical body at the chemical granularity level.

collection-role
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: role
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: played-by
    all values from: collection
comment: A role only played by collections.

commerce-role
type: Class
subclass of: social-role
comment: A role played by some substance or object within a commercial transaction description.

contract
type: Class
subclass of: regulation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  some values from: promise
comment: A binding agreement that is possibly enforceable by law.

country
type: Class
subclass of: political-geographic-object
comment: A political geographic object that is (generically) dependent on some physical place (in principle, countries can change their borders).

creative-object
type: Class
subclass of: information-object
comment: The information realized by an entity for creative purposes. Here mainly for mapping purpose from WordNet.

feature-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
comment: A role played by some feature of a physical object.

functional-matter
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: amount-of-matter
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: plays
    some values from: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: used-in
  some values from: activity
comment: Amount of matter playing a typically 'functional' role at some time in some situation.

geographical-object
type: Class
subclass of: physical-place
comment: A physical place whose spatial quality is q-located in geographical coordinates.

geographical-place
type: Class
subclass of: non-physical-place
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hypostasis-of
  some values from: geographical-object
comment: A non-physical place, generically dependent on some (physical) geographical object.

legal-possession-entity
type: Class
subclass of: social-role
comment: A role played by assets involved in a legal possession description.

locative-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: Class
    union of: non-physical-place
    union of: physical-object
comment: This is a role (e.g. closed area) for places. Locative roles are played by physical objects (in locational cases, physical places), as well as non-physical places (individual places depending on a physical object).

measurement-unit
type: Class
subclass of: abstract-region
comment: A quality space used as a reference metrics ("measurement space") for other spaces. It is usually "counted by" some number.

non-physical-place
type: Class
subclass of: non-agentive-figure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hypostasis-of
  some values from: physical-place
comment: A non-agentive figure (e.g. Italy) for non-physical (i.e. socially- or cognitively-constructed) places.Non-physical places generically depend on physical places.

norm
type: Class
subclass of: regulation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: involves
  some values from: rational-agent
comment: A regulation having a cognitive modal description as part.

phase-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
comment: Formerly: (non-) agentive temporary role.A role for talking of someone or something at certain phases of own life. It can be used also to map temporal parts of agentive objects from a 4D ontology.

physical-body
type: Class
subclass of: non-agentive-physical-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: proper-part
  all values from: Restriction
    on property: member-of
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: collection
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: unified-by
        all values from: Class
comment: A physical body is a non-agentive physical object whose primary identity criterion is not given by its artefactual origin, if any. For example, a rock or a tree can be considered physical bodies unless or until they are not viewed as artifacts. As a matter of fact, no easy definition of artifactual properties is possible, hence it is better to rely on alternative descriptions and roles: a physical object that shows or is known to have an artifactual origin that counts in the tasks an ontology is supposed to support, will be a material artifact. On the other hand, physical objects that do not show that origin, or that origin is unimportant for the task of the ontology, will be physical bodies. Formally, a restriction is provided here that requires that the collection whose members are proper parts of a physical body is not *unified* by a plan or project. BTW, a physical body can still be a *device*, can be 'used' and have 'functions' (roles), e.g. a stone used as a weapon, but it plays no role like being produced, as material artifacts do. Moreover, a collection whose members are proper parts of a physical body can still be unified by a description (e.g. a biochemical model). Physical bodies can have several granularity levels: geological, chemical, physical, biological, etc.

physical-place
type: Class
subclass of: non-agentive-physical-object
comment: A placeholder for physical objects that are conceived primarily as places, e.g. wrt their spatial quality.

political-geographic-object
type: Class
subclass of: geographical-place
comment: A geographical place, conventionally accepted by a community.

qualitative-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
comment: A placeholder for some roles in common sense that do not easily map to other types of roles. More work is needed here.

spatial-feature
type: Class
subclass of: relevant-part
comment: A feature related to spatial properties.

substance-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: amount-of-matter
comment: A role played by some substance.

abstract
type: Class
subclass of: particular
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: Class
    complement of: spatial-location q
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: Class
    complement of: temporal-location q
disjoint with: endurant
disjoint with: perdurant
disjoint with: quality
comment: The main characteristic of abstract entities is that they do not have spatial nor temporal qualities, and they are not qualities themselves. The only class of abstract entities we consider in the present version of the upper ontology is that of quality regions (or simply regions). Quality spaces are special kinds of quality regions, being mereological sums of all the regions related to a certain quality type. The other examples of abstract entities (sets and facts) are only indicative.

abstract-quality
type: Class
subclass of: quality
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: inherent-in
  some values from: non-physical-endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: q-location
  all values from: abstract-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: abstract-quality
disjoint with: physical-quality
disjoint with: temporal-quality
comment: A quality inherent in a non-physical endurant.

abstract-region
type: Class
subclass of: region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: abstract-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: q-location-of
  all values from: abstract-quality
disjoint with: physical-region
disjoint with: temporal-region
comment: A region at which only abstract qualities can be directly located. It assumes some metrics for abstract (neither physical nor temporal) properties.

accomplishment
type: Class
subclass of: event
comment: Eventive occurrences (events) are called achievements if they are atomic, otherwise they are accomplishments.Further developments: being 'achievement', 'accomplishment', 'state', 'event', etc. can be also considered 'aspects' of processes or of parts of them. For example, the same process 'rock erosion in the Sinni valley' can be seen as an accomplishment (what has brought the current state that e.g. we are trying to explain), as an achievement (the erosion process as the result of a previous accomplishment), as a state (collapsing the time interval of the erosion into a time point), as an event (what has changed our focus from a state to another).In the erosion case, we could have good motivations to shift from one aspect to another: a) causation focus, b) effectual focus, c) condensation d) transition (causality).

achievement
type: Class
subclass of: event
comment: Eventive occurrences (events) are called achievements if they are atomic, otherwise they are accomplishments.Further developments: being 'achievement', 'accomplishment', 'state', 'event', etc. can be also considered 'aspects' of processes or of parts of them. For example, the same process 'rock erosion in the Sinni valley' can be seen as an accomplishment (what has brought the current state that e.g. we are trying to explain), as an achievement (the erosion process as the result of a previous accomplishment), as a state (collapsing the time interval of the erosion into a time point), as an event (what has changed our focus from a state to another).In the erosion case, we could have good motivations to shift from one aspect to another: a) causation focus, b) effectual focus, c) condensation d) transition (causality).

amount-of-matter
type: Class
subclass of: physical-endurant
disjoint with: feature
disjoint with: physical-object
comment: The common trait of amounts of matter is that they are endurants with no unity (according to Gangemi et a. 2001 none of them is an essential whole). Amounts of matter - 'stuffs' referred to by mass nouns like 'gold', 'iron', 'wood', 'sand', 'meat', etc. - are mereologically invariant, in the sense that they change their identity when they change some parts.

arbitrary-sum
type: Class
subclass of: endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  some values from: endurant
disjoint with: non-physical-endurant
disjoint with: physical-endurant
comment: AKA arbitrary-collection.The mereological sum of any two or more endurants (physical or not). Arbitrary sums have no unity criterion (they are 'extensional').

dependent-place
type: Class
subclass of: feature
comment: A feature that is not part of its host, like a hole in a piece of cheese, the underneath of a table, the front of a house, or the shadow of a tree.

endurant
type: Class
subclass of: spatio-temporal-particular
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specific-constant-constituent
  all values from: endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: participant-in
  some values from: perdurant
disjoint with: perdurant
disjoint with: quality
comment: The main characteristic of endurants is that all of them are independent essential wholes. This does not mean that the corresponding property (being an endurant) carries proper unity, since there is no common unity criterion for endurants. Endurants can 'genuinely' change in time, in the sense that the very same endurant as a whole can have incompatible properties at different times. To see this, suppose that an endurant - say 'this paper' - has a property at a time t 'it's white', and a different, incompatible property at time t' 'it's yellow': in both cases we refer to the whole object, without picking up any particular part of it. Within endurants, we distinguish between physical and non-physical endurants, according to whether they have direct spatial qualities. Within physical endurants, we distinguish between amounts of matter, objects, and features.

