Roland:Top

Definition

An ‘Abstract entity’ is an ‘Entity’ that ‘is known by’, ‘is potentially known by’, or ‘is imagined by’ by some ‘Sentient agent’ and is not ‘contained by’ some ‘Space’

Examples

All the positive integers on the real line

The character Bradamante, in Italo Calvino’s novella “The Nonexistent Knight”

The set {“Women”, “Fire”, “Dangerous things”}

Definition

An ‘Action’ is a ‘Part’ and an ‘Activity’ that ‘is contained by’ some ‘Activity’

Examples

A single orbit of the moon around the Earth

A single rain shower

Definition

An ‘Activity’ is an ‘Entity’ that ‘realizes’ some ‘Abstract entity’ or some ‘Artifact’

Elucidation

‘Activity’ and ‘Event’ are not disjoint, and there is a significant degree of conceptual overlap. In practice, all instances of ‘Activity’ would also be (at least one, but possibly multiple) instances of ‘Event’. However, an ‘Activity’ may be spatiotemporally scattered, whereas an ‘Event’ is a at least temporally contiguous.

Examples

A congressional session

The creation of a hive by a bee colony

Definition

An ‘Agent’ is an ‘Entity’ that ‘participates in’ some ‘Activity’

Elucidation

Note that while in practice, ‘Agents’ may typically be thought of as being ‘Material entities’, they are not formalized as such in Roland:Top. The motivation behind this modelling decision is to not rule out discourse about non-material (but also, presumably, not abstract) ‘Agents’ (or “creators”).

Cf., for example, Thomas Aquinas: “Matter, furthermore, is not a principle of acting. That is why, according to Aristotle, the efficient cause and matter do not coincide [Physics II, 7]. But, as we have said, it belongs to God to be the first efficient cause of things. Therefore, He is not matter.”

Examples

A law firm representing a client

A pitcher playing in a baseball game

The fission trigger of a Teller-Ulam thermonuclear weapon

Definition

An ‘Aggregate’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘contains’ some ‘Abstract entity’; or an ‘Activity’ that contains some ‘Activity’; or an ‘Event’ that ‘temporally contains’ some ‘Event’; or a ‘Space’ that ‘contains’ some ‘Space’ and ‘is spatially bounded by’ only some ‘Spatial boundary’; or a ‘Material entity’ that ‘contains’, ‘has a connect to’, or ‘has a functional relationship with’ some ‘Material entity’

Examples

A snowbank

The set {1, “One”, 0001}

Comment

The conception of aggregation in Roland:Top is largely derived from the work of Morton E. Winston et al. in “A Taxonomy of Part-Whole Relations”

Definition

An ‘Area’ is a ‘Part’ and a ‘Space’ that ‘is spatially bounded by’ only some ‘Spatial boundary’ and ‘is connected to’ or ‘is contained by’ some ‘Space’

Examples

The Class B airspace above New York City

The downtown of Ho Chi Minh City

Definition

An ‘Artifact’ is a ‘Material entity’ that ‘is realized by’ some ‘Activity’

Examples

The fulgurites left behind by some lightning strikes

The statue of Shiva Nataraja in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago

The tracks left in the sand by a sidewinder rattlesnake

Definition

A ‘Boundary’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘has as a member’ some ‘Point’ or some ‘Line’, and that ‘bounds’ some ‘Area’ or ‘Event’

Elucidation

A ‘Boundary’ should not be confused with a material ‘Surface’.

Examples

The equator (as the boundary separating the northern and southern hemispheres)

The time 23:59:59 of any given day (as the last moment of that given day)

Definition

A ‘Collection’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘contains’ some ‘Abstract entity’; or is a ‘Material entity’ that ‘includes’ at least two ‘Material entities’, and does not ‘contain’ or ‘have connection with’ some ‘Material entity’

Elucidation

For “material collections”, there is no “overlap” between the ‘Collection’ and its ‘Members’ (i.e., the ‘Members’ are neither “contained” nor “connected”). Contrast this with the (potential) mereotopological “overlap” of an ‘Integral object’ with its ‘Components’, or with the set-theoretic “overlap” of a set with its subsets.

Examples

The Brooklyn Museum’s collection of Asian art

The class of all instances in the Web Ontology Language (i.e., “owl:Thing”)

Definition

A ‘Component’ is a ‘Part’ and a ‘Material entity’ that ‘plays a functional role for’ some ‘Material entity’

Example

A catalytic converter (as part of an automobile)

Definition

A ‘Context’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘influences’ some ‘Material entity’ or some ‘Abstract entity’

Examples

American patriotism

Modernist aesthetics

The ZFC axiomatic system for the creation of sets

Definition

A ‘Contextual quality’ is a ‘Quality’ that ‘is influenced by’ some ‘Context’ and ‘inheres contextually in’ some ‘Entity’

Examples

American

Expensive

Popular

Elucidation

‘Dimension’ is treated as a primitive class in Roland:Top. However, It may be considered as follows: “A dimension is a relationship between a quantity system, a quantity kind of that system, and one or more dimension vectors. There is one dimension vector for each of the system's base quantity kinds. The vector's magnitude determines the exponent of the base dimension for the referenced quantity kind."

Examples

Height

Time

Definition

An ‘Entity’ ‘is contained by’ some ‘Space’; or ‘is known by’, ‘is potentially known by’, or ‘is imagined by’ some ‘Sentient agent’

Examples

The flapping of a Monarch butterfly’s wings

The laccolith in Devil’s Tower National Park, Wyoming

The square root of -1

Definition

An ‘Event’ is an ‘Entity’ that ‘is temporally bounded by’ some ‘Temporal boundary’

Examples

4 AM Friday

October 8 – 11, 1969

Definition

A ‘Frame of reference’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘has as a member’ some ‘Boundary’, and ‘includes’ at least two ‘Boundaries’, and ‘has as a referent’ some ‘Event’ or ‘Space’

Examples

The International Celestial Reference Frame

Your field of view, at this given moment

Elucidation

States of matter are left primitive in Roland:Top. However, ‘Gaseous’ may be considered as follows: a state of matter characterized by “the vast separation of the individual gas particles.... The interaction of gas particles in the presence of electric and gravitational fields are considered negligible...”

