3. FDIS Reference Architecture

Return to FDIS-RA

The Federated Data Interpretation Systems Reference Architecture (FDIS-RA) defines a common architectural framework for systems that interpret, validate, compare, and govern information produced through statutory, regulatory, contractual, and other governed reporting regimes.

Although this specification uses the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA) as its primary motivating example, the architectural principles apply more broadly to regulated and mission-critical environments that require transparent, traceable, comparable, and governable interpretation of reported information.

FDIS-RA does not prescribe particular technologies, products, programming languages, modeling languages, data formats, deployment models, or implementation approaches. Instead, it identifies the architectural responsibilities, boundaries, interfaces, constraints, governance mechanisms, and quality characteristics required to support consistent and auditable interpretation of reported information throughout its lifecycle.

The architecture serves as a framework for architectural design, evaluation, governance, procurement, and conformance assessment rather than as a reference implementation or solution blueprint.

Semantic models, including the Standard Business Report Model (SBRM), provide an essential foundation for representing and governing meaning. They do not, by themselves, define a complete system architecture. FDIS-RA provides the architectural context within which semantic assets, rules, observations, evidence, interfaces, governance mechanisms, and lifecycle responsibilities operate together as a coherent interpretation environment.

Accordingly, FDIS-RA identifies the architectural responsibilities associated with:

Evidence acquisition and preservationInformation extraction and observationSemantic representationRule-based interpretationValidation and conformance assessmentProvenance and traceabilityGovernance and lifecycle managementControlled semantic evolutionThe architecture addresses downstream analysis only to the extent that such analysis depends upon reliable, traceable, governed, and semantically comparable interpreted information.

This section defines the nature, scope, and purpose of FDIS-RA, distinguishes it from related architectural artifacts and implementation assets, and positions it within established architectural practice used by standards development organizations, regulatory authorities, and enterprise architecture communities.

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