Organized meaning. The natural organization of
Information Types. How information reflects
and describes the world around us.
The engineers, architects, and project managers for Egypt's pyramids were subject to the same information types and meanings that we are today. They just named them and expressed them differently.
Information is about meaning. When planning information we get caught up in what we call it ... what we name information ... and how we express it. Meaning, however, is determined by information type, not by what it is named or by how it is expressed. The name only identifies what a particular information type applies to in a given situation. Expression is agreed upon convention for communicating different types of meaning. Information names vary widely. Information expression varies widely. Information types do not. Meanings do not.
No information system has ever required that we invent
new information types ... that we invent new meanings.
Page Contents |
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Where meaning comes from. Meaning layers and types that are the basis for all information. |
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Distinguishing information type from name from expression. |
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The layers within which meaning develops and builds from one layer to the next. |
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Identifiable meanings unique to each layer. |
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What "Nouns" and "Verbs" mean ... what they tell us about. How information reflects the world around us regardless of the situation. |
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Ten foundation "Noun" and "Verb" types which, when identified (and named) for a situation, organize meaning about the situation. |
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The natural organization of facts within a context. |
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What information means when we express it ... when we finally put it into data. |
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How we become informed. |
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Meaning develops in layers that determine:
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What information tells us about ... Meta-Context (Pre-contexts, Contexts, Sub-Contexts) ... how information falls into contextual layers. |
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What information tells us ... Facts ... what facts are and how they work. |
Though they are often subtle, complex, and beyond conventional reckoning, Meta-context and fact layers reveal that:
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There are remarkably few things information can actually tell us or tell us about. There are remarkably few meanings. |
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The rules for meaning apply to Typed Information, not Named Information. |
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Each meaning layer is comprised of specific information types unique to that layer. |
Typing vs. Naming Information
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Typed Information
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Named Information
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Typed information
identifies meanings.
Typed information is independent
of specific environments. It is the
same in all situations.
Information types are
fixed and finite. |
Named information
identifies situations.
Named information is specific
(though not necessarily unique)
to each situation / environment.
Information names are as varied
as situations are varied. |
Named information always takes its
meaning from typed information.
The fpllowing table shows the most familiar six of twelve Fact Types (Who, what, which, when, where, how much / how many). The bolded names identify Fact Type meanings ... what the facts tell us.
How Fact Types inform Named Information
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Fact Names |
Fact Expression ( ! ) |
Identity
(Identity-FT) |
Social Security Number |
123-45-6789 |
E-Ticket Number |
CHQTSV |
Name
(Name-FT) |
Name |
Jon Smith |
Name |
Router |
Quantity
(Quantity-FT) |
Price |
$23.98 |
Height |
5'10" |
Class
(Class-FT) |
Gender |
Female |
Color |
Orange |
Chronolog
(Chronolog-FT) |
Birth Date |
January 23, 2005 |
Employment Date |
1/23/2005 |
Location
(Location-FT) |
E-Mail |
joe@xyzzy.gov |
Phone |
206.555.1234 |
Address |
123 Oak Street
Reno, NV 89504
(Address-!, Location-FT-!)
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Meta-Context
That name-fact-type could mean a person, "Jon Smith," or a product, "Router," or a wide variety of other things is clarified by its meta-context. As with fact types, meanings within the meta-context do not change just because names change.
Expression
While there are a wide variety of forms for expressing facts with symbols (data), meaning is decided by fact type, not symbology.
Talking About Information About Information |
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Information Types and Names
In the table above the name-fact-type has an information-name of "Name," creating confusion (made potentially more confusing if the person's name were "John Name") . When ambiguity arises a suffix is added indicating that the reference is to an information type, not an information name.
Examples:
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Name-FT means Name-Fact-Type
Entity-PT means Entity-Pre-Context-Type |
(see Meaning Layers below for information type suffixes).
While the words used to identify meanings are chosen for their familiar connotations, it is important to note, for example, that "Entity-PT" as a meaning type does not mean exactly the same as "Entity" when applied to named information.