Example

The nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere

Definition

An ‘Instant’ is an ‘Event’ and ‘is temporally during’ some ‘Event’

Examples

Exactly now

The moment represented by the Unix epoch 285486420

Definition

An ‘Integral object’ is an ‘Aggregate’ and a ‘Material entity’ that ‘has a functional relationship with’ some ‘Material entity’

Examples

A Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 jet engine

A tuxedo

Definition

An ‘Interval’ is an ‘Aggregate’ and an ‘Event’ that ‘temporally contains’ some ‘Instant’ and ‘includes’ at least two ‘Instants’

Definition

A ‘Line’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘has as a member’ some ‘Point’ and ‘includes’ at least two ‘Points’

Examples

The Prime Meridian

The line defined by all real numbers between the integers 1 and 2

Elucidations

States of matter are left primitive in Roland:Top. However, ‘Liquid’ may be considered as follows: a state of matter “with a definite volume but no fixed shape.... Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container.”

The water contained by the Mediterranean Sea

Definition

A ‘Location’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘has as a referent’ some ‘Area’ and ‘is bounded by’ some ‘Boundary’

Elucidation

A ‘Location’ is simply an abstract way of referring to some ‘Space’.

Examples

The (former) city of Troy

The French Quarter of New Orleans

Definition

A ‘Mass’ is an ‘Aggregate’ and a ‘Material entity’ that ‘contains’ or ‘has a connection’ with some ‘Material entity’ and ‘is materially consistent with’ some ‘Material entity’; or is a ‘Material entity’ that ‘has derivation’ some ‘Material entity’ and ‘is materially consistent with’ some ‘Material entity’

Elucidation

Note that a ‘Mass’ may be spatially scattered, as long as there is some principle of “derivation” that provides overall unity to it.

Examples

A blueberry pie (including pieces that have been removed)

A sand dune in the Taklamakan Desert

Definition

A ‘Material entity’ is an ‘Entity’ that ‘has as a material quality’ some ‘Material quality’ and ‘is contained by’ some ‘Space’

Examples

The Karakoram mountain Chhogori

The Venusian atmosphere

Definition

A ‘Material quality’ is a ‘Quality’ that ‘is materially dependent on’ some ‘Material entity’ or ‘Activity’ and ‘inheres materially in’ some ‘Material entity’ or ‘Activity’

Elucidation

Note that ‘Material qualities’ may be relative. For example, the colloquial expression “moving at 55 miles per hour” means “moving at 55 miles per hour relative to some given frame of reference”.

Examples

Moving at 55 miles per hour

Weighing 10 pounds

Definition

A ‘Measurement’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘quantifies’ some ‘Entity’

Examples

299,792,458 meters per second

301 meters

Definition

A ‘Member’ is a ‘Part’ and an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘is contained by’ some ‘Abstract entity’; or is a ‘Part’ and a ‘Material entity’ that ‘is included in’ some ‘Material entity’

Examples

“The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, as part of Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”

The Bell-47D1 Helicopter that is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s Architecture and Design collection

Definition

A ‘Part’ is an ‘Entity’ that is either: a ‘Material entity’ and ‘is connected to’, ‘is contained by’, or ‘plays a functional role for’ some ‘Material entity’; or is a ‘Space’ that ‘is connected to’ or ‘is contained by’ some ‘Space’, and ‘is spatially bounded’ only by some ‘Spatial boundary’; or is an ‘Event’ that is ‘temporally during’ some ‘Event’; or is an ‘Activity’ that ‘is contained by’ some ‘Activity’; or is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘is contained by’ some ‘Abstract entity’

Elucidations

The closure axiom (fragment) ‘is spatially bound by some/only Spatial boundary’ is necessary to prevent ‘Space’ from classifying as a ‘Part’. While instances of the class ‘Space’ may be ‘Parts’ (i.e., ‘Areas’), ‘Space’ also needs to considered as a totality.

This definition attempts to account for several “high level” types of parthood:

1. Material: the part is either ‘connected to’, ‘contained by’, or ‘plays a functional role for’ some ‘Material entity’. Note that ‘has a functional relationship with’ accounts for spatially-scattered parts (such as the bikini top of a swimsuit or the jacket of a tuxedo).

2. Spatial: the part is either ‘connected to’ or ‘contained by’ some ‘Space’.

3. Temporal: the part is is either ‘temporally during’ some ‘Event’ or ‘is contained by’ some ‘Activity’.

4. Abstract: the part ‘is contained by’ some ‘Abstract entity’ (such as a subset of a set of integers).

Examples

The Orbiter Vehicle component of the NASA Space Shuttle

The leg of a chair

The opening line of Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”

Comment

The conception of parthood in Roland:Top is largely derived from the work of Morton E. Winston et al. in “A Taxonomy of Part-Whole Relations”.

Definition

A ‘Place’ is an “Aggregate’ and a ‘Space’ that ‘contains’ some ‘Area’ or ‘has as a connection’ some ‘Area’

Examples

The approximate center of the Milky Way galaxy

The town of Bristol, Vermont

Definition

A ‘Point’ is an ‘Abstract entity’ that ‘has as a referent’ some ‘Space’ and ‘has as a dimension’ exactly zero ‘Dimensions’; or ‘has as a referent’ exactly one ‘Member’ that ‘is a member of’ some ‘Collection’

Elucidation

A ‘Point’ in Roland:Top can be either a “point in space”, or else can be a point in some abstraction (such as a point in a geometrical plane, or a number on a number line).

Examples

The exact center of the solar system

The number 3.14159265359 on a number line

Definition

A ‘Portion’ is a ‘Part’ and a ‘Material entity’ that ‘is connected to’ or ‘is contained by’ some ‘Material entity’, ‘is materially consistent with’ some ‘Material entity’, ‘is materially dependent on’ or ‘is derived from’ some ‘Material entity’, and either ‘is materially consistent with’ itself or is not ‘materially consistent’ with itself

Elucidation

A ‘Portion’ ‘is materially consistent’ with the ‘Material entity’ upon which it is dependent (or from which it derives). However, it may not be ‘materially consistent’ with itself. For example, a slice of pie ‘is materially consistent’ with the pie from which it was cut. Taken as an entity in its own right, however, the slice is not materially consistent with itself — some of it is crust, and some of it is filling.

Examples

A slice of an American Hot Pizza

Half the water in any given glass of water

Definition

A ‘Process’ is an ‘Aggregate’ and an ‘Activity’ that ‘contains’ some ‘Action’

Examples

The Earth’s hydrologic cycle

The ongoing orbiting of the moon around the Earth

Definition

A ‘Quality’ is an ‘Entity’ that ‘inheres in’ some ‘Entity’

Examples

Back and to the left

Red

Wise

Elucidation

States of matter are left primitive in Roland:Top. However, ‘Semi-solid’ may be considered as follows: “something that lies along the boundary between a solid and a liquid. While similar to a solid in some respects, in that [semi-solids] can support their own weight and hold their shapes, a [semi-solid] also shares some properties of liquids, such as conforming in shape to something applying pressure to it and the ability to flow under pressure.”

