An authoritative, governed semantic foundation bridging meaning, representation, execution, and application.
The World Semantic Foundation (WSF) provides a governed, versioned, authoritative semantic foundation from which downstream semantic systems ; enterprise architecture, assessment models, knowledge graphs, AI agents, and digital twins ; specialize, integrate, and extend without redefining foundational meaning.
The architecture bridges four normally separated concerns:
Meaning ──► Representation ──► Execution ──► Application
WSF is implemented as 8 specialized repositories. Each repository has a clear role and they work together as a governed product foundation.
| Repository | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| wsf | Canonical semantic assets ; authoritative concept definitions (Entity, Concept, Capability, Relationship, Event, State, Disposition, Proposition, Assertion, Identity, Context, Time, Space) | Baseline |
| wsf-spec | Normative semantic & conformance specifications | Scaffold |
| wsf-governance | Architectural decisions, change requests, governance, lifecycle, authority, investigation record | Baseline |
| wsf-examples | Reference applications (OTCHERE Inc, OTCHERE DC-01, Order Fulfillment Simulation) | Baseline |
| Repository | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| wsf-software | WSF Semantic Engine (Semantic Store + Services + API layer) | Scaffold |
| wsf-connectors | Integration adapters for OpenDEA, EA platforms, KG platforms, AI agents | Scaffold |
| wsf-visuals | Reproducible visual semantic assets (Mermaid, PlantUML, SVG) | Scaffold |
| wsf-docs | Conceptual & implementation documentation (12 Foundational Principles) | Partial |
- The 12 Foundational Principles
- The Top-Level README in
wsf-governance - The 17+ Architectural Decision Records
- The Tier 1 concepts
| To understand... | See |
|---|---|
| What WSF is and why | wsf-governance/README.md |
| The 12 Foundational Principles | wsf-docs/conceptual/FOUNDATIONAL-PRINCIPLES.md |
| How WSF is governed | wsf-governance/GOVERNANCE/ |
| What concepts are defined | wsf/concepts/ |
| The investigation history | wsf-governance/RESEARCH/INVESTIGATION-RECORD.md |
| Worked examples | wsf-examples/ |
| The Semantic Engine architecture | wsf-software/README.md |
| Integration architecture | wsf-connectors/README.md |
| Visualization conventions | wsf-visuals/README.md |
| How to author a new ADR | wsf-governance/templates/ADR-TEMPLATE.md |
The WSF Product Foundation provides seven mutually reinforcing capabilities:
WSF
│
┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
SEMANTIC KNOWLEDGE SEMANTIC
FOUNDATION ASSETS ENGINE
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
INTEGRATION ──► VISUALIZATION ──► REALIZATION
│
supported by
│
GOVERNANCE
| # | Capability | Repository |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Semantic Foundation | wsf |
| 2 | Knowledge Assets | wsf-docs + wsf-spec |
| 3 | Semantic Engine | wsf-software |
| 4 | Integration | wsf-connectors |
| 5 | Visualization | wsf-visuals |
| 6 | Realization | wsf-examples |
| 7 | Governance (wraps all 6) | wsf-governance |
The architecture establishes an authoritative semantic layer that:
- Establishes meaning through 12 Tier 1 foundational concepts (Entity, Concept, Relationship, Event, State, Disposition, Proposition, Assertion, Identity, Context, Time, Space)
- Enables specialization through governed inheritance rules
- Supports assertion of facts with full provenance, evidence, and trust evaluation
- Maintains identity across representation, context, version, and lifecycle changes
- Validates conformance through semantic constraint checking
- Versions evolution while preserving semantic lineage
- A flat vocabulary or terminology list
- An enterprise architecture metamodel (OpenDEA remains separate)
- An assessment model (Assessment-Models remains separate)
- A specific ontology technology (RDF/OWL/JSON-LD are implementation choices)
- A repository convention (architecture follows semantic responsibility)
WSF recognizes the following foundational semantic domains:
| Domain | Examples |
|---|---|
| Existence | Entity, Concept, Identity |
| Occurrence | Event |
| Condition | State, Disposition |
| Relation | Relationship, Specialization |
| Identity | Identity, Identifier, Reference |
| Semantics | Definition, Specification, Context |
| Proposition | Proposition, Assertion |
| Qualification | Context, Validation |
| Temporality | Time, Event |
| Spatiality | Space, Position, Region |
| Epistemics | Provenance, Evidence, Trust |
WSF operates in a federated ecosystem with explicit boundary preservation:
- WSF : World semantics
- OpenDEA : Enterprise Architecture specialization (separate org)
- Assessment-Models : Maturity / Assessment governance (separate org)
- Semantic Architecture / Ontology Architecture : semantic & formal representation layers
Each maintains independent lifecycle boundaries with governed semantic interfaces.
| # | Concept | Tier | Domain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entity | 1 | Existence |
| 2 | Concept | 1 | Existence / Semantics |
| 3 | Relationship | 1 | Relation |
| 4 | Event | 1 | Occurrence / Temporality |
| 5 | State | 1 | Condition |
| 6 | Disposition | 1 | Condition (Capacity, Ability, Capability) |
| 7 | Proposition | 1 | Proposition |
| 8 | Assertion | 1 | Proposition (attributed, evidenced) |
| 9 | Identity | 1 | Identity |
| 10 | Context | 1 | Qualification |
| 11 | Time | 1 | Temporality |
| 12 | Space | 1 | Spatiality |
Capability (Tier 3 specialized Disposition) is included as a worked example.
Browse them: github.com/World-Semantic-Foundation/wsf/tree/main/concepts
The architecture operates under these governance disciplines:
- Investigation before implementation. Every architectural decision traces to documented investigation.
- Decisions are explicit. The architectural decision record (ADR) is the authoritative architectural statement.
- Implementation is traceable. Change requests implement ADRs with explicit scope.
- Lifecycle is governed. Semantic artifacts move through defined status states.
- Authority follows semantic responsibility. Not repository location.
- Identity persists through compatible evolution. Meaning-based identifiers survive representation, context, and version changes.
- Meaning precedes representation. Semantic authority is independent of format.
All WSF documentation uses:
- Enterprise: OTCHERE Inc (or OTCHERE)
- Individual: Kwesi
- System: OTCHERE DC-01
Other enterprise names are not used in WSF artifacts.
| Component | Status |
|---|---|
| Foundational semantic baseline | Final |
| Architectural decision records | 22 records (1 final, 21 baseline) |
| Tier 1 concepts | 12/12 final |
| Tier 3 example concepts | 1 (Capability) |
| Repositories live | 8 |
| Reference examples | 3 (OTCHERE Inc, OTCHERE DC-01, Order Fulfillment Simulation) |
| Documentation | 12 Foundational Principles complete; remaining documentation scaffolded |
| Implementations | Scaffold; specifications provided by subsequent architectural decisions |
- Top-Level Architecture: wsf-governance/README.md
- Tier 1 Concepts: wsf/concepts/
- All Architectural Decisions: wsf-governance/ADR/
- Examples: wsf-examples/
- Principles: wsf-docs/conceptual/FOUNDATIONAL-PRINCIPLES.md
WSF bridges meaning, representation, execution, and application ; under governed, versioned, authoritative semantics.