event
type: Class
subclass of: perdurant
comment: An occurrence-type is stative or eventive according to whether it holds of the mereological sum of two of its instances, i.e. if it is cumulative or not. A sitting occurrence is stative since the sum of two sittings is still a sitting occurrence.In general, events differ from situations because they are not assumed to have a description from which they depend. They can be sequenced by some course, but they do not require a description as a unifying criterion.On the other hand, at any time, one can conceive a description that asserts the constraints by which an event of a certian type is such, and in this case, it becomes a situation.Since the decision of designing an explicit description that unifies a perdurant depends on context, task, interest, application, etc., when aligning an ontology do DLP, there can be indecision on where to align an event-oriented class. For example, in the WordNet alignment, we have decided to put only some physical events under 'event', e.g. 'discharge', in order to stress the social orientedness of DLP. But whereas we need to talk explicitly of the criteria by which we conceive discharge events, these will be put under 'situation'.Similar considerations are made for the other types of perdurants in DOLCE.A different notion of event (dealing with change) is currently investigated for further developments: being 'achievement', 'accomplishment', 'state', 'event', etc. can be also considered 'aspects' of processes or of parts of them. For example, the same process 'rock erosion in the Sinni valley' can be conceptualized as an accomplishment (what has brought the current state that e.g. we are trying to explain), as an achievement (the erosion process as the result of a previous accomplishment), as a state (if we collapse the time interval of the erosion into a time point), or as an event (what has changed our focus from a state to another).In the erosion case, we could have good motivations to shift from one aspect to another: a) causation…

feature
type: Class
subclass of: physical-endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: host
  some values from: physical-endurant
disjoint with: physical-object
comment: Features are 'parasitic entities', that exist insofar their host exists. Typical examples of features are holes, bumps, boundaries, or spots of color. Features may be relevant parts of their host, like a bump or an edge, or dependent regions like a hole in a piece of cheese, the underneath of a table, the front of a house, or the shadow of a tree, which are not parts of their host. All features are essential wholes, but no common unity criterion may exist for all of them. However, typical features have a topological unity, as they are singular entities.Here only features of physical endurants are considered.

non-physical-endurant
type: Class
subclass of: endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: abstract-quality
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: non-physical-endurant
disjoint with: physical-endurant
comment: An endurant with no mass, generically constantly depending on some agent. Non-physical endurants can have physical constituents (e.g. in the case of members of a collection).

non-physical-object
type: Class
subclass of: non-physical-endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: generically-dependent-on
  some values from: physical-endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: non-physical-object
comment: Formerly known as description. A unitary endurant with no mass (non-physical), generically constantly depending on some agent, on some communication act, and indirectly on some agent participating in that act. Both descriptions (in the now current sense) and concepts are non-physical objects.

particular
type: Class
comment: AKA 'entity'.Any individual in the DOLCE domain of discourse. The extensional coverage of DOLCE is as large as possible, since it ranges on 'possibilia', i.e all possible individuals that can be postulated by means of DOLCE axioms. Possibilia include physical objects, substances, processes, qualities, conceptual regions, non-physical objects, collections and even arbitrary sums of objects.The class 'particular' features a covering partition that includes: endurant, perdurant, quality, and abstract. There are also some subclasses defined as unions of subclasses of 'particular' for special purposes: spatio-temporal-particular (any particular except abstracts)- physical-realization (any realization of an information object, defined in the ExtendedDnS ontology).

perdurant
type: Class
subclass of: spatio-temporal-particular
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specific-constant-constituent
  all values from: perdurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: temporal-quality
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  some values from: temporal-location q
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: perdurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: participant
  some values from: endurant
disjoint with: quality
comment: Perdurants (AKA occurrences) comprise what are variously called events, processes, phenomena, activities and states. They can have temporal parts or spatial parts. For instance, the first movement of (an execution of) a symphony is a temporal part of the symphony. On the other hand, the play performed by the left side of the orchestra is a spatial part. In both cases, these parts are occurrences themselves. We assume that objects cannot be parts of occurrences, but rather they participate in them. Perdurants extend in time by accumulating different temporal parts, so that, at any time they are present, they are only partially present, in the sense that some of their proper temporal parts (e.g., their previous or future phases) may be not present. E.g., the piece of paper you are reading now is wholly present, while some temporal parts of your reading are not present yet, or any more. Philosophers say that endurants are entities that are in time, while lacking temporal parts (so to speak, all their parts flow with them in time). Perdurants, on the contrary, are entities that happen in time, and can have temporal parts (all their parts are fixed in time).

physical-endurant
type: Class
subclass of: endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: physical-endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  some values from: physical-quality
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specific-constant-constituent
  all values from: physical-endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  some values from: spatial-location q
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: physical-quality
comment: An endurant having a direct physical (at least spatial) quality.

physical-object
type: Class
subclass of: physical-endurant
comment: The main characteristic of physical objects is that they are endurants with unity. However, they have no common unity criterion, since different subtypes of objects may have different unity criteria. Differently from aggregates, (most) physical objects change some of their parts while keeping their identity, they can have therefore temporary parts. Often physical objects (indeed, all endurants) are ontologically independent from occurrences (discussed below). However, if we admit that every object has a life, it is hard to exclude a mutual specific constant dependence between the two. Nevertheless, we may still use the notion of dependence to (weakly) characterize objects as being not specifically constantly dependent on other objects.

physical-quality
type: Class
subclass of: quality
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: q-location
  all values from: physical-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: inherent-in
  some values from: physical-endurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: physical-quality
disjoint with: temporal-quality
comment: A quality inherent in a physical endurant.

physical-region
type: Class
subclass of: region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: physical-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: q-location-of
  all values from: physical-quality
disjoint with: temporal-region
comment: A region at which only physical qualities can be directly located. It assumes some metrics for physical properties.

process
type: Class
subclass of: stative
comment: Within stative occurrences, we distinguish between states and processes according to homeomericity: sitting is classified as a state but running is classified as a process, since there are (very short) temporal parts of a running that are not themselves runnings. In general, processes differ from situations because they are not assumed to have a description from which they depend. They can be sequenced by some course, but they do not require a description as a unifying criterion. On the other hand, at any time, one can conceive a description that asserts the constraints by which a process of a certian type is such, and in this case, it becomes a situation. Since the decision of designing an explicit description that unifies a perdurant depends on context, task, interest, application, etc., when aligning an ontology do DLP, there can be indecision on where to align a process-oriented class. For example, in the WordNet alignment, we have decided to put only some physical processes under 'process', e.g. 'organic process', in order to stress the social orientedness of DLP. But whereas we need to talk explicitly of the criteria by which we conceive organic processes, these will be put under 'situation'. Similar considerations are made for the other types of perdurants in DOLCE. A different notion of event (dealing with change) is currently investigated for further developments: being 'achievement', 'accomplishment', 'state', 'event', etc. can be also considered 'aspects' of processes or of parts of them. For example, the same process 'rock erosion in the Sinni valley' can be conceptualized as an accomplishment (what has brought the current state that e.g. we are trying to explain), as an achievement (the erosion process as the result of a previous accomplishment), as a state (if we collapse the time interval of the erosion into a time point), or as an event (what has changed our focus from a state to another). In the erosion case, we could have good motivations to shift …

proposition
type: Class
subclass of: abstract
comment: The abstract content of a proposition. Abstract content is purely combinatorial: from this viewpoint, any content that can be generated by means of combinatorial rules is assumed to exist in the domain of quantification (reified abstracts).

quale
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: region
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: atomic-part-of
    some values from: region
comment: An atomic region.

quality
type: Class
subclass of: spatio-temporal-particular
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: inherent-in
  some values from: particular
comment: Qualities can be seen as the basic entities we can perceive or measure: shapes, colors, sizes, sounds, smells, as well as weights, lengths, electrical charges... 'Quality' is often used as a synonymous of 'property', but this is not the case in this upper ontology: qualities are particulars, properties are universals. Qualities inhere to entities: every entity (including qualities themselves) comes with certain qualities, which exist as long as the entity exists.

quality-space
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: region
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: overlaps
    all values from: Class
      complement of: quality-space
comment: A quality space is a topologically maximal region. The constraint of maximality cannot be given completely in OWL, but a constraint is given that creates a partition out of all quality spaces (e.g. no two quality spaces can overlap mereologically).

