Mngr at 17:35, 19 March 2026

2026-03-19T17:35:18Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:35, 19 March 2026
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	No structural certainty levels are implemented.		No structural certainty levels are implemented.

			=== Clarification: Object–Asset Relationship ===

			Objects and Assets have a '''many‑to‑many''' relationship.

			* An '''Object''' may be documented by one or more Assets.
			* An '''Asset''' may document one or more Objects.

			This relationship is expressed through the '''ObjectAsset''' junction table, which records:

			* the Object
			* the Asset
			* the AssetRole (e.g. depicts, documents, contains, detail of)
			* whether the Asset is the preferred representation of the Object

			This design ensures that:

			* a single photograph may document multiple Objects (e.g. a building and its annex)
			* a single Object may have multiple Assets (historical photo, modern photo, blueprint, document scan, detail crop, AI‑processed version)
			* the relationship remains contextual and interpretive, not intrinsic to either entity

			The Object–Asset link is therefore not stored on the Asset itself, but in the contextual layer, where roles and preferences can be expressed explicitly.

Mngr: Created page with "= Data Model – Entity Definitions (Version 5.0) = This document defines the '''conceptual meaning''' of all entities in the Costasano Heritage Database. It is the authoritative reference for: * conceptual ER modeling * DBML schema design * Page Schemas and forms * editorial workflows * successor understanding These definitions describe meaning and responsibility, not implementation details. If an entity definition is unclear or disputed, implementation must be pos..."

2026-03-19T17:31:06Z

Created page with "= Data Model – Entity Definitions (Version 5.0) = This document defines the '''conceptual meaning''' of all entities in the Costasano Heritage Database. It is the authoritative reference for: * conceptual ER modeling * DBML schema design * Page Schemas and forms * editorial workflows * successor understanding These definitions describe meaning and responsibility, not implementation details. If an entity definition is unclear or disputed, implementation must be pos..."

New page

= Data Model – Entity Definitions (Version 5.0) =

This document defines the '''conceptual meaning''' of all entities in the Costasano Heritage Database.

It is the authoritative reference for:

* conceptual ER modeling
* DBML schema design
* Page Schemas and forms
* editorial workflows
* successor understanding

These definitions describe meaning and responsibility, not implementation details.

If an entity definition is unclear or disputed, implementation must be postponed.

== Scope ==

The conceptual model separates clearly between:

* '''Storage''' → File
* '''Interpretation of files / sources''' → Asset
* '''Subjects of research''' → Object, Person, Organisation
* '''Spatial context''' → Place
* '''Narrative structure''' → Chapter

The conceptual flow is:

'''File → Asset → Research Entity → Place → Chapter'''

Each layer enriches the previous one without replacing it.

= Core Research Entities =

== Object ==

=== Definition ===
An '''Object''' represents a historical, conceptual, or material entity that is the subject of study.

It answers:

''“What is the thing we are studying?”''

Objects are the primary conceptual anchors of the research.

=== Examples ===
An Object may represent:

* a sanatorium
* a building
* a room or architectural element
* a document or register
* a site or complex
* a conceptual or functional unit (e.g. “medical practice”)
* an artifact (future research)

=== What an Object is not ===
An Object is:

* not a digital file
* not a person
* not an organisation
* not a chapter
* not a technical record

=== Structural behavior ===
Objects are '''recursive'''.

Each Object may:

* have zero or one parent Object
* have zero or more child Objects

This supports hierarchical structures such as:

Room → Building → Site → City

=== Place relationship ===
Each Object has '''one primary Place'''.

This Place represents:

* where the Object exists or existed
* the Object’s physical or historical location

Additional contextual places (e.g. “found in”, “stored in”) may be added in future extensions.

=== Temporal span ===
Objects may have:

* DateFrom
* DateTo

These describe the Object’s period of existence or relevance.

=== Relationships ===
An Object may:

* be documented by multiple Assets
* designate one Asset as preferred representation
* be linked to Persons with roles
* be linked to Organisations with roles
* have a Person or Organisation as holder
* belong to multiple Chapters
* be tagged with Keywords

=== Purpose ===
Objects represent the historical “things” being studied and provide the backbone of the research domain.

== Person ==

=== Definition ===
A '''Person''' represents a historical or contemporary individual with agency.

It answers:

''“Who was involved historically?”''

=== Examples ===
* religious sisters
* directors
* architects
* patients
* shareholders
* board members

=== What a Person is not ===
A Person is:

* not a MediaWiki user
* not an Object
* not an organisation

=== Relationships ===
A Person may:

* play roles in relation to Objects
* play roles within Organisations
* act as holder of Objects
* be documented by Assets (portraits, letters, articles)

Roles belong to relationships, not to the Person entity itself.

=== Purpose ===
Persons model historical agency, responsibility, and participation.

== Organisation ==

=== Definition ===
An '''Organisation''' represents a historical collective actor with institutional continuity.

It answers:

''“Which collective body acted or was responsible?”''

=== Examples ===
* religious congregations
* companies
* associations
* institutions
* managing bodies

=== What an Organisation is not ===
An Organisation is:

* not a person
* not an Object
* not a Place

=== Relationships ===
An Organisation may:

* play roles in relation to Objects
* include Persons with roles
* act as holder of Objects
* be documented by Assets
* be located in a Place

=== Purpose ===
Organisations model collective responsibility and institutional continuity.

= Spatial Context =

== Place ==

=== Definition ===
A '''Place''' represents a geographical or spatial location.

It answers:

''“Where is or did this exist or occur?”''

