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Context Modeling Framework

What is Context in DUL?

DUL provides rich machinery for context-sensitive modeling—representing how facts and relations depend on:

  • Temporal context: When does this relation hold?
  • Conceptual context: Under what theory/frame is this interpreted?
  • Social context: Within what institution/agreement is this valid?

The primary mechanism is the Situation class and related patterns.

The Situation Pattern

Core Structure:

graph TB
    Situation -->|satisfies| Description
    Situation -->|isSettingFor| Entity

A Situation:

  • Includes multiple entities (via isSettingFor and subproperties)
  • Satisfies a Description (the conceptual frame)
  • Has a coherent identity as a contextualized view

Example: Coffee Preparation

Situation: "My coffee preparation this morning"

  • satisfies: Recipe Description (defines roles, tasks, ingredients)
  • includesAgent: Me (as baker role)
  • includesAction: Grinding action, brewing action
  • includesObject: Coffee beans, water, coffee maker
  • includesTime: This morning (8:00-8:15 AM)

The Situation unifies these entities into a coherent context, interpreted through the Recipe frame.

Descriptions: Conceptual Contexts

Description is the most important SocialObject subclass—it represents conceptualizations.

Types of Descriptions:

Plan

  • Describes actions to be executed
  • Defines roles (who), tasks (what), parameters (how)
  • Example: Project plan, recipe, travel itinerary
  • Specializations: Project, Workflow

Design

  • Describes structure and function
  • Provides rationale for entity construction
  • Example: Architectural design, software design, mechanism design

Diagnosis

  • Describes system state for control or explanation
  • Example: Medical diagnosis, fault diagnosis, situation assessment

Norm

  • Describes social rules and obligations
  • Example: Traffic law, ethical code, institutional policy

Contract

  • Describes agreements between parties
  • Defines roles (parties) and tasks (obligations)
  • Example: Employment contract, treaty, license

Goal

  • Describes desired situation
  • Typically associated with Plan for achievement
  • Example: Business objective, personal aspiration

Theory

  • Describes general conceptual framework
  • Example: Scientific theory, philosophical system

Narrative

  • Describes event sequences and their interpretation
  • Example: Historical account, story, case study

The defines Relation

Descriptions define Concepts:

graph TB
    Description -->|defines| Concept
    Concept -->|isDefinedIn| Description

Example:

  • Recipe (Description) defines "Ingredient" (Role), "Mixing" (Task)
  • Traffic Law (Norm) defines "Driver" (Role), "Vehicle" (Concept)

The satisfies Relation

Situations satisfy Descriptions:

graph TB
    Situation -->|satisfies| Description
    Description -->|isSatisfiedBy| Situation

Example:

  • My coffee preparation (Situation) satisfies the recipe (Plan)
  • Today's traffic (Situation) satisfies (or violates) traffic law (Norm)

Classification: Concept-Based Contexts

Classification is a special Situation subclass for time-indexed classification:

graph TB
    Classification -->|satisfies| Description
    Classification -->|isSettingFor| Entity
    Classification -->|isSettingFor| Concept
    Classification -->|isSettingFor| TimeInterval

Why Classification as Situation?

Direct relation Concept classifies Entity is atemporal and acontextual. But:

  • Classifications change over time: "John is a student (in 2020), then a teacher (in 2024)"
  • Classifications depend on context: "This object is furniture (in museum), but art (in gallery)"

Solution: Reify classification as a Situation:

  • Simple: Concept 'Student' classifies Entity 'John' (timeless)
  • Contextual: Classification Situation satisfying University Description, including John, 'Student' concept, and TimeInterval '2020-2024'

Parthood: Mereological Contexts

DUL provides time-indexed parthood through the Parthood Situation:

graph TB
    Parthood -->|includesWhole| Entity_whole
    Parthood -->|includesPart| Entity_part
    Parthood -->|includesTime| TimeInterval

Why Time-Indexed Parthood?

Parts change:

  • "My bike has a luggage rack (since March 29, 2021)"
  • "This ship had a mast (until the storm destroyed it)"

Direct hasPart relation is timeless. Parthood Situation adds temporal context.

Multiple Parthood Relations

DUL distinguishes several mereological relations:

hasPart / isPartOf

  • Reflexive + transitive (classical mereology)
  • "The body has a brain as part"
  • "2024 is part of the 21st century"

hasProperPart / isProperPartOf

  • Transitive + asymmetric (irreflexive)
  • Strict parthood (part ≠ whole)

hasComponent / isComponentOf

  • Asymmetric (not transitive)
  • For designed systems with structural roles
  • "The car has an engine as component"

hasConstituent / isConstituentOf

  • Cross-layer parthood
  • Links entities from different ontological strata
  • "The person has molecules as constituents"
  • "The social system has persons as constituents"

N-ary Relation Reification

Standard ontologies struggle with n-ary relations (more than 2 participants):

  • Traditional: "John gave Mary a book on Tuesday" — how to model?

