Copies authoritative schemas from schemas/20251121/ to:
- frontend/public/schemas/20251121/
- apps/archief-assistent/public/schemas/20251121/
This ensures slot definitions with corrected ontology property
references (commit 2808dad6cd) are available to frontend apps.
14 KiB
Conceptual Correction: OrganizationObservation Emic/Etic Clarification
Date: 2025-11-21
Issue: Incorrect characterization of OrganizationObservation as exclusively emic
Resolution: Clarified that observations can be BOTH emic and etic; added OrganizationName subclass for standardized emic names
❌ Previous (Incorrect) Understanding
Old description (WRONG):
"An organization observation represents how a heritage organization is recorded in a specific source. This is the EMIC (insider) perspective: the name and characteristics as they appear in the source..."
Problem: This incorrectly implied that ALL OrganizationObservations are emic (insider perspective). In reality, observations can come from BOTH emic (insider) and etic (outsider) sources.
✅ Corrected Understanding
Three-Level Model
OrganizationObservation (ANY source - emic OR etic)
├─ Emic observations: organization's own website, legal documents, official statements
├─ Etic observations: guidebooks, academic papers, external descriptions
│
└─ OrganizationName (subclass) - STANDARDIZED EMIC perspective only
└─ The official name the organization accepts for itself
└─ Distinct from vernacular emic (e.g., "Rijks") and all etic references
OrganizationReconstruction (formal entity)
└─ Legal entity derived from ALL observations (emic + etic)
Key Distinctions
| Class | Perspective | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| OrganizationObservation | Emic OR Etic | "Rijks" (emic), "The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam" (etic), "Rijksmuseum" (ISIL registry, emic) |
| OrganizationName (subclass) | Emic ONLY (standardized) | "Rijksmuseum" (official self-identification from organizational statutes/website) |
| OrganizationReconstruction | Entity (derived from all observations) | Stichting Rijksmuseum (legal entity, KvK #41208408) |
🔄 Schema Changes Made
1. Updated OrganizationObservation Description
File: schemas/20251121/linkml/02_organization_observation_reconstruction.yaml
New description (lines 60-83):
OrganizationObservation:
description: >-
An organization observation represents how a heritage organization is recorded
in a specific source. Observations can capture BOTH emic (insider) and etic
(outsider) perspectives as they appear in different sources.
Organization observations record names and characteristics exactly as found in sources:
- Vernacular names (e.g., "Rijks" for Rijksmuseum) - EMIC source
- Historical spellings (e.g., "Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen") - EMIC/ETIC
- Abbreviations and acronyms (e.g., "BnF" for Bibliothèque nationale de France) - EMIC
- Translated names in different languages - ETIC source
- Third-party references (e.g., guidebook mentions, research papers) - ETIC source
- Official names in legal documents - EMIC source
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION:
- OrganizationObservation = ANY recorded reference (emic OR etic)
- OrganizationName (subclass) = Standardized EMIC name accepted by the organization itself
2. Added OrganizationName Subclass
New class (lines 117-171):
OrganizationName:
is_a: OrganizationObservation # Inherits from observation
class_uri: heritage:OrganizationName
description: >-
A specialized subclass of OrganizationObservation that represents the
STANDARDIZED EMIC (insider) name - the official or majority-accepted label
that the custodian organization uses to identify itself.
This is distinct from generic OrganizationObservation in that it specifically
captures the name that the organization ITSELF recognizes and accepts, rather
than how external sources might refer to it.