Occurrences / Expressions ( -! )
It is also important to be able to talk about the occurrence of something in the real world and therefore (the potential for) the occurrence or expression of information about it. The exclamation suffix ( -!) is used to indicate occurrence-expression. In the table above Address-! means the occurrence of an address and Location-FT-! means the occurrence of a Location-Fact-Type, which in this case refer to the same thing. Meaning rules apply because the address occurs, not because it is on Oak Street. |
Meaning possibilities are determined by the potentials inherent to each layer and by how the layers build on one another.
Information layers are to meaning as soil is to seed.
Information / Meaning Layers
What We Need to Know About
to Know About Something |
Meta-Context:
What Information
Tells Us About |
Pre-Contexts |
-1- |
-PT |
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Typed Information |
Contexts |
-2- |
-CT |
Named
Information |
Sub-Contexts |
-3- |
-ST |
| What Information Tells Us |
Facts |
-4- |
-FT |
| How We Get Information |
Originations |
-5- |
-OT |
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Each meaning layer consists of identifiable meaning types exclusive to that layer.
Each layer is a bill of materials or parts list ... a meaning sub-assembly ... for the higher layer.
Variations on how many of which meaning types are needed to describe a particular situation (and what they are named in that situation) is what makes systems unique. What the types are, however, and how they provide information within their respective layers is the same across all systems.
The names of Information / Meaning Types (bolded in the table content below) reflect meaning by identifying what each type tells us (about).
Information / Meaning Types
What We Need to Know About to Know About Something
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Meta-Context:
What Information
Tells Us About
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What
Information
Tells Us
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! |
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Pre-Context
Types |
Context
Types |
Sub-Context
Types |
Fact
Types |
Origination
Types |
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"Nouns"
Entity
("Things")
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Actor
Role
Ownself |
(Rows, Data
Sets)
Context-ID
Identification
Classification
X-Correlate
(Relational)
N-Correlate
(Hierarchical)
Summary
Comparison |
(Columns, Data
Elements)
Existence
Identity
Name
Class
Quantity
Chronolog
Location
Effectivity
Applicability
Comment
Depiction
Replication |
Exposure
(Input)
Selection
Expectation
(Default)
Inherit
(Import)
Auto-Measure
Sequence
Effectivity
Applicability
Formula
Summation
Balance
Difference |
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Tangible
Location
Construct |
"Verbs"
Correlate
(Predication)
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Intention
Action
Activity
Event
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Scenarios
(Business Processes)
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| -PT |
-CT |
-ST |
-FT |
-OT |
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Named Information |
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| Typed Information |
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Starred items (below) are meaning types which our information intuition addresses least effectively, mishandling or ignoring them altogether. |
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What "Nouns" and "Verbs" mean. What they are informationally, not grammatically. Pre-contexts are important information (knowledge) about information ... about organizing Context meaning. When planning information they are implicitly identified with the identification of contexts.
Entity-PT - Nouns, Things (More than and subtlety different from just people, places, and things)
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Subject-PT - Doers. Things that have the ability to do. |
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Object-PT - Things done to, for, with, etc. |
All subjects can be objects but not all objects can be subjects |
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Correlate-PT - Verbs, Predication, Verbs.
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["A correlate" (kawr-uh-lut) not "to correlate" (kawr-uh-leyt)]
The association of two or more things (occurrences within contexts) as a consequence of being or doing.
Informationally, the fact of association is the relevant issues, not the the act of association. |
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Intransitive-PT - Being
With Intransitives what causes association ... the doer ... is unknown, irrelevant, or difficult to resolve. The act of association is NOT identified. That actor John is in role customer is the issue, not what put him into the role.
Because they are not uniquely identified (or identifiable), intransitives do not establish contexts but are sub-contexts belonging equally to (overlapping) each correlated context. |
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Transitive-PT - Doing
The act of association is uniquely identified establishing a transitive context. Transitives are both identified and contain overlapping sub-contexts for each correlated context. |
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Context Types identify what needs to be discovered and identified (and also named) to know about a situation. While they manifest themselves uniquely and in different combination within different situations, context-types function identically in all environments.
Contexts may overlap each other.
A context is established when occurrences of whatever a context is about (a Person, a Sales Order ... singular, individual; each) are uniquely identified within the context (People, Sale-Orders ... plural, collective; all).
