Subject: Re: Data Element Standardization

From: [email-masked] (Kurt Christensen)
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 17:45:57 -0600

Response to paper by Ronald L. Schuldt and Barbara A. Barman

I recently came across a paper entitled "Implementing a National Data
Element Standardization and Registration Strategy".  In reading it I was at
once both supportive of and disturbed by it.  I got the feeling that your
description is application specific, but I can't quite put my finger on why
I feel that way.

I have made some comments on the prime words and class words you listed.  I
have left the prime words alone for the most part.  I have made several
alternate suggestions for class words.  I hope you find these comments
useful.  My contact information is provided below, in case you want me to
elaborate on my suggestions.

Regards,

Kurt Christensen
Member of the Technical Staff
MRJ, Inc.
10455 White Granite Drive
Oakton, VA 22124
(703) 218-0343
(703) 385-4637 (facsimile)
[email-masked]

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PRIME WORDS:
        Although I would like to recommend an alternate set of prime words,
I cannot.  Although somewhat contrary to my philosophical "gut feel", the
list provided seems to be most consistent with the legacy of common usage.

Asset        keep     as a non-human "Resource"
     Same as Human except is non-human.

Document     keep     as "Document"

Enterprise   keep     I would rather it be "Organization" as any succinctly
                      definable group of resources.  Dissagree with statement
                      that Enterprise is broader than Organization.  I see
                      an Organization comprised of multiple Enterprises.
                      It is just that Enterprise has become the accepted
                      term for this kind of specification.

Human        keep     as an human "Resource"
     Note: This refers to the Resource itself, not the data or information
     regarding this resource.  Same as Asset, except is human.

Law/Rule    should be a CLASS WORD - "Guidance".
     Includes physical or procedural restrictions or recommendations
     regarding a process.  Dissagree with assessment that Law/Rule is
     broader than Guidance.

Process      keep     as "Process"

Product      ????     Collides with a proposed CLASS WORD below.

Program      keep     as "Program"

Resource              any asset or human that is available to a process.

State                 a situation or event where certain criteria are
                      constrained.

CLASS WORDS:
        I'm having trouble with the Date/Time problem.  My problem would be
solved by making the distinction between absolute time and relative time.
The paper seems only to understand a relative time.  Thus the need for the
date for reference.  In terms of one representation, the distinction can be
understood as follows.
        Date = yyyymmdd
        time = hh:mm:ss.ssss
In absolute time this becomes:
        time - yyyymmddhh:mmss.ssss
where hh is specified according to a 24 hour clock.  With proper handling,
this format would sort properly both numerically, and alphabetically.

"Dimension" could refer to any type of value.  How about "Length" or
"Measure" instead?  Typically data will conform to some units standard like
mks for meter / kilogram / second, cgs for centimeter / gram / second, or
fss for foot / slug / second (allowing inconsistent imperial use of the
pound_mass corrected with fps for foot / pound / second).  In general we
make explicit a standard length, a standard mass and a standard time.
Associated temperatures are implicit with Kelvins or Rankines for absolute
temperatures and degrees C & degrees F for relative temperatures.  All
other scientific and engineering measures can be derived from these.  Keep
in mind that radians are unitless ratios (rate) implying arc_degrees,
gradians or whatever.

Amount        keep    wish I had a better word.
     Could be same as Value.  Could be a modifier.
     What would be the difference between "dollar AMOUNT" and "dolar VALUE"?

Angle         KILL    defined as units of (length / length) * unit_per
     Use as a modifier for Value.

Area          KILL    defined as units of (length * length)
     Use as a modifier for Value.

Behavior              specifies how to predict states of a process.
    Alternatively, this is a Specification of a process.

Category      keep    Code chosen from an enumerated space (Tuple)

Code          keep    same as Name

Content               specifies the data within a document.
     Could refer to text Data or a tuple refering to an ordered set of content.
     "DOCUMENT TEXT" becomes "DOCUMENT CONTENT".  As part of a query,
     "DOCUMENT text CONTENT" as opposed to "DOCUMENT picture CONTENT" returns
     different data.

Coordinate    KILL    should be "Tuple" defined as a list of values
     Use as a modifier for Tuple.
     (i.e., ASSET location 2D geographic coordinate TUPLE)
     Here 2D geographic coordinate implies that the TUPLE will be a
     longitude, latitute pair.

Data                  any data not otherwise specified

Date          keep    declaration of a particular 24 hour time period

Description           could be same as text Data
     Semantic metadata about the object in question.

Difference            Value derived by subtraction or implied as Relative

Dimension     KILL    should be "Measure" defined in units of (length)
     (Dimension is used to identify a value from a coordinate Tuple.)

Force        IGNORE   defined as units of ((mass * length) / (time * time)) or
                      for imperial units (force).
     Use as a modifier for Value.

Guidance              Includes physical or procedural restrictions or
                      recommendations within or without an Enterprise
                      regarding a Process.

Identifier    keep    same as Name except must be unique

Law                   Guidance describing restrictions that cannot or
                      must not be violated.

Mass          KILL    defined as either (mass) or
                      for imperial units  ((force * time * time) / length)
     Use as a modifier for Value.

Measure      IGNORE   defined as (length)
     Use as a modifier for Value.

Name          KILL    same as Identifier except not necessarily unique
     Use as a modifier for text Data. (as in "HUMAN name text DATA").

Pressure     IGNORE   defined as (mass / ( time * time * length)) or
                      for imperial units  (force / (length * length))
     If we are going to have Temperature, we might make an argument for
     Pressure, Albedo, Carbon_Dioxide_Density.
     Use as a modifier for Value.

Product               value derived from multiplication of quantities
     Collides with the prime word "Product".

Quantity      keep    Value in numerical space.
     Modifiers should include "discrete" and "continuous" (int vs float).

Rate          keep    same as Ratio
     Typically used as a time derivative.  Could also be used as "tax RATE"
     or "labor overhead RATE".

Ratio                 Value derived from division of quantities
     (Allows for specification of relative humidity & etc.)

Rule                  Guidance describing recommendations that will not
                      or should not be violated.
     Alternately, in knowledge based systems, rules may specify behavior.

Specification         Either a Guidance, or a Behavior.

Sum                   Value derived from addition of quantities.

Temperature   KILL    defined as units of (temperature)
     Should be a modifier for Value.  Additional modifiers should include
     "absolute" and "relative" (e.g., kelvins vs C).

Text          KILL    defined as free text.
     Use as a modifier for appropriate class words such as Data.
     Meaning that the data is represented as a character string.
     (e.g., "HUMAN title text VALUE").

Time          keep    defined as units of (time)
     Modifiers sould include "absolute" and "relative" as above.

Tuple                 an ordered set.
     Could refer to coordinates or content of a document for example.

Value                 any single Data value.
     Used for physical quantities, such as length, temperature,
     pressure, weight & etc.

Volume        KILL    defined as units of (length * length * length)
     Use as a modifier for Value.

Weight        KILL    defined as units of ((mass * length) / (time * time)) or
                      for imperial units (force).
     Use as a modifier for Value.