region
type: Class
subclass of: abstract
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: region
comment: We distinguish between a quality (e.g., the color of a specific rose), and its value (e.g., a particular shade of red). The latter is called quale, and describes the position of an individual quality within a certain conceptual space (called here quality space) Gardenfors (2000). So when we say that two roses have (exactly) the same color, we mean that their color qualities, which are distinct, have the same position in the color space, that is they have the same color quale.

relevant-part
type: Class
subclass of: feature
comment: Features that are relevant parts of their host, like a bump or an edge.

set
type: Class
subclass of: abstract
comment: A mathematical set.

space-region
type: Class
subclass of: physical-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: space-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: q-location-of
  all values from: spatial-location q
comment: An ordinary space: geographical, cosmological, anatomical, topographic, etc.

spatial-location q
type: Class
subclass of: physical-quality
comment: A physical quality, q-located in (whose value is given within) ordinary spaces (geographical coordinates, cosmological positions, anatomical axes, etc.).

spatio-temporal-particular
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: particular
  intersection of: Class
    union of: endurant
    union of: perdurant
    union of: quality
comment: Dummy class for optimizing some property universes. It includes all entities that are not reifications of universals ('abstracts'), i.e. those entities that are in space-time.

spatio-temporal-region
type: Class
subclass of: space-region
comment: Any region resulting from the composition of a space region with a temporal region, i.e. being present in region r at time t.

state
type: Class
subclass of: stative
comment: Within stative occurrences, we distinguish between states and processes according to homeomericity: sitting is classified as a state but running is classified as a process, since there are (very short) temporal parts of a running that are not themselves runnings.In general, states differ from situations because they are not assumed to have a description from which they depend. They can be sequenced by some course, but they do not require a description as a unifying criterion.On the other hand, at any time, one can conceive a description that asserts the constraints by which a state of a certian type is such, and in this case, it becomes a situation.Since the decision of designing an explicit description that unifies a perdurant depends on context, task, interest, application, etc., when aligning an ontology do DLP, there can be indecision on where to align a state-oriented class. For example, in the WordNet alignment, we have decided to put only some physical states under 'state', e.g. 'turgor', in order to stress the social orientedness of DLP. But whereas we need to talk explicitly of the criteria by which we conceive turgor states, these will be put under 'situation'.Similar considerations are made for the other types of perdurants in DOLCE.A different notion of event (dealing with change) is currently investigated for further developments: being 'achievement', 'accomplishment', 'state', 'event', etc. can be also considered 'aspects' of processes or of parts of them. For example, the same process 'rock erosion in the Sinni valley' can be conceptualized as an accomplishment (what has brought the current state that e.g. we are trying to explain), as an achievement (the erosion process as the result of a previous accomplishment), as a state (if we collapse the time interval of the erosion into a time point), or as an event (what has changed our focus from a state to another).In the erosion case, we could have good motivations to shift from one aspect to another: a) …

stative
type: Class
subclass of: perdurant
comment: An occurrence-type is stative or eventive according to whether it holds of the mereological sum of two of its instances, i.e. if it is cumulative or not. A sitting occurrence is stative since the sum of two sittings is still a sitting occurrence.

temporal-location q
type: Class
subclass of: temporal-quality
comment: A temporal location quality.

temporal-quality
type: Class
subclass of: quality
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: inherent-in
  some values from: perdurant
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: q-location
  all values from: temporal-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-quality
  all values from: temporal-quality
comment: A quality inherent in a perdurant.

temporal-region
type: Class
subclass of: region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: temporal-region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: q-location-of
  all values from: temporal-quality
comment: A region at which only temporal qualities can be directly located. It assumes a metrics for time.

time-interval
type: Class
subclass of: temporal-region
comment: A temporal region, measured according to a calendar.

action
type: Class
subclass of: accomplishment
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: generically-dependent-on
  some values from: cognitive-state
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: participant
  some values from: agent
comment: A Perdurant that exemplifies the intentionality of an agent. Could it be aborted, incomplete, mislead, while remaining a (potential) accomplishment ... The point here is that having a result depends on a method, then an action remains an action under incomplete results. As a matter of fact, if we neutralize intentionality, a purely topological, post-hoc view is at odds with the notion of incomplete accomplishments.

activity
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: action
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: generically-dependent-on
    some values from: plan
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: part
    some values from: action
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: sequenced-by
    some values from: task
subclass of: action
comment: In dependency terms, an activity is an action that is generically constantly dependent on a (at least partly) shared plan adopted by participants. This condition implies that an action must be sequenced by a task.Intuitively, activities are complex actions that are at least partly conventionally planned.

agent
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: endurant
  intersection of: Class
    union of: agentive-physical-object
    union of: agentive-social-object
comment: A catch-all class used to join agentive objects (either physical or social). Agents are dispositionally so, in the sense that they internally represent descriptions, and in particular plans, goals and possible actions, but they do not necessarily act. In everyday language, agent is used in this sense, but also to tell that something has acted in a certain way, or to say that something has an initiator or leading role in some action. In DLP, the performs relation encodes these notions.

agent-driven-role
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: role
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: played-by
    all values from: agent
comment: AKA Agentive-role.A role that can only be played by agents.

agentive-figure
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: agentive-social-object
  intersection of: figure
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: defined-by
    some values from: constitutive-description
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hypostasis-of
    some values from: particular
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: plays
    some values from: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: refined-by
  all values from: agentive-figure
comment: Agentive figures are those which are assigned (agentive) roles from a society or community; hence, they can act like a physical agent. Typical agentive figures are societies, organizations, and in general all socially constructed persons. Agentive figures are not dependent on roles defined or used in the same descriptions they are defined or used, but they can act because they depute some powers to some of those roles. In other words, a figure classified by some agentive role can play that role because there are other roles in the descriptions that define or use the figure. Those roles classifies endurants that result to act for the figure. For example, an employee acts for an organization that deputes the role (e.g. turner) that classifies the employee. Simply put, a guy working as a turner at FIAT acts for (or on behalf of) FIAT. In complex figures, like organizations or companies, a total agency is possible when an endurant plays a delegate or representative role of the figure. Since figures are social objects, it is conceivable to find agentive figures that act for other agentive figures.

agentive-physical-object
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: physical-object
  intersection of: agent
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: internally-represents
    some values from: plan
disjoint with: non-agentive-physical-object
comment: Within Physical objects, a special place have those to which we ascribe generic intentionality (compatibly to Brentano's distinction, the ability to internally represent a description). These are called Agentive, as opposite to Non-agentive. In general, we assume that agentive objects are constituted by non-agentive objects: an organism is constituted by bodily organs, a robot is constituted by some machinery, and so on. Among non-agentive physical objects we have for example houses, bodily organs, pieces of wood, etc. Generic agentivity is defined here in a wide sense as implying representation or conception (to be characterized in a dedicated - but not developed as yet - ontology of mind). A representation or conception only requires intentionality in Brentano's terms (i.e., the ability to represent something to oneself). See also 'rational physical object'.

agentive-social-object
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: agent
  intersection of: social-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: internally-represents
    some values from: plan
disjoint with: non-agentive-social-object
comment: A social object that is assumed to internally represent a plan. Since social objects are dependent on physical ones, it is not trivial to interpret the local sense in which a social object 'internally represents' a plan. For example, an institution can have the plan to promote or regulate some activities, but this is possible by means of the powers conferred to it by some legal system, through its representatives, and that plan has to be executed by means of the physical agents that 'act for' the institution.

cognitive-event
type: Class
subclass of: event
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: total-constant-participant
  some values from: agentive-physical-object
comment: An event occurring in the (embodied) mind.

cognitive-modal-description
type: Class
subclass of: modal-description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: role
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: attitude-towards
      some values from: task
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: task
comment: The modal descriptions depending on some mental attitude, represented here by means of a relation between roles and tasks.