Subject-PTs
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Actor-CT - Those with the potential to do. People or groups of people (individuals, clubs, organizations, a married couple, etc.) |
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Role-CT - What actors are relative to (Own)Self. (e.g. customers, employees, stock holders, student, faculty, etc.). |
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Roles and actors are examples of context overlap. An actor can have more than one role and a role is filled by more than one actor. Informationally, it is important to distinguish that the actor is not the role and that the role is not the actor. |
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Ownself - The entity, business, or organization on whose behalf information is organized and managed. The principal actor in the principal role. |
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Object-PTs
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Tangible-CT - Physical things (e.g. buildings, vehicles, products, etc.) |
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Construct-CT - Organizational concepts (e.g. chart of accounts, organization charts, jurisdictions, etc.) |
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Location-CT - Where and how something can be found or contacted (mailing address, phone number, email address, aisle-row-bin, etc.) |
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Intransitive-PTs - Being
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Because they are not uniquely identified (or identifiable), intransitives do not establish contexts but are equal, overlapping sub-contexts parts to each correlated context. |
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Co-Existence - Hierarchies and relationships reflecting how occurrences of things within and across contexts associate. |
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Behaviors - Happenings in the absence of or without identification of a real subject. In the sentence, "The Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun," Earth is the grammatical subject but is not the doer ... the real subject. The informational imperatives are different when planning information about what people do as contrasted with how nature behaves. |
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Transitive-PTs - Doing
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Transitives are both identified (establishing a context) and contain equal overlapping sub-context parts to correlated contexts. |
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Intention-CT - Formal, communicated expectation (e.g. contracts, sales orders, etc. Note that contracts and sale orders are not things ... they are not the piece of paper on which they are written. The informational issue is the intent, not the form or media.). |
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Action-CT - Specific tasks (e.g. company ships product, customer pays for products, etc.) |
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Activity-CT - Summarized "doings" over time (e.g. time reporting for payroll or projects). |
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Event-CT - An information management action done by (on behalf of) Ownself as the subject-doer that creates information as distinct from just reporting information (e.g. paying employees, paying vendors). |
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Scenarios - Business processes, A Sequence of transitive doings. |
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Intent (a customer orders products from a company);
Action (the company delivers products to a customer);
Event (the company bills the customer for products),
Action (the customer pays the company for products). |
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The informational possibilities within a context. Sub-context rules and possibilities are equally applicable to all context-types, grouping and organizing facts for specific purposes/meanings.
EXPLICIT Sub-Context Types - EXPLICIT Information is determined when planning information. In descending sub-layers explicit sub-contexts reflect (organize facts about) the name and type of the context, how we classify occurrences of whatever the context is about, how we identify those occurrences, and how identified occurrences correlate with other identified occurrences across or within the same context.
Explicit Sub-Context Types
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Context-ID-ST - The name and type of a context establishing its existence and the potential for information about it. There is one Context-ID-ST per context with one occurrence of information. (Plural, Collective ... People, Customers, Sales-Orders) |
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Identification-ST - Information needed about each occurrence of what the context is about. There is one identification sub-context per context with multiple occurrences of information . (Singular, Individual ... People, Customer, Sales-Order) |
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Classfication-ST - Classification sub-contexts identify all the ways we classify or group identified occurrences (Gender, Ethnicity, State, Area Code, Zip Code, Color, etc.). There are potentially multiple Classififcation-STs with multiple occurrences of information.
Classifications are by:
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Case: (e.g. Gender) |
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Range-threshhold: (e.g. Tax Tables) |
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Duration-Recurrence: (e.g. Birthdays, Holidays, Shift Start-Stop) |
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Correlations |
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An association of two or more identified occurrences within or across contexts. The association is a true Co-relationship with neither being subordinate to the other. A correlation is always a place for information, not just a line on a page connecting two boxes. |
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X-Correlate-ST - (relational) -
Cross-Context- Correlate - An association of two or more Identification-ST occurrences within two or more different contexts.
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N-Correlate-ST - (hierarchical) - Within-Context Correlate - An association of two Identification-ST occurrences within the same context. |
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Correlations are where contexts overlap or self-overlap. Correlations belong equally to all correlated contexts. |
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IMPLICIT Sub-Context Types - IMPLICIT Information is derived as a natural consequence of properly organized explicit information and the ability to do math. Implicit information is dynamic and spontaneous. It is available (derivable) whether we plan for it or not. It is time dependent.