Example

Melting wax

Definition

A ‘Sentient agent’ is an ‘Agent’ that ‘knows’ itself

Elucidation

“Self-knowledge” is obviously open to interpretation. In Roland:Top, we are inclined to define “self-knowledge” broadly enough to be inclusive of “knowledge of states of self” (for example, pain or hunger). This would include most animals as ‘Sentient agents’, although clearly there are degrees of sentience.

Example

A (typical) human being

Elucidation

States of matter are left primitive in Roland:Top. However, ‘Solid’ may be considered as follows: a state of matter “characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume.”

Example

The marble used in Trajan’s column

Definition

A ‘Space’ is an ‘Entity’ that ‘contains’ or does not ‘contain’ some ‘Material entity’, ‘is bounded by’ or is not ‘bounded by’ some ‘Spatial boundary’, and ‘has as a dimension’ at least one ‘Dimension’

Examples

The empty area (partially) contained by a cat’s left ear

The expanse of the known universe

Definition

A ‘Spatial boundary’ is ‘Boundary’ that ‘bounds’ some ‘Area’

Examples

The 49th parallel north (as a boundary between Canada and the United States)

The middle of the Arthur Kill (as a boundary between New York and New Jersey)

Definition

A ‘Substance’ is a ‘Part’ and a ‘Material entity’ that ‘is connected to’ or ‘is contained by’ some ‘Material entity’, and ‘is materially consistent with’ itself

Elucidation

In contrast to ‘Portions’, ‘Substances’ must always be ‘materially consistent’ with themselves.

Examples

The Carrara marble in Michelangelo’s sculpture “The Pietà”

The whiskey in a Manhattan cocktail

Definition

A ‘Surface’ is a ‘Part’ and a ‘Material entity’ that ‘is materially dependent on’ and ‘is connected to’ some ‘Material entity’, and either: ‘has as a material quality’ some ‘Solid’ state, and ‘is adjacent to’ some ‘Space’ that does not ‘contain’ a ‘Material entity’ that ‘has as a material quality’ some ‘Solid’ state; or else ‘has as a material quality’ some ‘Liquid’ and ‘is adjacent to’ some ‘Space’ that does not ‘contain’ a ‘Material entity’, or ‘is adjacent to’ some ‘Space’ that ‘contains’ some ‘Material entity’ that ‘has material quality’ some ‘Solid’, ‘Semi-solid’, or ‘Gaseous’ state

Elucidations

It is assumed that even when two solid ‘Surfaces’ are “touching”, there is some (possibly infinitesimal) empty ‘Space’ between them. This is in contrast with a “join”, wherein two solid ‘Surfaces’ become materially fused (and, thus, cease to be ‘Surfaces’).

Refer also to Patrick Hayes’ characterization of surfaces in his “Naive Physics I: Ontology for Liquids”.

For something to be a ‘Surface’, three conditions must be met:

1. It must be ‘connected to’ some ‘Material entity’.

2. It must be ‘materially dependent on’ some ‘Material entity’. Presumably, this will be the same ‘Material entity it ‘is connected to’, although this is not formalized. Further, note that there is no such thing as a “pure surface” — a ‘Surface’ always depends upon another ‘Material entity’ for its existence.

3a. If the ‘Surface’ is ‘Solid’, it must be ‘adjacent to’ a ‘Space’ that does not contain a ‘Material entity’ that is a ‘Solid’;

3b. If the ‘Surface’ is a ‘Liquid’, it must be adjacent to a ‘Space’ that either: does not ‘contain’ any ‘Material entity’ (“empty space”), or else ‘contains’ a ‘Material entity’ that is ‘Solid’, ‘Semi-solid’, or ‘Gaseous’.

Examples

The face of the John Hancock Tower oriented toward the Charles River

The top of Lake Neuchâtel

Definition

A ‘Temporal boundary’ is a ‘Boundary’ that ‘bounds’ some ‘Event’

Examples

December 31, 2000 (as the end of the second millennium)

The deposition of the Emperor Romulus Augustulus (as the end of the temporal extent of the Western Roman Empire)

Definition

A ‘Tool’ is an ‘Artifact’ that ‘is used for’ some ‘Activity’

Examples

A hammer

A paintbrush

The Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression algorithm

Definition

‘bounds’ is a relationship of abstract demarcation that holds between some ‘Boundary’ and some ‘Event’, ‘Location’, or ‘Space’

Examples

The Mason-Dixon Line ‘bounds’ the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland

The Neoproterozoic Era ‘bounds’ the Precambrian Eon

Definition

‘concretizes’ is a relationship of material instantiation that holds between some ‘Material entity’ and some ‘Abstract entity’

Examples

The first Samuel Weiser paperback edition of “The Book of Lies” ‘concretizes’ Aleister Crowley’s text “The Book of Lies”

A marking of the numeral “1” ‘concretizes’ the integer 1

Definition

‘constrains’ is a relationship of required restriction that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

Gravity ‘constrains’ the amount of force needed to launch a rocket into orbit around the Earth

The rules of the game of basketball ‘constrain’ the plays admissible in any given game of basketball

Definition

‘contains’ is a relationship of inclusion that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Elucidation

‘contains’ is intended primarily for use with abstract, material, or spatial entities. Inclusion relationships for temporal entities are best dealt with using ‘temporally contains’ or (its inverse) ‘is temporally during’.