cognitive-state
type: Class
subclass of: state
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: total-constant-participant
  some values from: agentive-physical-object
comment: A state of the (embodied) mind

collection
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: non-agentive-social-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: covered-by
    some values from: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: unified-by
  some values from: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  all values from: collection
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: refined-by
  all values from: collection
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: collection
disjoint with: concept
disjoint with: description
disjoint with: figure
disjoint with: information-object
disjoint with: non-agentive-figure
disjoint with: situation
comment: Collections are social objects which, although not defined by a description, depend both on member entities and on some concepts or figures, hence indirectly on descriptions. While we could talk in general of collections of any kind of entities (events, objects, abstracts, etc.), we restrict here our attention to collections of endurants, and to the concepts that classify them (i.e. roles).

collective
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: collection
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: member
    all values from: agent
comment: A collection with only agents as members.

communication-event
type: Class
subclass of: accomplishment
comment: Here communication is taken in a rather wide sense, being possible as an (intentional) activity as well as a phenomenon.

concept
type: Class
subclass of: non-agentive-social-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  all values from: concept
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: defined-by
  some values from: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: refined-by
  all values from: concept
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: concept
disjoint with: description
disjoint with: information-object
disjoint with: non-agentive-figure
disjoint with: situation
comment: AKA C-Description. A non-physical object that is defined by a description s, and whose function is classifying entities from a ground ontology in order to build situations that can satisfy s.

constitutive-description
type: Class
subclass of: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: defines
  some values from: Class
    union of: figure
    union of: role
comment: A description whose purpose is defining a figure.

course
type: Class
subclass of: concept
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: defined-by
  some values from: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  some values from: course
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: course
disjoint with: parameter
disjoint with: role
comment: A concept that classifies (in particular, it 'sequences') perdurants (processes, events, or states), as a component of some description. Courses are the descriptive counterpart of perdurants, and, since perdurants have endurants as participants, they are usually the function of some role.

description
type: Class
subclass of: non-agentive-social-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: internally-represented-in
  some values from: agentive-physical-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: expressed-by
  some values from: information-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  all values from: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: Class
    union of: concept
    union of: figure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: refined-by
  all values from: description
disjoint with: information-object
disjoint with: non-agentive-figure
disjoint with: situation
comment: A description is a social object which represents a conceptualization (e.g. a mental object or state), hence it is generically dependent on some agent and communicable. Descriptions define or use concepts or figures, are expressed by an information object and can be satisfied by situations. The typology of descriptions is still preliminary.

description-role
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: role
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: played-by
    all values from: description
comment: A role played by descriptions only. Usable for metalinguistic notions, like those that deal with granular partitions of knowledge, strata of reality, argumentation, etc.

desire
type: Class
subclass of: cognitive-modal-description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: internally-represented-in
  some values from: agent
comment: Desires are characterized here as modal description dependent on the cognitive (or 'mental') states of an agent. It is difficult to say more than that without reusing an ontology of cognitive states.Informally: a desire is a description that involves some (possible or actual) 'desire towards' attitude by an agent, and is ultimately motivated by evolutionary features of an organism (or by built-in features if the agent is artificial), which are (or used to be) an advantage for it.

figure
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: social-object
  intersection of: Class
    union of: agentive-figure
    union of: non-agentive-figure
disjoint with: information-object
disjoint with: situation
comment: a.k.a. 'social individual'. Figures are social objects defined or used by descriptions, but differently from concepts, they do not classify entities. Examples of figures are organizations, political-geographic objects, sacred symbols, etc.

flux
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: process
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: specific-constant-constituent
    some values from: accomplishment
comment: Fluxes are processes that (also) contain accomplishments as constituents. In other words, fluxes emerge out of accomplishments.

gestalt
type: Class
subclass of: theory
comment: A perceptual structure, from the descriptive viewpoint. In other words, this encodes the conditions by which a configuration, structure, or arrangement is perceived as a meaningful whole by a perceiving agent.

goal
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: desire
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: proper-part-of
    some values from: method
comment: We are proposing here a restrictive notion of goal that relies upon its desirability by some agent, which does not necessarily play a role in the execution of the plan the goal is a part of. For example, an agent can have an attitude towards some task defined in a plan, e.g. duty towards, which is different from desiring it (desire towards). We might say that a goal is usually desired by the creator or beneficiary of a plan. The minimal constraint for a goal is that it is a proper part of a plan.For example, a desire to start a relationship can become a goal if someone takes action (or lets someone else take it for her sake) to obtain it.

indicator
type: Class
subclass of: parameter
comment: A parameter valued by regions that are used asindicators for some behaviour or event to be checked.

information-encoding-system
type: Class
subclass of: description
comment: An information encoding system is a description that involves information objects. They can be divided into 1) axiomatic systems, which provide roles and operations to define formal descriptions (e.g. theories), 2) combinatorial systems, which provide roles and operations to create valid information objects (e.g. grammars), 3) classification systems, which are contexts of (ev. ordered) lists of information objects, and 4) informal encoding systems, which provide roles and operations to define informal descriptions (e.g. narratives).

information-object
type: Class
subclass of: non-agentive-social-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: refined-by
  all values from: information-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: realized-by
  some values from: physical-realization
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: information-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: ordered-by
  some values from: description
disjoint with: non-agentive-figure
disjoint with: situation
comment: Information objects are social objects. They are realized by some entity. They are ordered (expressed according to) by some system for information encoding. Consequently, they are dependent from an encoding as well as from a concrete realization.They can express a description (the ontological equivalent of a meaning/conceptualization), can be about any entity, and can be interpreted by an agent.From a communication perspective, an information object can play the role of "message". From a semiotic perspective, it playes the role of "expression".

life-cycle
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: course
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: sequences
    all values from: Restriction
      on property: life-of
      some values from: endurant
comment: The course of events typical of the life of an object (kind).

logical-role
type: Class
subclass of: description-role
comment: A role used to express logical levels within some layering description or granular partition. A typical example is the Linnean taxonomic ordering, where Phylum or Species are hierarchical roles.

material-artifact
type: Class
subclass of: non-agentive-physical-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: proper-part
  some values from: Restriction
    on property: member-of
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: collection
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: unified-by
        some values from: Class
comment: No easy definition of artifactual properties is possible, hence it is better to rely on alternative descriptions and roles: a physical object that shows or is known to have an artifactual origin that counts in the tasks an ontology is supposed to support, will be a material artifact. On the other hand, physical objects that do not show that origin, or that origin is unimportant for the task of the ontology, will be physical bodies. Formally, a restriction is provided here that requires that the collection whose members are (at least some of the) proper parts of a material artifact is *unified* by a plan or project.

method
type: Class
subclass of: description
comment: A description that contains a specification to do, realize, behave, etc. Subclasses are plan, technique, practice, project, etc.

modal-description
type: Class
subclass of: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: role
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: modal-target
      some values from: course
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: course
comment: A modal description is any part of a description that has a unity criterion consisting in the specification of a modal target (some course), and it can be a right, power, duty, etc. Notice that modal descriptions can appear in conventionalized descriptions as well as in idiosyncratic assessements, narratives, promises, etc. From the formal semantic viewpoint, a modal description is the reification of a relation involving a modal logic operator.

non-agentive-figure
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: figure
  intersection of: non-agentive-social-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: defined-by
    some values from: constitutive-description
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hypostasis-of
    some values from: particular
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: plays
    some values from: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: refined-by
  all values from: non-agentive-figure
disjoint with: situation
comment: A tipology of non-agentive figures is currently under investigation.

non-agentive-physical-object
type: Class
subclass of: physical-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: internally-represents
  cardinality: 0
comment: Within Physical objects, a special place have those to which we ascribe intentions, beliefs, and desires. These are called Agentive, as opposite to Non-agentive. Intentionality is understood here as the capability of heading for/dealing with objects or states of the world. This is an important area of ontological investigation we haven't properly explored yet, so our suggestions are really very preliminary. A possible modelling of case roles has been started within the descriptions plugin that could be embedded within basic DOLCE. In general, we assume that agentive objects are constituted by non-agentive objects: an organism is constituted by bodily organs, a robot is constituted by some machinery, and so on. Among non-agentive physical objects we have for example houses, body organs, pieces of wood, etc.

non-agentive-social-object
type: Class
subclass of: social-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: internally-represents
  cardinality: 0
comment: A social object that is not assumed to internally represent a description. Since social objects are dependent on physical ones, it is not trivial to interpret the local sense in which a social object 'internally represents' a plan. See 'agentive-social-object' for some discussion.

