Taxonomy

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A Taxonomy is a governed classification structure that organizes concepts, entities, or other subjects into categories and relationships according to defined classification criteria.

A Taxonomy commonly uses hierarchical relationships in which broader categories contain or classify narrower categories. It may also provide identifiers, labels, descriptions, classification rules, and relationships among categories.

A Taxonomy may identify:

• Classification categories
• Parent-child relationships among categories
• Permitted category identifiers and labels
• Criteria for assigning a subject to a category
• Relationships among related categories
• Applicable Domains or contexts
• Governing authorities
• Version, status, and lifecycle information

A Taxonomy is related to, but distinct from, a Vocabulary. A Vocabulary establishes the designations used to identify and communicate concepts. A Taxonomy organizes concepts or subjects into defined classification relationships. A Taxonomy may use terms from a Vocabulary to label its categories.

A Taxonomy is also related to, but distinct from, an Ontology. A Taxonomy primarily provides a classification structure. An Ontology may define richer semantic relationships, properties, constraints, and axioms that support inference or reasoning.

A Domain Taxonomy is a Taxonomy whose categories, classification criteria, and applicability are defined for a particular Domain. Its governing authority determines which categories apply, how subjects are classified, and how the Taxonomy evolves within that Domain.

a classification structure that organizes concepts, entities, or other subjects into categories and defined relationships according to specified classification criteria

Informed by established terminology, knowledge-organization, and information-modeling practices; specialized for use across Dido Solutions specifications.

A Taxonomy does not require a particular representation technology. It may be represented in a document, table, hierarchy, model, schema, registry, or machine-processable semantic artifact.

A Taxonomy may be polyhierarchical, allowing a category to have more than one broader category, when permitted by its governing model.

The SIP-RA does not standardize a particular Domain Taxonomy. It defines architectural mechanisms for representing, identifying, versioning, exchanging, mapping, and applying independently governed taxonomies.

A logistics Domain Taxonomy classifies resources into categories such as supplies, equipment, personnel, facilities, and services. Each category has a governed identifier, label, classification criteria, applicable Domain, authority, and version.