Core Concepts¶

This page explains the key terminology and concepts used throughout UOD.

Layers¶

L0 — Platform & Syntax Bindings¶

The technical serialization layer. Provides pre-built mappings of the L1 semantic model into specific technology formats (OWL/RDF, JSON-LD, GraphQL, SQL DDL). L0 does not participate in the semantic inheritance chain.

L1 — Universal Enterprise Ontology Core¶

The mandatory foundation. Defines 24 cross-industry, cross-enterprise universal concepts (classes) and 12 standard relationships. All L2 and L3 definitions must inherit from L1.

L2 — Industry & Domain Extensions¶

Optional, pluggable industry-specific extensions. Each extension targets a specific industry (consulting, luxury goods, finance, etc.) and adds new classes and relationships that inherit from L1.

L3 — Enterprise Customization Layer¶

Private, enterprise-specific extensions. Organizations define their own proprietary classes, mappings, and rules that extend L1 and optionally L2.

Key Terms¶

Class¶

A class represents a type of entity in the ontology. For example, Organization, Process, or Risk.

{
  "id": "Organization",
  "label_zh": "组织",
  "label_en": "Organization",
  "parent": "Party",
  "definition_en": "A legal or non-legal organization entity"
}

Relation¶

A relation defines a directed connection between two classes.

{
  "id": "plays_role",
  "domain": "Party",
  "range": "Role",
  "definition_en": "A party plays a specific role"
}

Domain: The source class (where the relationship starts)
Range: The target class (where the relationship points)

Inheritance¶

Child classes inherit from parent classes via the parent field. This creates a semantic lineage:

Party (L1)
├── Person (L1)
├── Organization (L1)
│   ├── OrgUnit (L1)
│   ├── ConsultingFirm (L2 - Consulting Extension)
│   └── LuxuryBrand (L2 - Luxury Goods Extension)
│       └── MyCompany (L3 - Enterprise)

Extension¶

An extension is a packaged set of industry-specific classes and relations that extends L1. Extensions are:

Optional — Only load the ones you need
Community-driven — Anyone can contribute
Validated — Must conform to schema/extension_schema.json

Platform Binding¶

A platform binding is a technical serialization of the L1 semantic model. It translates abstract concepts into concrete, technology-specific formats that can be directly used by downstream systems.

Complete Glossary / 完整术语表

For the full glossary of all concepts across all layers — including ontology fundamentals, architecture terms, L1/L2 class and relation references, governance rules, technical terms, and a disambiguation guide for commonly confused concepts — see the Glossary.