Key characteristics:
- Officially accepted by the organization (via statutes, website, letterhead)
- Represents the organization's self-identification
- Standardized form used for consistent reference
- May evolve over time (tracked via valid_from/valid_to)
New slots:
standardized_name(required): The canonical emic nameendorsement_source(required): Proof of organizational acceptancename_authority: Who authorized this namevalid_from/valid_to: Temporal validitysupersedes/superseded_by: Name change history
🔄 Additional Correction: Legal Name vs Legal Form (2025-11-21)
❌ Previous (Conflated) Understanding
Problem: The schema conflated THREE separate concepts:
- Operational name (emic, daily use)
- Legal registered name (legal documents)
- Legal form code (ISO 20275 classification)
Old pattern (WRONG):
legal_name: "Stichting Rijksmuseum" # Contains both legal form prefix AND name
legal_form: STICHTING # Generic string, not internationally standardized
✅ Corrected Understanding: Three-Way Distinction
1. Operational Name (OrganizationName.standardized_name)
- "Rijksmuseum"
- Used in daily operations (website, signage, marketing, PR)
- The EMIC name the organization actively identifies with
2. Legal Registered Name (org:legalName)
- "Stichting Rijksmuseum"
- Appears in legal documents, statutes, KvK registry
- The FORMAL name for legal transactions
- Often includes legal form prefix/suffix
3. Legal Form Code (org:classification)
- "V44D" (ISO 20275 ELF code)
- International standard for legal entity types
- NOT a name - it's a CLASSIFICATION CODE
- Reference: /data/ontology/2023-09-28-elf-code-list-v1.5.csv
Real-World Examples
| Institution | Operational Name | Legal Registered Name | Legal Form Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksmuseum | Rijksmuseum | Stichting Rijksmuseum | V44D (NL stichting) |
| Getty Museum | Getty Museum | J. Paul Getty Trust | (US trust code) |
| British Museum | British Museum | The Trustees of the British Museum | 9HLU (UK charity) |
| BnF | Bibliothèque nationale de France | Établissement public Bibliothèque nationale de France | 5RDO (FR établissement public) |
Schema Changes Made
File: schemas/20251121/linkml/02_organization_observation_reconstruction.yaml
Updated descriptions:
- legal_name slot (lines 308-324):
legal_name:
description: >-
The official legal name under which the organization is registered with
government authorities (e.g., "Stichting Rijksmuseum" in Dutch KvK registry).
CRITICAL: This is the LEGAL REGISTERED NAME, which may differ from the
operational/emic name (e.g., operational "Rijksmuseum" vs legal "Stichting
Rijksmuseum").
This legal name often includes the legal form as a prefix/suffix but is
still a NAME, not a classification code. For the legal form CODE, use the
legal_form slot with ISO 20275 ELF codes.
- legal_form slot (lines 326-347):
legal_form:
description: >-
ISO 20275 Entity Legal Forms (ELF) Code specifying the legal form/type of
the organization (e.g., "V44D" for Dutch stichting, "F0A6" for Argentine
Sociedad Anonima).
CRITICAL: This is NOT the legal name - it's a CLASSIFICATION CODE per ISO
20275 international standard maintained by GLEIF (Global Legal Entity
Identifier Foundation).
The legal_name may CONTAIN words indicating legal form (e.g., "Stichting
Rijksmuseum" contains "Stichting"), but legal_form is the FORMAL CODE
("V44D") that classifies the entity type.
See /data/ontology/2023-09-28-elf-code-list-v1.5.csv for complete code list.
Documentation Created
File: schemas/20251121/ISO_20275_ELF_MAPPING.md
Complete guide including:
- ISO 20275 ELF code overview
- Netherlands legal forms for heritage institutions (21 codes)
- International examples (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, USA, Japan, etc.)