parameter
type: Class
subclass of: concept
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: valued-by
  some values from: region
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: defined-by
  some values from: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  all values from: parameter
disjoint with: role
comment: A concept that classifies (in particular, it is 'valued by') regions, as defined by some description. Parameters are the descriptive counterpart of regions, and, as regions represent the qualities of perdurants or endurants, they can be requisites for some role or course.A parameter has at least one region that is a value for it.

path
type: Class
subclass of: course
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: sequences
  some values from: phenomenon
comment: A course used to sequence phenomena (non-intentional processes).

phenomenon
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: accomplishment
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: specifically-constantly-dependent-on
    all values from: Class
      complement of: cognitive-state
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: sequenced-by
    all values from: Class
      complement of: task
comment: A phenomenon is basically a process that does not include any intentional active participation. Therefore, it cannot be sequenced by a task.It can be seen as an accomplishment when some intentionality puts boundaries on it (although it is not claimed to be inherently intentional). On the other hand, a purely physical phenomenon does not seem to have inherent boundaries either ... and also for biological processes as well as economic processes this seems to be disputable. If the boundary hypothesis is discarded, phenomenon should migrate under process.

physical-phenomenon
type: Class
subclass of: phenomenon
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: participant
  some values from: physical-endurant
comment: A phenomenon having a physical endurant as participant.

physical-realization
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: spatio-temporal-particular
  intersection of: Class
    union of: physical-endurant
    union of: physical-quality
    union of: Class
      intersection of: perdurant
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: participant
        some values from: physical-endurant
    union of: Class
      intersection of: situation
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: setting-for
        some values from: Class
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: realizes
    some values from: non-physical-object
comment: Any physical particular that realizes a non-physical endurant. Such physical particulars can be either physical endurants, physical qualities, physical regions, perdurants with at least one physical participant, or a situation with one physical entity in its setting.Ultimately, a physical realization depends on at least one physical endurant (each of the others physical entity types depend on a physical endurant to be considered as such).

plan
type: Class
subclass of: method
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: task
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: proper-part
  some values from: goal
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: role
comment: A plan is a method for executing or performing a procedure or a stage of a procedure.A plan must use both at least one role played by an agent, and at least one task.Finally, a plan has a goal as proper part, and can also have regulations and other descriptions as proper parts.

practice
type: Class
subclass of: method
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: internally-represented-in
  some values from: agentive-social-object
comment: A social method carried out explicitly or by tradition, spontaneously emerged, or moderately or strongly regulated.

project
type: Class
subclass of: method
comment: A project is a proactively satisfied method. Differently from a plan, a project includes at least one 'product' role to be played by some endurant (e.g. a house), or one 'result' role played by a perdurant with a definite participant (e.g. a restored state of a house).

rational-agent
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: agent
  intersection of: Class
    union of: rational-physical-object
    union of: Class
      intersection of: agentive-social-object
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: acted-by
        some values from: rational-physical-object
comment: Either a rational physical object (e.g. an animal capable of meta-representations), or a social object acted by a rational physical object (e.g. an organization).

rational-physical-object
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: agentive-physical-object
  intersection of: rational-agent
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: internally-represents
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: description
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: involves
        some values from: description
comment: In this ontology, a rational object is encoded as having the ability to internally represent meta-descriptions (descriptions that have other descriptions playing roles used by them). Other theories of rational agency assume desires and intentions for these objects, but in principle any agent can have desires and intentions: the very difference seems to be the ability to choose among different desires or intentions by going 'meta-level'.

reconstructed-flux
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: flux
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: part
    all values from: accomplishment
comment: Reconstructed fluxes are fluxes that only contain accomplishments as members.

regulation
type: Class
subclass of: social-description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: proper-part
  some values from: cognitive-modal-description
comment: A description usually requiring a C-SAT satisfaction for a situation. Norms, codes of practice, etc. are examples.

relation
type: Class
subclass of: theory
comment: A non-social relation(ship): formal, linguistic, etc. It is considered here a theory, because relations are established in order to give an ordering to some reality.

role
type: Class
subclass of: concept
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: defined-by
  some values from: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  all values from: role
comment: Also known as 'functional role'.A concept that classifies (in particular, it is 'played by') endurants, as used in some description. Roles are the descriptive counterpart of endurants, and, as endurants participate in perdurants, they usually have courses as modal targets (see).The typology of roles is still preliminary.

situation
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: non-agentive-social-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: description
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: setting-for
    some values from: particular
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: refined-by
  all values from: situation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part
  all values from: situation
comment: A situation is a social object that appears in the domain of an ontology only because there is a description whose components can 'carve up' a view (setting) on that domain. A situation has to satisfy a description (see below for ways of defining the satisfies relation), and it has to be setting for at least one entity.In other words, it is the ontological counterpart (with due local differences or restrictions) of settings (situations from SC, contexts, episodes, states of affairs, structures, configurations, cases, etc.).A perdurant is usually the only mandatory constituent of a setting.Two descriptions of a same situation are possible, otherwise we would result in a solipsistic ontology. The time and space (and possibly other qualities) of a situation are the time and space of the perdurants in the setting.

social-description
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: description
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: generically-dependent-on
    some values from: collective
comment: Examples of Social Descriptions are laws, norms, shares, peace treaties, etc., which are generically dependent on societies.Social descriptions are dependent on a community of agents.

social-object
type: Class
subclass of: non-physical-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: generically-dependent-on
  some values from: communication-event
comment: A catch-all class for entities from the social world. It includes agentive and non-agentive socially-constructed objects: descriptions, concepts, figures, collections, information objects. It could be equivalent to 'non-physical object', but we leave the possibility open of 'private' non-physical objects.

social-relationship
type: Class
subclass of: social-description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: involves
  some values from: rational-agent
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: involves
  min cardinality: 2
comment: A social description defining roles for the interaction of rational agents.

social-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: generically-dependent-on
  some values from: collective
comment: A role created and maintained by a society.

status
type: Class
subclass of: agent-driven-role
subclass of: social-role
comment: A role that involves responsibility, e.g. both duties and rights, in order to perform some task. It usually involves additional rights and/or powers in contexts (descriptions) different from the one that defines the status.

symmetric-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
comment: A role played exactly by two objects at the same time, e.g.: brother, sibling.

task
type: Class
subclass of: course
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: defined-by
  some values from: method
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: component
  all values from: task
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  some values from: task
comment: A course used to sequence activities or other controllable perdurants (some states, processes), usually within methods. They must be defined by a method, but can be *used* by other kinds of descriptions. They are desire targets of some role played by an agent. Tasks can be complex, and ordered according to an abstract succession relation. Tasks can relate to ground activities or decision making; the last kind deals with typical flowchart content. A task is different both from a flowchart node, and from an action or action type.Tasks can be considered shortcuts for plans, since at least one role played by an agent has a desire attitude towards them (possibly different from the one that puts the task into action). In principle, tasks could be transformed into explicit plans.

technique
type: Class
subclass of: method
comment: A technique is a practical method to obtain some modification in the environment (or evaluation of an environment) that fulfils some task.

theory
type: Class
subclass of: description
comment: This is used in a wide cultural sense: a theory about something, expressed in a rather systematic way, but not necessarily public (although communicable in principle). An axiomatic theory is not a theory in this sense, although we can expect an axiomatic theory to be the formal representation of a generic theory.

classification-system
type: Class
subclass of: information-encoding-system
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: involves
  some values from: information-object
comment: An information encoding system that provides rules for (ev. ordered) lists of information objects, e.g terminologies, subjects, knowledge domains.

combinatorial-system
type: Class
subclass of: information-encoding-system
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: orders
  all values from: information-object
comment: An information encoding system that provides roles and operations to create valid information objects (e.g. grammars, templates, codes).

diagrammatic-object
type: Class
subclass of: information-object
comment: An information object ordered by a shematic iconic code

formal-system
type: Class
subclass of: information-encoding-system
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: orders
  all values from: formal-expression
comment: A code that orders the generation of information objects according to formally defined vocabulary, axioms, rules, etc.