Examples

The Frank O’Hara poem “Having a Coke with You” ‘contains’ the line “it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience”

The heliosphere ‘contains’ the Earth

Definition

‘has action’ is a relationship of mereological possession that holds between some ‘Activity’ and some ‘Action’

Example

The (typical) celebration of American independence ‘has as an action’ the lighting of fireworks

Definition

‘has adjacency’ is a relationship of posessing a proximity that holds between some ‘Space’ or ‘Material entity’ and some ‘Space’ or ‘Material entity’

Examples

The Gulf of Mexico ‘has as an adjacency’ the Caribbean Sea

The space bar on a QWERTY keyboard ‘has as an adjacency’ the “M” key

Definition

‘has agent’ is a relationship of possessing an active influencer that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Agent’

Examples

The LGM-30A Minuteman-I intercontinental ballistic missile ‘has as an agent’ an Autonetics D-17 guidance computer

The art exhibition “Primary Structures” ‘has as an agent’ Kynaston McShine

Definition

‘has area’ is a relationship of mereological possession that holds between some ‘Place’ and some ‘Area’

Example

The city of Tokyo ‘has as an area’ the neighborhood of Shimokitazawa

Definition

‘has capability’ is a relationship of posessing an ability to realize that holds between some ‘Agent’ and some ‘Activity’ or ‘Action’

Examples

Michael Jordan (as a basketball player) ‘has the capability’ of scoring a career average of 30.1 points per game

The USNS Hughes Glomar Explorer ‘has the capability’ of lifting a portion of a submarine from water 1,560 miles deep

Definition

‘has component’ is a relationship of mereological possession that holds between some ‘Integral object’ and some ‘Component’

Example

A Bolex Auto Cine A camera ‘has as a component’ a 25mm Anastigmat f/3.5 lens

Definition

‘has connection’ is a relationship of possessing a mutual inclusion that holds between some ‘Material entity’ or ‘Space’ and some ‘Material entity’ or ‘Space’

Elucidation

Underlying the notion of connection is the idea that connected entities mutually include some (possibly infinitesimal) area of overlap.

Often, this area of overlap will be that corresponding with a ‘Boundary’ created by a ‘Sentient agent’ (as in, for example, when we say that “Iraq is connected to Iran”).

Examples

The Atlantic Ocean ‘has as a connection’ the Panama Canal

The area directly above Moline, Illinois ‘has as a connection’ (part of) the area directly above the Mississippi River

Definition

‘has contextual quality’ is a relationship of possessing an abstract dependent attribute that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Contextual quality’

Example

Chiang Kai-shek ‘has as a contextual quality’ Chinese nationality

Definition

‘has derivation’ is a relationship of possessing a direct or indirect development that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

The Herb Alpert song “Rise” ‘has derivation’ the The Notorious B.I.G. song “Hypnotize”

The Unix operating system ‘has derivation’ the Berkeley Software Distribution system

Definition

‘has dimension’ is a relationship of spatiotemporal extension that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Dimension’

Examples

The Kola Superdeep Borehole ‘has as a dimension’ depth

The Mètre des Archives ‘has as a dimension’ length

Definition

‘has functional relationship with’ is a relationship of posessing a role-based coherence that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Elucidation

The use of the word “functional” in this property’s (English) label should not be confused with the use of the same word in the OWL 2 syntax.

Examples

A stove ‘has a functional relationship with’ a kitchen

Alex Rodriguez (as a shortstop) ‘has a functional relationship with’ the New York Yankees (as a baseball team)

Definition

‘has generically related entity’ is a relationship of possessing an unqualified association that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

Sigmund Freud ‘has as a generically related entity’ Ed Bernays

The Staten Island Ferry ‘has as a generically related entity’ the St. George Terminal

Definition

‘has material dependent’ is a relationship of providing existential reliance that holds between some ‘Material entity’ and some ‘Mass’, ‘Material quality’, ‘Portion’, or ‘Surface’

Example

A shot of bourbon ‘has as a material dependent’ the flavor of that bourbon

Definition

‘has material quality’ is a relationship of possessing an material dependent attribute that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Material quality’

Example

The sample of moon rock returned by the Apollo 11 mission ‘has as a material quality’ the weight 22 kilograms

Definition

‘has measurement’ is a relationship of possessing a quantification that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Measurement’

Example

The Burj Khalifa ‘has as a measurement’ 829.8 meters tall

Definition

‘has member’ is a relationship of mereological possession that holds between some ‘Collection’ and some ‘Member’

Example

The works of Aristotle (taken as a collection) ‘have as a member’ the “Categoriae”

Definition

‘has part’ is a relationship of mereological possession that holds between some ‘Aggregate’ and some ‘Part’

Elucidation

Note that any entity may be described in terms of consisting of a ‘Part’ that is coextensive or coterminous with itself. Any such description expresses a relationship of “non-proper parthood”.

Examples

A (typical) human arm ‘has as a part’ some forearm

The television series “Lost” ‘has as a part’ the episode “Some Like It Hoth”

Comment

The conception of parthood in Roland:Top is largely derived from the work of Morton E. Winston et al. in “A Taxonomy of Part-Whole Relations”.

Definition

‘has participant’ is a relationship of possessing an active agency that holds between some ‘Activity’, ‘Agent’, or ‘Event’ and some ‘Agent’

Elucidation

“Participation” should be understood as “playing an active role within”, rather than simple presence. The fuse of a stick of dynamite ‘participates in’ that dynamite’s detonation; the paper the dynamite is wrapped in does not.

Example

Leonard Bernstein’s performance “The Concert For Peace” ‘has as a participant’ The Norman Scribner Choir

Definition

‘has portion’ is a relationship of mereological possession that holds between some ‘Mass’ and some ‘Portion’

Example

A sand dune ‘has as a portion’ the lower half of that dune

Definition

‘has proper action’ is a relationship of proper mereological possession that holds between some ‘Activity’ and some ‘Action’

Example

The vocalization of the English word “value” ‘has as a proper action’ the articulation of the voiced labiodental fricative “v”

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘has proper part’.

Definition

‘has proper area’ is a relationship of proper mereological possession that holds between some ‘Place’ and some ‘Area’

Example

The Printer’s Row neighborhood of the city of Chicago ‘has as a proper area’ the intersection of West Harrison Street and South Plymouth Court

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘has proper part’.

Definition

‘has proper component’ is a relationship of proper mereological possession that holds between some ‘Integral object’ and some ‘Component’

Example

A John Deere 643K Wheeled Feller Buncher ‘has as a proper component’ an 18-tooth saw

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘has proper part’.

Definition

‘has proper member’ is a relationship of proper mereological possession that holds between some ‘Collection’ and some ‘Member’

Example

Grant Morrison’s “Doom Patrol” stories ‘have as a proper member’ the story “Planet Love”

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘has proper part’.

Definition

‘has proper part’ is a relationship of proper mereological possession that holds between some ‘Aggregate’ and some ‘Part’

Elucidations

The computation contraints of Description Logic preclude properties from being both transitive and irreflexive. Therefore, “proper parthood” relations are not transitive. The inferential outcome of this is that relational chains of proper parthood will only exist when explicitly declared. However, because “proper parthood” relations are sub-properties of generic “parthood” relations (which are transitive), non-proper parthood will be inferred in a transitive manner.

While not formalized here, it is assumed that the object of a ‘has proper part’ relation is a mereological sum that is smaller than (“is less than”) the mereological sum of the subject.

