Alignment Framework

Alignment meta-framework

We align salmon-domain semantics with a top‑down ontology stack so datasets stay interoperable while still retaining domain‑specific meaning.

Hierarchy (top → domain):

BFO → IAO → PROV‑O → SOSA/SSN → I‑ADOPT → Darwin Core → gcdfo:

What each layer answers

Question	Primary ontology	Notes
What kind of thing is this?	BFO	Material entity, process, role, quality.
Is this information or physical?	IAO	Distinguishes information artifacts.
Who/what produced the data?	PROV‑O	Provenance, agents, activities.
How was it measured?	SOSA/SSN	Observations, sampling, procedures.
What property was measured?	I‑ADOPT	Variable decomposition & constraints.
How do I publish to GBIF?	Darwin Core	Interoperability scaffold.
Domain terms & constraints	gcdfo:	Salmon‑specific classes & labels.

Variable decomposition (I‑ADOPT)

We decompose variables into reusable components:

• Object of Interest — primary entity observed
• Property — characteristic being measured
• Context Object — additional entity providing context
• Matrix — medium/environment
• Constraint — limits on scope (time, size, method)

This helps model variables consistently across datasets and makes mappings precise.

Rules of thumb

• Check gcdfo: first. Reuse existing terms whenever possible.
• Prefer well‑governed external vocabularies for cross‑domain concepts.
• Never invent IRIs. If a term doesn’t exist, document the gap.
• Use QUDT units for all measures.

Source: salmon-domain-ontology/CONVENTIONS.md