gesturing
type: Class
subclass of: action
subclass of: information-realization
subclass of: Class
  intersection of: action
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: participant
    some values from: agentive-physical-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: setting
  some values from: communication-situation
comment: An information realization based on conventional body movements. It is a primary code of communication (primary means that it is an original bodily expression, specially if firstly learnt).

grammar
type: Class
subclass of: combinatorial-system
comment: A set of rules for the generation of a (closed or open set of) information objects.

grapheme
type: Class
subclass of: linguistic-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: realized-by
  all values from: writing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part-of
  some values from: word
comment: A part of a word as it can be realized by writing. A spoken information realization can be 'about' a grapheme (as in reading), but it does not 'realize' it. BTW, since spoken realizations are a 'primary' code of communication, the difference between direct and indirect spoken realizations (reading) is often ontologically understated. A grapheme is not necessarily able to express a meaning (description), although it can in principle (e.g. 'a' in English).

iconic-object
type: Class
subclass of: information-object
comment: An information object ordered by a visual code.

information-realization
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: physical-realization
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: realizes
    some values from: information-object
comment: Any physical entity that realizes an information object.

linguistic-object
type: Class
subclass of: information-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: ordered-by
  some values from: language
comment: An information object ordered by (encoded according to) a language.

morpheme
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: linguistic-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: part-of
    some values from: word
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: expresses
    min cardinality: 1
comment: A part of a word that can express a meaning.

narrative
type: Class
subclass of: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: expressed-by
  some values from: text
comment: A description expressed by a text, and ordered by additional semiotic codes (narratological structures).

phoneme
type: Class
subclass of: linguistic-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: part-of
  some values from: word
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: realized-by
  all values from: voicing
comment: A part of a word as it can be realized by voicing. A written information realization can be 'about' a phoneme (as in the case of transcription systems), but it does not 'realize' it. A phoneme is not necessarily able to express a meaning (description), although it can in principle (e.g. 'a' in English).

subject
type: Class
subclass of: description
comment: A domain of knowledge, typically expressed by one term, related to other subjects in a partial order hierarchy and with some topological properties; e.g. biology, sport, politics.

text
type: Class
subclass of: linguistic-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: ordered-by
  some values from: language
comment: A complex linguistic object, expressed according to a language and still independent from a particular physical realization.

voicing
type: Class
subclass of: action
subclass of: information-realization
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: setting
  some values from: communication-situation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: realizes
  some values from: linguistic-object
subclass of: Class
  intersection of: action
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: participant
    some values from: agentive-physical-object
comment: An information realization based on conventional sounds. It is a primary code of communication (primary means that it is an original bodily expression, specially if firstly learnt).

word
type: Class
subclass of: linguistic-object
comment: A linguistic object consisting of a string (independently of its physical realization). Its topological unity can change according to its physical realization: as a written realization, its boundaries are blank spaces, as a spoken realization, sometimes is silence, sometimes not, and higher order features intervene. Grammatical entities such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. are roles defined by a grammar, and words (or larger linguistic objects) can play those roles in a given language. E.g., the word 'share' can play both 'verb' and 'noun' roles in contemporary English, while the word 'come' can only play the 'verb' role in English, and the 'adverb' or 'conjunction' roles in Italian (but if we consider a word as only realized by phonemes, i.e. if we consider the oral realizations of 'come', there is no common word in the two languages).

writing
type: Class
subclass of: information-realization
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: realizes
  some values from: linguistic-object
comment: An information realization based on conventional symbols. It is a secondary code of communication (secondary means that it is about an original bodily expression, i.e. a primary code). Therefore, we are not considering here early forms of iconic expression, which could be considered primary.

mental-object
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: non-physical-object
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: specifically-constantly-dependent-on
    some values from: agentive-physical-object
comment: AKA "internal description". Mental objects are dependent on agents which are assumed to be intentional (in the wider sense of conceiving some description). This class is just a pointer to a complex ontology of mental entities that is currently under development.

commitment
type: Class
subclass of: cognitive-modal-description
comment: A commitment is a cognitive modal description, characterized by certain obligations and rights targeted by at least one of its roles.

promise
type: Class
subclass of: commitment
comment: A commitment in which an obligation to some future result is expressed.

responsibility
type: Class
subclass of: commitment
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: status
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  some values from: task
comment: Responsibility is preliminarily described here as a commitment that includes a status, which has some rights and duties towards some task (see related axioms).

abstract-plan
type: Class
subclass of: plan
comment: An abstract plan is a plan whose roles and tasks only specify classes of entities that can be included in a plan execution. In other words, a component from an abstract plan does not classify any named entity. This condition cannot be formalized in FOL, since we would like to express a condition by which an instance of an abstract plan specifies instances of plan components, but no instances of situation elements, e.g. that 'manager' classifies some (if any) instance of person, but not a specified (named) person.

action-task
type: Class
subclass of: elementary-task
disjoint with: control-task
comment: An action task is an elementary task that sequences non-planning activities, like: moving, exercising forces, gathering information, etc. Planning activites are mental events involving some rational event.

bag-task
type: Class
subclass of: complex-task
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: component
  all values from: Class
    complement of: control-task
comment: A bag task is a complex task that does not include either a control task, or a successor relation among any two component tasks.The last condition cannot be stated in OWL-DL, because it needs a coreference.

circumstantial-plan
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: plan
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: d-uses
    all values from: Class
      intersection of: concept
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: classifies
        some values from: particular
comment: A circumstantial plan has all components classifying named individuals from the ground ontology (e.g. only specific persons, specified resources, a finite number of time intervals and space regions, etc.).This condition cannot be formalized in FOL, since we would like to express a condition by which an instance of an circumstantial plan specifies both instances of plan components, and instances of situation elements, e.g. that 'manager' classifies a specified (named) person.

complex-task
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: task
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: component
    some values from: task
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: component
    min cardinality: 2
comment: A task that has at least two other tasks as components.

control-task
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: elementary-task
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: sequences
    all values from: Class
      union of: decision-state
      union of: planning-activity
comment: A control task is an elementary task that sequences a planning activity, e.g. an activity aimed at (cognitively or via simulation) anticipating other activities. Therefore, control tasks have usually at least one direct successor task (the controlled one), with the exception of ending tasks.The reification of control constructs allows to represent procedural knowledge into the same ontology including controlled action. Besides conceptual transparency and independency from a particular grounding system, a further advantage is enabling the representation of coordination tasks. For example, a manager that coordinates the execution of several related activities can be represented as a role with a responsibility (duty+right) towards some complex task.

decision-activity
type: Class
subclass of: activity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: sequenced-by
  some values from: Class
    one of: case-task
comment: An activity related to planning. It is sequenced by 'case task', and can contain an information gathering activity.

decision-state
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: state
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: sequenced-by
    some values from: Class
      one of: deliberation-task
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: follows
    some values from: decision-activity
comment: A state related to planning. It is sequenced by 'deliberation task', and is preceded by a decision activity.

elementary-task
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: task
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: component
    cardinality: 0
comment: An atomic task.

goal-qua-main
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: goal
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: main-goal-of
    some values from: plan
comment: A main goal can be defined as a goal that is part of a plan but not of one of its subplans. The characteristic axiom cannot be formalized in OWL-DL (it requires coreference).

goal-situation
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: goal
comment: A goal situation is a situation that satisfies a goal.Opposite to the case of subplan executions, a goal situation is not part of a plan execution.In other words, it is not true in general that any situation satisfying a part of a description, is also part of the situation that satisfies the whole description. This helps to account for the following cases: a) Execution of plans containing abort or suspension conditions (the plan would be satisfied even if the goal has not been reached, see below), b) Incidental satisfaction, like when a situation satisfies a goal without being intentionally planned (but anyway desired).

information-gathering
type: Class
subclass of: activity
comment: An activity aimed at gathering information for some purpose. It is typically sequenced by case tasks for taking decisions (can be part of decision activities).

maximal-task
type: Class
subclass of: complex-task
comment: A maximal task is a complex task that has all the tasks defined in a plan as components.In OWL-DL the axiom is defined as a concept axiom over plan component task.

plan-assessment
type: Class
subclass of: technique
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has-in-scope
  some values from: plan-execution
comment: A technique to evaluate a plan execution.