Examples

A (typical) primate hand ‘has as a proper part’ some finger

The Beatles recording “Abbey Road” ‘has as a proper part’ the recording of the song “Mean Mister Mustard”

Definition

‘has proper portion’ is a relationship of proper mereological possession that holds between some ‘Mass’ and some ‘Portion’

Example

A loaf of bread ‘has as a proper portion’ the heel of that loaf

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘has proper part’.

Definition

‘has proper substance’ is a relationship of proper mereological possession that holds between some ‘Aggregate’ and some ‘Substance’

Example

A steel beam ‘has as a proper substance’ carbon

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘has proper part’.

Definition

‘has quality’ is a relationship of possessing a dependent attribute that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Quality’

Examples

A Cortland apple ‘has as a quality’ the color red

A ball of cotton ‘has as a quality’ inflammability

The planet Earth ‘has as a quality’ the escape velocity of 11.2 kilometers per second

Definition

‘has referent’ is a relationship of posessing a description or mention that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

The “T and O Map” of Beatus of Liébana ‘has as a referent’ the planet Earth

The 1973 documentary film “Wattstax” ‘has as a referent’ the 1972 Wattstax music festival in Los Angeles, California

Definition

‘has related event’ is a relationship of possessing a temporally-qualified association that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The exhibition “James Turrell” at the The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum ‘has as a related event’ the press preview on June 20, 2013

Definition

‘has substance’ is a relationship of mereological possession that holds between some ‘Aggregate’ and some ‘Substance’

Example

An oak table ‘has as a substance’ wood

Definition

‘imagines’ is a relationship of unqualified conceptualization that holds between some ‘Sentient agent’ and some ‘Entity’

Elucidations

‘imagines’ has been included as a property in order to sidestep epistemological questions of “justified true belief.”

That is: there may exist semantically valid and conceptually coherent assertions that cannot be “known” in the sense of “known to be true.” Such assertions may be said to be “imagined” rather than “known”.

For example: a ‘Sentient agent’ may ‘imagine’ something which is physically impossible (such as a “talking rock”), existentially unlikely (such as a “Martian civilization”), factually incorrect (such as “John F. Kennedy was born in the year 1900”), or simply fictional (such as “Macduff killed Macbeth”).

The recommended use for ‘imagines’ is in situations involving fictional concepts, speculations, or assertions which have not been proven to be demonstrably true via evidentiary references.

In situations involving assertations which have been proven to be true, it is recommended to use ‘knows’ instead.

Examples

Ernest Hemingway ‘imagines’ the situation of fishing for marlin in the Atlantic Ocean

Vannevar Bush ‘imagines’ the possibility of networked knowledge bases

Definition

‘includes’ is a relationship of unqualified aggregation that holds between some ‘Aggregate’ and some ‘Part’

Elucidation

‘includes’ has a similar semantic intensionality as ‘has part’. However, ‘includes’ is not transitive, and is provided for situations where a certain quantitative specification or threshold of ‘Parts’ needs to be provided. This is a work-around for the computional limits of Description Logic, which preclude transitive properties from being used to make statements about cardinality.

Examples

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection ‘includes’ the Field Armor of King Henry VIII of England

The set {1,1,2,3,5} ‘includes’ exactly two instances of the integer 1

Definition

‘influences’ is a relationship of unrequired restriction or opportunity that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

The presence of alkylating agents ‘influences’ the occurence of DNA breakages

United States tax policy ‘influences’ the use of personal income by a US resident

Definition

‘inheres contextually in’ is a relationship of abstract dependent instantiation that holds between some ‘Contextual quality’ and some ‘Entity’

Example

American patriotism ‘inheres contextually in’ Nathan Hale

Definition

‘inheres in’ is a relationship of dependent instantiation that holds between some ‘Quality’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

The color Tyrian purple ‘inheres in’ the secretions of the spiny dye-murex snail

Wisdom ‘inheres in’ Socrates

Definition

‘inheres materially in’ is a relationship of material dependent instantiation that holds between some ‘Material quality’ and some ‘Entity’

Example

The frequency 2600 hertz ‘inheres materially in’ the AT&T trunk line availability signal

Definition

‘is achievable by’ is a relationship of potential realization that holds between some ‘Activity’ or ‘Action’ and some ‘Agent’

Example

The running of a mile in 3 minutes, 43.13 seconds ‘is achievable by’ Hicham El Guerrouj

Definition

‘is action of’ is a relationship of mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Action’ and some ‘Activity’

Example

Turning a key ‘is an action of’ starting a car

Definition

‘is adjacent to’ is a relationship of proximity that holds between some ‘Space’ or ‘Material entity’ and some ‘Space’ or ‘Material entity’

Examples

Kyrgyzstan ‘is adjacent to’ Uzbekistan

Baffin Island 'is adjacent to' Quebec

Definition

‘is agent of’ is a relationship of active influence that holds between some ‘Agent’ and some ‘Entity’

Example

John Koskinen ‘is an agent of’ the United States Internal Revenue Service

Definition

‘is area within’ is a relationship of mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Area’ and some ‘Place’

Example

The neighborhood of Bed-Stuy ‘is an area within’ the borough of Brooklyn, NY

Definition

‘is bounded by’ is a relationship of possessing an abstract demarcation that holds between some ‘Event’, ‘Location’, or ‘Space’ and some ‘Boundary’

Examples

The Jewish Year ‘is bounded by’ the celebration of Rosh Hashanah

The state of Oklahoma ‘is bounded by’ the 103rd Meridian

Definition

‘is component of’ is a relationship of mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Component’ and some ‘Integral object’

Example

An incline plane ‘is a component of’ an Archimedean screw

Definition

‘is concretized by’ is a relationship of posessing a material instantiation that holds between some ‘Abstract entity’ and some ‘Material entity’

Examples

A marriage between two people ‘is concretized by’ the signing and filing of a marriage certificate

The Old English epic poem Beowulf ‘is concretized by’ Seamus Heaney’s 1999 translation

Definition

‘is connected to’ is a relationship of mutual inclusion that holds between some ‘Material entity’ or ‘Space’ and some ‘Material entity’ or ‘Space’

Elucidation

Underlying the notion of connection is the idea that connected entities mutually include some (possibly infinitesimal) area of overlap.

Often, this area of overlap will be that corresponding with a ‘Boundary’ created by a ‘Sentient agent’ (as in, for example, when we say that “Iraq is connected to Iran”).