Places provide spatial context only and do not possess agency.

=== Examples ===
A Place may represent:

* a city
* a village
* a building
* a room
* a site or complex
* a region or landscape
* a country

=== What a Place is not ===
A Place is:

* not a person
* not an organisation
* not an Object
* not an actor with responsibility

=== Structural behavior ===
Places are '''recursive'''.

Each Place may:

* have zero or one parent Place
* have zero or more child Places

Example hierarchy:

Room → Building → Site → City → Region → Country

=== Geocoding ===
Places may have:

* latitude
* longitude

Coordinates describe the Place itself.

=== Relationships ===
A Place may:

* locate Organisations
* locate Objects
* provide creation or depiction context for Assets

=== Purpose ===
Places provide structured geographic information and prevent misuse of Organisations for spatial data.

= Digital Representation and Sources =

== Asset ==

=== Definition ===
An '''Asset''' represents the scholarly interpretation and extended metadata of '''exactly one File'''.

It answers:

''“How do we interpret and describe this specific digital file as a research source?”''

Assets are the human, scholarly layer that gives meaning to files.

=== Core principle ===
'''One Asset corresponds to exactly one File.'''

This rule is strict.

Each version of a source (TIFF, JPEG, AI‑processed, cropped detail) receives its own Asset.

=== Examples ===
An Asset may represent:

* a photograph
* a scanned document
* a cropped detail
* a newspaper article
* a portrait
* a letter or archival record
* an AI‑processed derivative

=== Relationship to Files ===
An Asset:

* always references exactly one File
* does not manage storage
* does not replace Drupal file handling

Files are storage.
Assets are interpretation.

=== Recursive behavior ===
Assets are '''recursive'''.

An Asset may:

* derive from another Asset
* have multiple derived children

This models:

* versioning
* derivative chains
* multi‑representation sequences
* cross‑media transformations

=== Relationships to research entities ===
An Asset may document one or more:

* Objects
* Persons
* Organisations

=== Spatial context ===
An Asset may optionally reference a Place to record:

* place of creation
* place depicted
* place of discovery

=== Publication and citation role ===
Assets may store:

* bibliographic citation text
* repository information
* permalinks
* rights information
* publication suitability
* AI‑processing status

=== What an Asset is not ===
An Asset is:

* not a file
* not a container of files
* not a historical object
* not merely technical metadata

=== Purpose ===
Assets separate meaning from storage and provide rich research metadata.

= Narrative Structure =

== Chapter ==

=== Definition ===
A '''Chapter''' represents a conceptual or narrative unit of interpretation.

It answers:

''“Where does this belong in the research story?”''

=== Characteristics ===
A Chapter:

* structures interpretation
* is not merely a date range
* may be thematic or chronological
* may overlap with other chapters

=== Structural behavior ===
Chapters are '''recursive'''.

A Chapter may contain subchapters.

=== Temporal span ===
Chapters may have:

* StartYear
* EndYear

These describe the narrative period, not the Object’s existence.

=== Relationships ===
A Chapter may include multiple Objects.
An Object may belong to multiple Chapters.

=== Purpose ===
Chapters organize interpretation rather than historical reality.

= Typing Entities =

== ObjectType ==
Defines the '''category of Object'''.

Examples:

* Building
* Room
* Document
* Artifact
* Collection
* Site

Purpose:

* supports classification
* improves filtering and navigation
* does not encode logic

== AssetType ==
Defines '''what kind of thing the Asset is'''.

Examples:

* Image
* Map
* Document
* Audio
* Video
* Drawing
* Blueprint
* Postcard

Purpose:

* clarifies the nature of the source
* supports UI grouping
* does not imply workflow

== AssetSourceType ==
Defines '''how the Asset was obtained'''.

Examples:

* Scan
* Photograph
* Archive reproduction
* AI‑processed derivative
* OCR transcription
* Screenshot
* Cropped detail

Purpose:

* documents provenance
* clarifies origin of the digital representation

== AssetRole ==
Defines the '''role of an Asset relative to an Object'''.

Examples:

* Depicts
* Documents
* Contains
* Shows detail of
* Preferred representation
* Technical reproduction

Purpose:

* clarifies the interpretive relationship
* supports multiple Assets per Object

== PersonRole ==
Defines the '''role of a Person relative to an Object'''.

Examples:

* Architect
* Director
* Owner
* Builder
* Patient
* Photographer
* Author

Purpose:

* expresses historical agency
* belongs to the relationship, not the Person

== OrganisationRole ==
Defines the '''role of an Organisation relative to an Object'''.

Examples:

* Managing body
* Owner
* Builder
* Operator
* Sponsor
* Religious congregation

Purpose:

* expresses institutional responsibility

== Keywords ==
Keywords provide flexible thematic tagging.

Examples:

* Architecture
* Healthcare
* Maritime
* Industrialisation
* Daily life

Purpose:

* supports discovery
* does not define structure

= Supporting Concepts =

== Holder ==
Represents the '''current custodian''' of an Object.

A holder may be:

* a Person
* an Organisation

Only one should be used per record.

== Treatment of Uncertainty ==
Uncertainty is expressed through:

* wording
* ranges
* notes
* citations

No structural certainty levels are implemented.

= Status =

This document defines the agreed conceptual meaning of all entities – Version 5.0.

All ER diagrams, DBML definitions, schemas, and implementations must conform to these definitions.

ICT:Dat Model entity definitions v-5 complete - Revision history

Mngr at 17:35, 19 March 2026