SIP-011 — Semantic Artifact Lifecycle Governance

Go to Annex C: Requirements

The Governance Model SHALL define lifecycle controls for semantic Artifacts.

Semantic Artifacts establish or reference the meanings associated with Data, structural elements, concepts, values, and relationships. Changes to those meanings can alter how information is understood even when its Data and Structure remain unchanged.

Lifecycle Governance ensures that semantic Artifacts change through identified authorities and controlled processes. It preserves the versions, status, provenance, and applicability needed to determine which Semantics governed a particular exchange or Interpretation.

The Submission satisfies this requirement when the Governance Model:

1. Identifies the semantic Artifacts subject to lifecycle Governance
2. Defines lifecycle states applicable to semantic Artifacts
3. Identifies the Authority responsible for approving lifecycle transitions
4. Supports creation, review, approval, publication, revision, supersession, and retirement
5. Assigns a persistent identity and identifiable version to each governed Artifact
6. Preserves provenance and change history
7. Defines the Domain, context, applicability, and status of each version
8. Supports Traceability from an information exchange or Interpretation to the applicable semantic Artifact version

Semantic Artifacts may include Vocabularies, concept definitions, code lists, taxonomies, ontologies, semantic Models, and semantic mappings.

This requirement defines architectural lifecycle capabilities. It does not prescribe a particular semantic representation language, registry, repository, or Governance product.