Examples

The Pacific Ocean ‘is connected to’ the Panama Canal

The country of Chile ‘is connected to’ the country of Argentina

Definition

‘constrains’ is a relationship of posessing a required restriction that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

The (legal) terms of a sale in the United States ‘are constrained by’ the Uniform Commercial Code

The persistence of water in its liquid state ‘is constrained by’ its temperature

Definition

‘is contained by’ is a relationship of posessing an inclusion that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Elucidation

‘contains’ is intended primarily for use with abstract, material, or spatial entities. Inclusion relationships for temporal entities are best dealt with using ‘temporally contains’ or (its inverse) ‘is temporally during’.

Examples

A one-eyed jack ‘is contained by’ a (typical) deck of playing cards

The planet Saturn ‘is contained by’ the Solar System

Definition

‘is derived from’ is a relationship of direct or indirect development that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

Bill Viola’s video installation “Going Forth By Day” ‘is derived from’ Giotto di Bondone’s frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel

The Led Zeppelin song “Whole Lotta Love” ‘is derived from’ the Willie Dixon song “You Need Love”

Definition

‘is generically related entity of’ is a relationship of unqualified association that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

Charles Philip Arthur George ‘is generically related entity of’ Elizabeth Alexandra Mary

The New York City subway the IRT Lexington Avenue Line ‘is generically related entity of’ the Interborough Rapid Transit Company

Definition

‘is imagined by’ is a relationship of possessing an unqualified conceptualization that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Sentient agent’

Elucidations

‘is imagined by’ has been included as a property in order to sidestep epistemological questions of “justified true belief.”

That is: there may exist semantically valid and conceptually coherent assertions that cannot be “known” in the sense of “known to be true.” Such assertions may be said to be “imagined” rather than “known”.

For example: a ‘Sentient agent’ may ‘imagine’ something which is physically impossible (such as a “talking rock”), existentially unlikely (such as a “Martian civilization”), factually incorrect (such as “John F. Kennedy was born in the year 1900”), or simply fictional (such as “Macduff killed Macbeth”).

The recommended use for ‘is imagined by’ is in situations involving fictional concepts, speculations, or assertions which have not been proven to be demonstrably true via evidentiary references.

In situations involving assertations which have been proven to be true, it is recommended to use ‘is known by’ instead.

Examples

Space flight ‘is imagined by’ Hermann Oberth

The Northwest Passage ‘is imagined by’ Giovanni Caboto

Definition

‘in temporal relationship with’ is a relationship of unqualified temporal location that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The presidency of Nelson Mandela ‘is in a temporal relationship with’ the 20th century

Comment

The conception of temporal properties in Roland:Top is largely derived from the work of James F. Allen in “Maintaining knowledge about temporal intervals”.

Definition

‘is included in’ is a relationship of unqualified parthood that holds between some ‘Part’ and some ‘Aggregate’

Elucidation

‘is included in’ has a similar semantic intensionality as ‘is part of’. However, ‘is included in’ is not transitive, and is provided for situations where a certain quantitative specification or threshold of ‘Parts’ needs to be provided. This is a work-around for the computional limits of Description Logic, which preclude transitive properties from being used to make statements about cardinality.

Examples

Marcel Duchamp’s assemblage “Étant donnés” ‘is included in’ the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The interger “9” ‘is included in’ the set {7,7,5,6,6,9,2}

Definition

‘is influenced by’ is a relationship of possessing an unrequired restriction or opportunity that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

The height of a tide ‘is influenced by’ the proximity of the Moon to the Earth

The speed at which a projectile travels ‘is influenced by’ the amount of air resistance encountered by that projectile

Definition

‘is known by’ is a relationship of possessing a qualified conceptualization that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Sentient agent’

Examples

The cardinality of ℵ₀ ‘is known by’ Georg Cantor

The nature of radioactive decay ‘is known by’ Ernest Rutherford

Definition

‘is materially consistent with’ is a relationship of homoeomerity that holds between some ‘Material entity’ and some ‘Material entity’

Examples

A grain of salt from a shaker ‘is materially consistent with’ the rest of the salt in that shaker

A slice of a loaf of bread ‘is materially consistent with’ the rest of that loaf

Definition

‘is materially dependent on’ is a relationship of existential reliance that holds between some ‘Mass’, ‘Material quality’, ‘Portion’, or ‘Surface’ and a ‘Material entity’

Definition

‘is measurement of’ is a relationship of quantification that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some ‘Entity’

Example

1,821.3 kilometers ‘is a measurement of’ the radius of the Jovian moon Io

Definition

‘is member of’ is a relationship of mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Member’ and some ‘Collection’

Example

The book “Devarim” ‘is a member of’ the Torah

Definition

‘is part of’ is a relationship of mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Part’ and some ‘Aggregate’

Elucidation

Note that any entity may be described in terms of consisting of a ‘Part’ that is coextensive or coterminous with itself. Any such description expresses a relationship of “non-proper parthood”.

Examples

A big toe ‘is part of’ a (typical) human foot

“An die Freude” ‘is part of’ “Symphony No. 9 in D minor” by Ludwig van Beethoven

Comment

The conception of parthood in Roland:Top is largely derived from the work of Morton E. Winston et al. in “A Taxonomy of Part-Whole Relations”.

Definition

‘is partially contained by’ is a relationship of posessing an incomplete inclusion that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

A garden snail ‘is partially contained by’ its shell

Yellowstone National Park ‘is partially contained by’ the state of Wyoming

Definition

‘is portion of’ is a relationship of mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Portion’ and some ‘Mass’

Example

The top half of a glass of water ‘is a portion of’ that glass of water

Definition

‘is potentially known by’ is a relationship of possessing a possible conceptualization that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Sentient agent’

Example

The location of Noah’s Ark ‘is potentially known by’ Tsar Nicholas II of Russia

Definition

‘is proper action of’ is a relationship of proper mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Action’ and some ‘Activity’

Example

Turning a page ‘is a proper action of’ reading a (paper) book

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘is proper part of’.

Definition

‘is proper area within’ is a relationship of proper mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Area’ and some ‘Place’

Example

The intersection of Frankford Avenue and Trenton Avenue ‘is a proper area within’ the city of Philadelphia

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘is proper part of’.

Definition

‘is proper component of’ is a relationship of proper mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Component’ and some ‘Integral object’

Example

A Motorola 68000 microprocessor ‘is a proper component of’ an Apple Macintosh 128K computer

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘is proper part of’.

Definition

‘is proper member of’ is a relationship of proper mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Member’ and some ‘Collection’

Example

The letter “y” ‘is a proper member of’ the written rendition of the phrase “Ege Bamyası”

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘is proper part of’.