DUL Solution: Use Situation as a reified relation:

graph LR
    Situation_Giving -->|satisfies| GivingDescription
    Situation_Giving -->|includesAgent| John_giver
    Situation_Giving -->|includesAgent| Mary_receiver
    Situation_Giving -->|includesObject| Book_transferred_object
    Situation_Giving -->|includesTime| Tuesday_when

All binary relations project from the Situation via isSettingFor (and subproperties like includesAgent).

Advantages:

  • Arbitrary arity (any number of participants)
  • Add context freely (time, place, conditions)
  • Attach qualifications (degree, modality, evidentiality)

Practical Context Modeling Examples

Example 1: Role-Based Context

Scenario: "John is a professor at MIT in 2024"

Model:

Classification₁ (Situation)
  --satisfies--> AcademicStructure (Description defining 'Professor' Role)
  --isSettingFor--> John (Person)
  --isSettingFor--> 'Professor' (Role)
  --isSettingFor--> MIT (Organization)
  --isSettingFor--> TimeInterval₂₀₂₄

This captures:

  • What role (Professor)
  • Who plays it (John)
  • In what institution (MIT)
  • When (2024)

Example 2: Evolving Design Context

Scenario: "An old cradle is refunctionalized as a flower pot"

Model:

OriginalSituation (satisfying Baby Furniture Design)
  --isSettingFor--> Cradle₁
  --includesTime--> HistoricalPeriod
  --satisfies--> BabyFurnitureDesign (Description)
    --defines--> 'Cradle' (Role)

RefunctionalizedSituation (satisfying Garden Decoration Design)
  --isSettingFor--> Cradle₁ (same object!)
  --includesTime--> CurrentPeriod
  --satisfies--> GardenDecorationDesign (Description)
    --defines--> 'FlowerPot' (Role)

The same physical object (Cradle₁) participates in different Situations satisfying different Designs.

Example 3: Multi-Perspective Event Analysis

Scenario: "An avalanche that may have been triggered intentionally"

Model:

Event: Avalanche₁

PhysicalSituation
  --isSettingFor--> Avalanche₁
  --satisfies--> PhysicsDescription (natural forces theory)

LegalSituation
  --isSettingFor--> Avalanche₁
  --isSettingFor--> SuspectPerson
  --satisfies--> CriminalLawDescription (intentional causation theory)

Same event, two interpretations, both valid in their respective descriptive contexts.

Situation vs. Context (Conceptual Clarification)

Situation (DUL) ≈ Context (informal usage), but more precise:

  • Context (informal): Vague notion of "relevant circumstances"
  • Situation (DUL): Formal reification with:
    • Identity (a first-order entity)
    • Structure (isSettingFor relations to included entities)
    • Interpretation (satisfies a Description providing meaning)

DUL's Situations enable context-aware reasoning:

  • What entities are co-present in a context? (Follow isSettingFor)
  • What concepts apply in this context? (Check Description that is satisfied)
  • What are the temporal bounds of this context? (Check includesTime)

Modeling Workflow

  1. Identify Core Entities

    • What are the main objects, agents, events in your domain?
    • Classify as PhysicalObject, SocialObject, Event, etc.

  2. Identify Conceptual Frames

    • What theories, standards, or schemas organize your domain?
    • Model as Descriptions (Plan, Norm, Design, Theory, etc.)

  3. Define Concepts

    • What roles, tasks, categories are defined by those frames?
    • Model as Concepts (Role, Task, EventType, Parameter)
    • Link via defines to Descriptions

  4. Model Contexts

    • What situations or contexts instantiate those frames?
    • Model as Situations (PlanExecution, Classification, etc.)
    • Link via satisfies to Descriptions
    • Include entities via isSettingFor and specializations

  5. Add Participation

    • How do objects participate in events?
    • Use hasParticipant and specializations

  6. Add Mereology

    • What part-whole relations exist?
    • Choose appropriate parthood property (hasPart, hasComponent, hasConstituent)

  7. Add Temporal/Spatial Info

    • When/where do events occur?
    • Use hasTimeInterval, hasLocation, hasRegion (for SpaceRegion)

  8. Add Information Layer (if applicable)

    • What information objects express domain concepts?
    • Model InformationObjects and their realizations
    • Use expresses, realizes

  9. Refine with Parameters and Qualities (if needed)

    • Add Quality-Region pattern for fine-grained attributes
    • Add Parameters to Concepts for constraints

  10. Validate Against Patterns

    • Check that Descriptions define Concepts
    • Check that Situations satisfy Descriptions
    • Check that Classifications include Concepts, Entities, and Times
    • Check that Properties have appropriate domains/ranges