plan-assessment-task
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: control-task
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: defined-by
    some values from: plan-assessment
comment: A task defined in a plan assessment.

plan-execution
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: p-sat
    some values from: plan
comment: Plan executions are situations that proactively satisfy a plan (cf. definition of P-SAT above). Subplan executions are proper parts of the whole plan execution.

planning-activity
type: Class
subclass of: activity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: product
  all values from: plan
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: expected-by
  some values from: planning-as-technique
comment: The activity to generate a plan.

planning-as-technique
type: Class
subclass of: technique
comment: The technique by which a planning process can be carried out.

saturated-plan
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: plan
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: d-uses
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: parameter
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: valued-by
        some values from: space-region
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: d-uses
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: parameter
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: valued-by
        some values from: time-interval
comment: A saturated plan is a plan that cannot be executed twice, since it defines spatio-temporal parameters restricted to one value, e.g. one of its tasks classifies an event that is valued by a definite temporal value in a definite space region.Of course, in the case of maximal spatio-temporal regions, a saturated plan tends to approximate an abstract plan from the execution viewpoint, but these worst cases are unavoidable when dealing with maximality.

schedule
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: task
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: requisite
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: parameter
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: valued-by
        some values from: time-interval
comment: A scheduling is a task that cannot be executed twice, since it has a temporal parameter restricted to one value, e.g. it classifies an event that is valued by a definite temporal value.

sequential-task
type: Class
subclass of: complex-task
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: component
  all values from: Class
    complement of: control-task
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: component
  some values from: action-task
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: component
  min cardinality: 2
comment: A sequential task is a complex task that includes a successor relation among any two component tasks, and does not contain any control task.The first condition cannot be stated in OWL-DL, because it needs coreference.

subplan
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: plan
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: proper-part-of
    some values from: plan
comment: A proper part of a plan.

communication-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-used-by
  some values from: Class
    one of: s-communication-theory
comment: The roles employed to characterize communication. E.g. the roles from Jakobson's theory of communication.

communication-situation
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: Class
      one of: s-communication-theory
comment: Any situation that satisfies Jakobson's communication theory.

interpretation-situation
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: Class
      one of: semiotic-interpretation-function
comment: The class of situations that satisfy the semiotic interpretation function (given an expression and a context, a meaning is provided).

semiotic-code
type: Class
subclass of: combinatorial-system
comment: A combinatorial code intended to ordering of information objects involved in the semiotic 'interpretation function'.

semiotic-role
type: Class
subclass of: role
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: specialized-by
  some values from: communication-role
comment: A semiotic role is a non-agentive role defined by the interpretation function.It should be specialized within a communication setting by a role that is played by some entity in a communication situation. Semiotic roles are used to fill the universe of the so-called 'interpretation function'.Two of them are specialized by two communication roles (message and context).

institution
type: Class
subclass of: organization
comment: An organization bearing a legal status and having powers conferred by Law.

natural-person
type: Class
subclass of: socially-constructed-person
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hypostasis-of
  some values from: rational-physical-object
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hypostasis-of
  cardinality: 1
disjoint with: organization
comment: An agentive social object that is the hypostasis of one rational physical object. It can be acted by othe rational physical objects or social persons though (through delegation).

organization
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: socially-constructed-person
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hypostasis-of
    some values from: collective
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hypostasis-of
  cardinality: 1
comment: A socially-constructed person with a complex articulation of tasks, roles and figures.

socially-constructed-person
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: agentive-figure
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: acted-by
    all values from: rational-agent
comment: A definite social figure that is constructed and acted by other previously existing persons. A person in general is not characterized in this ontology. In a legal extension, it could be reasonable to create a class of legal persons, defined by legal constitutive descriptions, including the legal figures related to both natural (see) and socially-constructed persons.

design-object-materialization
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: system-as-situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: generically-dependent-on
    some values from: production-workflow-execution
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: system-design
comment: A situation in which an object exists that has been produced according to a system design specification.

design-specification-workflow
type: Class
subclass of: system-production-workflow
comment: The description of how to produce a design specification.

functionality-specification-workflow
type: Class
subclass of: system-production-workflow
comment: The description of how to produce a functionality specification.

production-workflow-execution
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: system-production-workflow
comment: A situation satisfying the production workflow of a system.

system-as-artifact
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: material-artifact
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: proper-part
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: physical-object
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: member-of
        some values from: Class
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: proper-part
    all values from: Class
      intersection of: physical-object
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: member-of
        some values from: Class
comment: A material artifact whose proper parts ('components') are physical objects, members of a collection unified by a project or plan.

system-as-description
type: Class
subclass of: description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: satisfied-by
  all values from: system-as-situation
comment: The descriptive, unifying aspect of a system (usually it includes at least a design, or project, plan, etc.).

system-as-situation
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: system-as-description
comment: The realization aspect of a system, satisfying the descriptive aspect.If the descriptive part only includes a design, it can be a situation in which that design has been realized (e.g. consisting essentially of a system-as-artifact as a design object).If the descriptive part includes a project, it can be a workflow situation resulting in the production of e.g. a system-as-artifact.If the descriptive part includes a set of instructions, it can be a situation in which e.g. a system-as-artifact interacts with the environment effectively (according to some evaluation criteria).

system-design
type: Class
subclass of: system-as-description
comment: The description of a system from the design viewpoint (how it is structured, but also including possible aesthetic or functional descriptions).

system-functionality
type: Class
subclass of: system-as-description
comment: The description of a system from the functional viewpoint (how it works).

system-implementation-workflow
type: Class
subclass of: system-production-workflow
comment: The description of how to implement a system-as-artifact.

system-production-workflow
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: workflow
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: specifically-constantly-dependent-on
    some values from: system-design
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: specifically-constantly-dependent-on
    some values from: system-functionality
comment: The description of how a system is produced.

workflow
type: Class
subclass of: plan
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: d-uses
  min cardinality: 3
comment: A plan describing a team's or organization's objectives, tasks, roles, and parameters. Ay least two roles and one task, or one role and two tasks must be defined.

working-system-situation
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: system-as-situation
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: generically-dependent-on
    some values from: design-object-materialization
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: satisfies
    some values from: system-functionality
comment: The situation in which a working system interacts with its environment according to its functionality description.

abandonment-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
comment: A specialization of ending-task, aimed at sequencing events that end a plan execution without having reached its main-goal, and with no intention to resurrect the plan.

abortion-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
comment: A specialization of ending-task, aimed at sequencing events that end a plan execution without having reached its main-goal, but with the possibility or resurrecting the plan.

acceptation-task
type: Thing
type: plan-assessment-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: consideredness-task
comment: The task sequencing a positive decision to adopt a plan for execution.

activation-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: readiness-task
comment: A control task aimed at starting an activity. It is specialized either by a beginning task or a reactivation task.

alternate-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: sequences
  all values from: decision-activity
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  cardinality: 3
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  some values from: Class
    one of: deliberation-task
comment: A case task branched to exactly 2 tasks, not executable in parallel.
specializes: case-task

any-order-task
type: Thing
type: control-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: successor
  some values from: Class
    one of: synchro-task
comment: An any order task is a branching task that defines no order in the successor tasks. Itís another way of defining a bag task, because any temporal relation can be expected between any two perdurants sequenced by the tasks that are direct successor to the any order task.

beginning-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: successor
  some values from: task
comment: A beginning task is a control task that is the predecessor of all tasks defined in the plan.
specifically-constantly-dependent-on: readiness-task

branching-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  some values from: task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  min cardinality: 2
type: Restriction
  on property: sequences
  all values from: planning-activity
comment: A task that articulates the plan into an ordered set of tasks.
specialized-by: case-task
specialized-by: concurrency-task
specialized-by: partly-case-task

case-task
type: Thing
type: control-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  some values from: Class
    one of: deliberation-task
type: Restriction
  on property: sequences
  all values from: decision-activity
comment: A case task is a task branched to a set of tasks that are not executable concurrently. In order to choose the task to be executed, preliminary deliberation tasks should be executed. A case task sequences a decision activity (a kind of mental event involving rationality) that has a deliberation state as outcome (sequenced by a deliberation task).
specialized-by: alternate-task
specializes: branching-task

completion-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
comment: A specialization of ending-task, aimed at sequencing events that end a plan execution having reached its main-goal.