Definition

‘is proper part of’ is a relationship of proper mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Part’ and some ‘Aggregate’

Elucidations

The computation contraints of Description Logic preclude properties from being both transitive and irreflexive. Therefore, “proper parthood” relations are not transitive. The inferential outcome of this is that relational chains of proper parthood will only exist when explicitly declared. However, because “proper parthood” relations are sub-properties of generic “parthood” relations (which are transitive), non-proper parthood will be inferred in a transitive manner.

While not formalized here, it is assumed that the subject of a ‘has proper part’ relation is a mereological sum that is smaller than (“is less than”) the mereological sum of the object.

Examples

Mexico ‘is a proper part of’ North America

The Second Battle of Bull Run ‘is a proper part of’ The American Civil War

Definition

‘is proper portion of’ is a relationship of proper mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Portion’ and some ‘Mass’

Example

A bowl of soup (served from a crock) ‘is a proper portion of’ that crock of soup

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘is proper part of’.

Definition

‘is proper substance of’ is a relationship of proper mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Substance’ and some ‘Aggregate’

Example

Dry vermouth ‘is a proper substance of’ a gin martini

Comment

For details on the distinction between “proper” and “non-proper” parthood, refer to the elucidations for the propery ‘is proper part of’.

Definition

‘is quantified by’ is a relationship of possessing an observational mapping that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Measurement’

Examples

The heaviest known weight of a blue whale ‘is quantified by’ the measurement “89 feet”

The top recorded speed of the Lockheed SR-71 ‘is quantified by’ the measurement “1,905.81 knots”

Definition

‘is realized by’ is a relationship of possessing a generative process that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Activity’

Example

A handmade oak table ‘is realized by’ the practice of woodworking

Definition

‘is referent of’ is a relationship of description or mention that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

The Enclycopedia Britannica entry “Saint Joan of Arc” ‘is a referent of’ the historical personage Jeanne d’Arc

The John Fogerty song “Vanz Kant Danz” ‘is a referent of’ Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz

Definition

‘is related event of’ is a relationship of temporally-qualified association that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Entity’

Example

The “2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire” ‘is a related event of’ the regime of Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Definition

‘is spatially bounded by’ is a relationship of possessing an abstract demarcation that holds between some ‘Location’ or ‘Space’ and some ‘Spatial boundary’

Example

Times Square ‘is spatially bounded by’ the streets of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, West 42nd Street, and West 47th Street

Definition

‘is substance of’ is a relationship of mereological inclusion that holds between some ‘Substance’ and some ‘Aggregate’

Example

Ethenylbenzene ‘is a substance of’ the plastic polystyrene

Definition

‘is temporally after’ is a relationship of posterior temporal location that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

December 29, 2014 ‘is temporally after’ December 28, 2014

Definition

‘is temporally after’ is a relationship of anterior temporal location that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The presidency of George W. Bush ‘is temporally before’ the presidency of Barack Obama

Definition

‘is temporally bounded by’ is a relationship of possessing an abstract demarcation that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Temporal boundary’

Example

The existence of the German Democratic Republic ‘is temporally bounded by’ the ratification of the Einigungsvertrag on August 31, 1990

Definition

‘is temporally during’ is a relationship of possessing a temporal inclusion that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The 1977 Sex Pistols performance on the River Thames ‘is temporally during’ the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II

Definition

‘is temporally equal to’ is a relationship of temporal coextension that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The reign of Temür over the Western Chagatai Khanate ‘is temporally equal to’ the years 1370–1405 CE

Definition

‘is temporally finished by’ is a relationship of possessing a temporal cessation that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Definition

‘is temporally met by’ is a relationship of possessing a temporal joining that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The end of the year 2014 ‘is temporally met by’ the start of the year 2015

Definition

‘is temporally overlapped by’ is a relationship of possessing a temporal inclusion that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The Huronian glaciation ‘is temporally overlapped by’ the Paleoproterozoic era

Definition

‘is temporally started by’ is a relationship of possessing a temporal commencement that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

World War I ‘is temporally started by’ the declaration of war against Serbia by Austria-Hungary on July 28, 1914

Definition

‘is used for’ is a relationship of affordance availability that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Activity’

Examples

A stage ‘is used for’ a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof”

Carbon dioxide ‘is used for’ photosynthesis

Definition

‘is wholly contained by’ is a relationship of possessing a complete inclusion that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Definition

‘knows’ is a relationship of qualified conceptualization that holds between some ‘Sentient agent’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

Robert Caro ‘knows’ the history of Lyndon B. Johnson

Rosalind Franklin ‘knows’ the structure of the DNA double helix

Definition

‘partially contains’ is a relationship of incomplete inclusion that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

A (typical) vase ‘partially contains’ a (typical) flower stem

An overflowing bathtub ‘partially contains’ the water that is flowing out of it

Definition

‘participates in’ is a relationship of active agency that holds between some ‘Agent’ and some ‘Activity’, ‘Agent’, or ‘Event’

Elucidation

“Participation” should be understood as “playing an active role within”, rather than simple presence. The fuse of a stick of dynamite ‘participates in’ that dynamite’s detonation; the paper the dynamite is wrapped in does not.

Example

Presiding Bishop Edward Partridge, Sr. ‘participates in’ the ongoing activities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Definition

‘plays functional role for’ is a relationship of role-based coherence that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Elucidation

The use of the word “functional” in this property’s (English) label should not be confused with the use of the same word in the OWL 2 syntax.

Examples

A piston ‘plays a functional role for’ an engine

Brian Jones (as a musician) ‘plays a functional role for’ the band The Rolling Stones

Definition

‘potentially knows’ is a relationship of possible conceptualization that holds between some ‘Sentient agent’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

‘quantifies’ is a relationship of observational mapping that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some ‘Entity’

The measurement “2,063 feet” ‘quantifies’ the height of the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota

The measurement “9,550 years” ‘quantifies’ the age of the Norway Spruce tree Old Tjikko on Fulufjället Mountain in Sweden

Definition

‘realizes’ is a relationship of generative process that holds between some ‘Activity’ and some ‘Entity’

Example

Counting ten entities ‘realizes’ an instance of the number “ten”

Definition

‘spatially bounds’ is a relationship of abtract demarcation that holds between some ‘Spatial boundary’ and some ‘Location’ or ‘Space’

Example

The line demarked by the 40 milestones placed by Major Andrew Ellicott ‘spatially bounds’ the original District of Columbia

Definition

‘temporally bounds’ is a relationship of abtract demarcation that holds between some ‘Temporal boundary’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The dissolution of the Soviet Union ‘temporally bounds’ the Cold War