Implicit Sub-Context Types
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Summary-ST - Counting; algebraic summation of multiple occurrences of information for a period of time (February) at a point in time (March 15, or March 31, or April 10, or March 1 next year), Answers change based on the "for" period and "as of" times chosen. |
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Comparison-ST - The facts between the facts. The difference between two occurrences (John is seven years older, forty pounds heavier, and six inches taller than Jane), or the difference between what is and what was. The is/was comparison can be for an occurrence (how much more does Jon way today than he did six months ago) or for a summary (2700 fewer widgets were ordered in April than in May). |
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Implicit information is a sub-context because it exists separate from occurrences of information for an explicit sub-context, and because more than one fact potentially applies. The formula Average = Sum / Count includes three facts and the formula itself. The ratio of John's and Jane's weight or ages or the percent of Jon's weight gain, require multiple facts and formula for their expression. As with explicit sub-contexts, implicit sub-contexts identify where information actually exists, even though that information is dynamic, spontaneous, and transient. |
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Facts are the point at which, with one exception (existence), we cast meaning into data.
OBJECTIVE
- Meaning and information are subtlety distinct. We know the meaning before or without knowing the information.
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Existence-FT - If we have information about someone (their name, address, birth date, etc.) we intuitively assume they exist. However, there are times, especially as regards Correlates, where the only thing we know or need to know is that they exist, causing confusion as to how or whether to put information in data. |
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Identity-FT - Tells how something is unique, distinct from all others of its kind. |
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Name-FT - Tells how something is individual but not necessarily informationally unique. ("John Smith") |
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Class-FT - Tells which Classification-ST case, range, or recurrence applies to an Identification-ST-!. |
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Quantity-FT - Tells how much / how many of something apply. |
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Chronolog-FT - Tells when something will or did occur. |
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Location-FT - Tells where/how something can be found/contacted. |
| I-Chronolog - Information Chronology. When receiving information there are two facts that we intuitively attach to it: |
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Effectivity-FT - When something did/will happen and thus information about it became/becomes effective. |
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Applicability-FT - When we found out about something and can thus apply information about it. |
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We don't worry about forgetting a new friends January birthday if we didn't meet them until February. Nor are we concerned, if we met them in November, if we didn't find out their birthday is in January until April. What was true (what and when something was/will be effective) and what we knew (when we found out about it) is critical to properly managing information. |
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SUBJECTIVE
- Meaning is ascertained with or subsequent to obtaining information.(if then).
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Comment-FT - Collections of words that may or may not have meaning. Words can be objective but we don't know it until we get the words. |
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NON-LINGUISTIC
- Information presented in some form other than words.
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Depiction-FT - Images, photographs, diagrams, drawings. |
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Replication-FT - A reproduction ... music (recordings), cloning. |
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Information Origination Types |
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DETERMINANT - Information obtained through direct experience (observation, interrogation,or measurement) or that is defined by appropriate authority (a child's name given by their parents).
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Exposure-OT - (Input) - Direct experience of information. |
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Selection-OT - Choosing previously established information to classify or correlate an identification. |
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Expectation-OT - (Default) Predetermining a selection for classifying an identification. |
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Inherit-OT - (Import) - Information told by an indirect source rather than through direct determination. |
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Auto-Measure-OT - Automated measurement such as a scale. The most familiar auto-measurement is time maintained by a computer's clock. . |
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Sequence-OT - Ordinal occurrence. |
| I-CHRONOLOGY - Reflecting the effectivity and aplicability of information. |
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Effectivity-OT - When information became/becomes effective. |
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Applicability-OT - When we obtain information making it applicable. |
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DERIVABLE - Information obtained through the manipulation or calculation of other information.
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Formula-OT - An algebraic expression. Occurs within a sub-context occurrence. |
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Summation-OT - Counting / algebraic addition telling how many occurrences or the total of a quantity about occurrences for a period of time at a point in time. Occurs across sub-context occurrences. |
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Balance-OT - Algebraic addition telling the total of a quantity about occurrences for all time at a point in time. Occurs across sub-context occurrences. |
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Difference-OT - Mathematic comparison by subtraction. Occurs between sub-context occurrences and between what an occurrence reflects at one point in time as compared with another point in time. |
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