concurrency-task
type: Thing
type: control-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: successor
  some values from: Class
    one of: synchro-task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: task
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: sequences
      all values from: Class
        intersection of: activity
        intersection of: Restriction
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  min cardinality: 2
comment: A concurrent task is a task branched to a set of tasks executable concurrently -the sequenced perdurants can overlap-, which means that no deliberation task is performed in order to choose among them. A concurrent task has at least one successor synchronization task, which is aimed at waiting for the execution of all -except the optional ones- tasks direct successor to the concurrent -or any order, see below- one.The axioms cannot be expressed fully in OWL-DL (no value mapping available).
specializes: branching-task
specialized-by: parallel-task

consideredness-task
type: Thing
type: plan-assessment-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: possibility-task
comment: The task sequencing a decision activity, aiming at if action has to be taken in order to start a plan execution.

decidedness-task
type: Thing
type: plan-assessment-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: acceptation-task
comment: The task sequencing a decision to take action in order to start a plan execution.

deliberation-task
type: Thing
type: control-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: sequences
  all values from: decision-state
comment: A deliberation task is a control task that sequences deliberation states (decisions taken after a case task execution).

ending-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: predecessor
  some values from: task
comment: An ending task is a control task that has no successor tasks defined in the plan.

loop-for
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
comment: A loop task with a defined number -and possibly frequency- of iterations.

loop-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
comment: A loop task is a control task that has as successor an action -or complex- task that sequences at least two distinct activities sharing a minimal common set of properties -they have a MinimalCommonType. Notice that MinimalCommonType cannot be formalised as a first-order predicate, and then neither in OWL-DL. It can be considered a trivial guideline: when sequencing looped actions, choose a definite action class from the ground ontology. Some relations typically hold for loop tasks. Exit condition can be used to state what deliberation task causes to exit the cycle; iteration interval can be used to state how much time should be taken by each iteration of the looped activity; iteration cardinality can be used to state how many times the action should be repeated.

loop-until
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: exit-condition
  some values from: Class
    one of: deliberation-task
comment: A loop task, which specifies when a certain condition becomes true for a cyclical task to exit.

parallel-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: successor
  some values from: Class
    one of: synchro-task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  min cardinality: 2
comment: A task for parallel concurrent activities.
specializes: concurrency-task

partly-case-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  some values from: Class
    one of: case-task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-successor
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: task
    intersection of: Class
      complement of: Class
        one of: case-task
comment: A control task that directly precedes both a case task and some other task.It specializes the branching task.
specializes: branching-task

possibility-task
type: Thing
type: plan-assessment-task
type: NamedIndividual
comment: The task sequencing an activity from which the possibility is raised to execute a plan.

preparedness-task
type: Thing
type: plan-assessment-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: decidedness-task
comment: The task sequencing an assessment that the activities aiming at creating the prerequisites to start a plan execution are completed.

reactivation-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: control-task
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: suspension-task
comment: An activation task to start a plan execution after it has been suspended.

readiness-task
type: Thing
type: plan-assessment-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: preparedness-task
comment: The task joining the decision and preparation phases of the plan assessment, with the activation phases of the plan.
specific-constant-dependent: beginning-task

rejectedness-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: plan-assessment-task
type: Restriction
  on property: predecessor
  some values from: Class
    one of: consideredness-task
comment: The task sequencing a negative decision to adopt a plan execution.

suspension-task
type: Thing
type: control-task
type: NamedIndividual
comment: A specialization of ending-task, aimed at sequencing events that end a plan execution without having reached its main-goal for a certain time

synchro-task
type: Thing
type: control-task
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: direct-predecessor
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: Class
      union of: action-task
      union of: complex-task
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: direct-predecessor
      some values from: Class
        one of: concurrency-task
        one of: any-order-task
comment: A task that joins a set a tasks after a branching.In particular, a synchronization task is aimed at waiting for the execution of all (except the optional ones) tasks that are direct successor to a concurrent or any order task.

c-context
type: Thing
type: description-role
type: communication-role
type: NamedIndividual
type: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: description
comment: The context role in Jakobson's theory of communication.
defined-by: s-communication-theory

channel-role
type: NamedIndividual
type: communication-role
type: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: physical-endurant
comment: The channel role in Jakobson's theory of communication.
defined-by: s-communication-theory

code-role
type: NamedIndividual
type: description-role
type: communication-role
type: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: information-encoding-system
comment: The code role in Jakobson's theory of communication, which should be played by an information-encoding-system.
defined-by: s-communication-theory

decoder-role
type: NamedIndividual
type: agent-driven-role
type: communication-role
comment: A specialization of the interpreter role, played by the agents trying to conceive the description expressed by some information object created by agents playing the encoder role.
specializes: interpreter-role
defined-by: semiotic-interpretation-function

encoder-role
type: NamedIndividual
type: agent-driven-role
type: communication-role
comment: A specialization of the interpreter role, played by creators of information objects expressing some description.
specializes: interpreter-role
defined-by: semiotic-interpretation-function

expression
type: NamedIndividual
type: semiotic-role
type: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: information-object
comment: Expression is a semiotic role played by information objects. It is used to fill the first domain of the so-called 'interpretation function'. It can be considered equivalent to the 'message' communication role, but since communication theory and semiotic theories are different, it is more correct to say that a message role specializes an expression role.
defined-by: semiotic-interpretation-function

interpreter-role
type: NamedIndividual
type: agent-driven-role
type: communication-role
comment: A generalization of the encoder and decoder roles in Jakobson's theory of communication, which should be played by an agent.
specialized-by: decoder-role
specialized-by: encoder-role
defined-by: s-communication-theory

meaning
type: NamedIndividual
type: description-role
type: semiotic-role
type: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: description
comment: Meaning is a semiotic role played by descriptions whatsoever. It is used to fill the range of the so-called 'interpretation function'.It is not equivalent to any communication function.
defined-by: semiotic-interpretation-function

message-role
type: NamedIndividual
type: communication-role
type: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: information-object
comment: The message role in Jakobson's theory of communication, played by information objects. It specializes the expression role from semiotic interpretation theory.
defined-by: s-communication-theory

s-communication-theory
type: Thing
type: theory
type: NamedIndividual
comment: Jakobson defined six functions of communication that are compatible with Shannon's theory of information. They are the 'message', here covered by 'Message-Role', the context, covered here by 'C-Context', the code, covered by 'Code', plus 'Channel', 'Encoder', and 'Decoder', which are introduced below. Message-Role, C-Context, and Code can also be viewed as playing a semiotic role (Expression, S-Context, Semiotic-Code). For a communication theory in general, we also need other components that are not specified in Jakobson's theory', e.g. 'turn-taking', governing the sequence of a communication process, 'communication parameters', governing the values that participants and events of a communication should have in order for the communication to be successful (i.e. for the communication method to be satisfied), 'conversational maxims' (superordered theories) that provide guidelines for communication to be successful, etc.
defines: c-context
defines: channel-role
defines: code-role
defines: interpreter-role
defines: message-role

s-context
type: NamedIndividual
type: description-role
type: semiotic-role
type: Restriction
  on property: played-by
  all values from: description
type: Restriction
  on property: requires
  some values from: Class
    one of: c-context
comment: S-context (semiotic context) is played by descriptions and is a semiotic role. It is used to fill the second domain of the so-called 'interpretation function'.It may be equivalent to the 'c-context' communication role, but since communication theory and semiotic theories are different, it is more correct to say that c-context (communication context) specializes s-context.
defined-by: semiotic-interpretation-function

semiotic-interpretation-function
type: Thing
type: relation
type: NamedIndividual
comment: Interpretation functions are descriptions that can include roles either for semiotics or for formal semantics.Here we only characterize a basic, simple theory of semiotic interpretation. Three semiotic roles are defined: s-context (semiotic context), expression, and meaning.It has complex dependencies to mental objects, social objects, as well as references to entities as such, but we currently prefer to put it here as a placeholder (a forthcoming ontology of mind should give some more detail on those issues). See semiotic roles for further comments.
defines: decoder-role
defines: encoder-role
defines: expression
defines: meaning
defines: s-context