Definition

‘temporally contains’ is a relationship of temporal inclusion that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The year 1989 ‘temporally contains’ the publication of the first World Wide Web document by Sir Tim Berners-Lee

Definition

‘temporally finishes’ is a relationship of temporal cessation that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The ratification of the Bonn–Paris conventions in 1955 ‘temporally finishes’ the Allied occupation of West Germany

Definition

‘temporally meets’ is a relationship of temporal joining that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The Neogene period ‘temporally meets’ the Quaternary period

Definition

‘temporally overlaps’ is a relationship of temporal inclusion that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

The protests of May 1968 ‘temporally overlap’ the dissolution of the French National Assembly

Definition

‘temporally starts’ is a relationship of temporal commencement that holds between some ‘Event’ and some ‘Event’

Example

A “jump ball” ‘temporally starts’ a game of NBA basketball

Definition

‘uses’ is a relationship of affordance opportunity that holds between some ‘Activity’ and some ‘Entity’

Elucidation

Note that under this definition, it is an ‘Activity’ (rather than an ‘Agent’) that ‘uses’ an ‘Entity’ (typically, though not exclusively, a ‘Tool’).

While colloquially it would be stated that an ‘Agent’ ‘uses’ something (e.g., “Joe uses a hammer’), under this conceptualization we would say instead that the ‘Agent’ ‘participates in’ an ‘Activity’, which ‘Activity’ in turn ‘uses’ an ‘Entity’ (e.g., “Joe participates in the activity of driving a nail; this nail-driving activity uses a hammer”).

Examples

Felling a tree ‘uses’ a chainsaw

The cardiac cycle of a typical human being ‘uses’ the atria of the heart

Definition

‘wholly contains’ is a relationship of complete inclusion that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some ‘Entity’

Examples

A diving suit ‘wholly contains’ its occupant

An orange ‘wholly contains’ its seeds

Definition

‘has IRI’ is a relationship of identification that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some anyURI

Elucidation

“IRI” stands for “Internationalized Resource Identifier”. The class of these identifiers is the superclass of “URL” (“Uniform Resource Locators”). Unlike URLs, there is no expectation that an IRI will actually resolve to a networked document or similar digital file.

Definition

‘has URL’ is a relationship of identification that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some anyURI

Elucidation

“URL” stands for “Uniform Resource Locator”. The class of these identifiers is a subclass of “IRIs” (“Internationalized Resource Identifiers”). Unlike IRIs, URLs are expected to resolve to a networked document or similar digital file.

Definition

‘has additional name’ is a relationship of identification that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some PlainLiteral

Elucidation

This property is intended to capture a non-preferred name of any ‘Entity’. Examples of non-preferred names include middle names (typically, for people, but also potentially for other entities), nicknames, and other colloquial names.

Definition

‘has artifact info’ is a relationship of description that holds between some ‘Artifact’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Definition

‘has birth datetime’ is a relationship of temporal location that holds between some ‘Agent’ and some date, dateTime, or PlainLiteral

Elucidations

Though not formalized, it is assumed that, when describing any given entity, the date or dateTime value provided for ‘has birth datetime’ will be less than (“earlier than”) the date or dateTime value provided for ‘has death datetime’.

Though not formalized, this property is intended to capture the temporal location of the commencement of the life process of a living ‘Agent’.

Definition

‘has datetime’ is a relationship of temporal location that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some date, dateTime, or PlainLiteral

Elucidations

All “datetime” properties in Roland:Top accept rdf:PlainLiteral. This allows for dates — especially historical dates — to be specified in “plain langauge” such as “Circa 505 B.C.E”.

The preferred method of providing datetimes is in ISO 8601 format. (For example: 1979-01-18T5:45:00-5:00)

Definition

‘has death datetime’ is a relationship of temporal location that holds between some ‘Agent’ and some date, dateTime, or PlainLiteral

Elucidations

Though not formalized, it is assumed that, when describing any given entity, the dateTime value provided for ‘has death datetime’ will be greater than (“later than”) the dateTime value provided for ‘has birth datetime’.

Though not formalized, this property is intended to capture the temporal location of the cessation of the life process of a living ‘Agent’.

Definition

‘has description’ is a relationship of representation or accounting that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Definition

‘has dimension measurement amount’ is a relationship of quantification that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Elucidation

This property is intended to capture the the values of measurements recording temporal or spatial aspects of a given entity

Definition

‘has duration measurement’ is a relationship of quantification that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Elucidation

This property is intended to capture the the values of measurements recording temporal aspects of a given entity

Definition

‘has end datetime’ is a relationship of temporal location that holds between some ‘Event’ or ‘Activity’ and some date, dateTime, or PlainLiteral

Elucidation

Though not formalized, it is assumed that, when describing any given entity, the date or dateTime value provided for ‘has end datetime’ will be greater than (“later than”) the date or dateTime value provided for ‘has start datetime’.

Definition

‘has height measurement’ is a relationship of quantification that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Elucidation

This property is intended to capture the the values of measurements recording the spatial aspect of “height” of a given entity

Definition

‘has length measurement’ is a relationship of quantification that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Elucidation

This property is intended to capture the the values of measurements recording the spatial aspect of “length” of a given entity

Definition

‘has measurement amount’ is a relationship of quantification that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Definition

‘has measurement notation’ is a relationship of description that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some PlainLiteral

Elucidation

Common values for this property include “feet”, “meters”, “seconds”, “degrees Celcius”, etc.

Definition

‘has name’ is a relationship of identification that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some PlainLiteral

Definition

‘has note’ is a relationship of commentary that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some PlainLiteral

Definition

‘has start datetime’ is a relationship of temporal location that holds between some ‘Event’ or ‘Activity’ and some date, dateTime, or PlainLiteral

Elucidation

Though not formalized, it is assumed that, when describing any given entity, the date or dateTime value provided for ‘has start datetime’ will be less than (“earlier than”) the date or dateTime value provided for ‘has end datetime’.

Definition

‘has vocabulary IRI’ is a relationship of identification that holds between some ‘Entity’ and some anyURI

Elucidation

‘has vocabulary IRI’ is intended to refer to terms specifically within the Roland Vocabulary Project. The key use case for this property is to relate instances of owl:Class with instances of owl:NamedIndividual.

Definition

‘has width measurement’ is a relationship of quantification that holds between some ‘Measurement’ and some PlainLiteral, decimal, or integer

Elucidation

This property is intended to capture the the values of measurements recording the spatial aspect of “width” of a given entity