- Migration path from generic enums to ISO 20275
- W3C Org Ontology alignment (
org:legalName,org:classification)
3. Updated Notes Section
Old notes (WRONG):
notes:
- "Emic perspective: 'how we call ourselves' or 'how source refers to us'"
New notes (CORRECT):
notes:
- "Can represent BOTH emic (insider) and etic (outsider) perspectives"
- "Multiple observations (emic + etic) can link to one reconstruction (entity)"
- "Examples: 'Rijks' (emic observation), 'The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam' (etic observation)"
- "See OrganizationName subclass for standardized emic name specifically"
📝 Updated Example File
File: schemas/20251121/examples/rijksmuseum_observation_reconstruction.yaml
New structure:
observations:
# EMIC observation - vernacular
- id: .../rijks-website-2024
observed_name: "Rijks"
observation_context: "Website branding - EMIC vernacular usage"
# ETIC observation - guidebook
- id: .../rijks-guidebook-2023
observed_name: "The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam"
observation_context: "Tourist guidebook - ETIC external description"
# EMIC observation - ISIL registry
- id: .../rijks-isil-2020
observed_name: "Rijksmuseum"
observation_context: "ISIL registry - EMIC official entry"
# ETIC observation - academic paper
- id: .../rijks-paper-2022
observed_name: "Rijksmuseum Amsterdam"
observation_context: "Academic paper - ETIC scholarly reference"
standardized_name:
# STANDARDIZED EMIC name (subclass)
- id: .../rijksmuseum-standard
type: OrganizationName
standardized_name: "Rijksmuseum"
endorsement_source: "https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/about-us"
name_authority: "Board of Trustees resolution, 2013"
reconstruction:
# Formal entity derived from ALL observations
- id: .../org/rijksmuseum
type: OrganizationReconstruction
legal_name: "Stichting Rijksmuseum"
was_derived_from:
- .../rijks-website-2024 # emic
- .../rijks-guidebook-2023 # etic
- .../rijks-isil-2020 # emic
- .../rijks-paper-2022 # etic
- .../rijksmuseum-standard # standardized emic
🔍 Why This Matters
1. Accurate Modeling of Sources
Before: We could only model emic (insider) observations
After: We can model observations from ANY source (insider OR outsider)
2. Distinguishes Standardization
Before: No clear way to mark which emic name is "official"
After: OrganizationName subclass captures the standardized emic name specifically
3. Supports Full Provenance
Before: Unclear how external references (etic) fit into the model
After: All observations (emic + etic) feed into entity reconstruction
4. Aligns with PiCo Pattern
PiCo (Persons in Context) also recognizes that observations can be:
- Emic: How a person identifies themselves
- Etic: How others identify the person
Our model now properly mirrors this distinction for organizations.
📊 Real-World Example: Rijksmuseum
Multiple Observations (Emic + Etic)
| Source Type | Observation | Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Emic | Official website: "Rijks" (vernacular) | Insider informal |
| Emic | ISIL registry: "Rijksmuseum" | Insider official |
| Emic | KvK registry: "Stichting Rijksmuseum" | Insider legal |
| Etic | Guidebook: "The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam" | Outsider descriptive |
| Etic | Academic paper: "Rijksmuseum Amsterdam" | Outsider scholarly |
Standardized Emic Name (ONE)
OrganizationName: "Rijksmuseum"
- Endorsed by: Board of Trustees resolution (2013)
- Source: Official organizational website
- Authority: Organizational self-identification
Reconstruction (ONE Entity)
OrganizationReconstruction: Stichting Rijksmuseum
- Legal form: Stichting (Dutch foundation)
- KvK: 41208408
- ISIL: NL-AmRMA
- Derived from: All 5 observations above + standardized name
✅ Implementation Checklist
- Updated OrganizationObservation description
- Added OrganizationName subclass
- Added new slots (standardized_name, endorsement_source, etc.)
- Updated notes to reflect emic/etic distinction
- Rewrote example file with corrected model
- Regenerated RDF/OWL files from updated schema
- Updated README.md (partial - needs completion)
- Updated RDF_GENERATION_SUMMARY.md (needs update)
- Update Mermaid diagrams to show OrganizationName subclass
- Update PlantUML diagrams to show three-level hierarchy
- Update TypeDB schema with new entity type
- Create SHACL shapes for OrganizationName validation
🔄 Migration Notes
For Existing Data
If you have existing OrganizationObservation instances:
- Review source type: Is the observation from an emic or etic source?
- Add context: Update
observation_contextto clarify perspective - Identify standardized name: If the observation represents the organization's official name, consider creating an OrganizationName instance instead
For New Data
- Start with observations: Collect all emic AND etic references
- Identify standardized name: Find the official organizational self-identification
- Create OrganizationName: Use subclass for the standardized emic name
- Reconstruct entity: Derive formal entity from all observations
📚 References
- PiCo (Persons in Context): https://personsincontext.org/
- PersonObservation vs. PersonReconstruction pattern
- Emic/etic distinction for person identification
- PROV-O: https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-o/
- wasDerivedFrom: Linking observations to reconstructions
- wasGeneratedBy: Documenting entity resolution process
- CIDOC-CRM E41 Appellation: http://www.cidoc-crm.org/
- Names as distinct from entities they identify
Corrected by: GLAM Ontology Project
Date: 2025-11-21
Impact: Critical conceptual correction affecting all organization modeling