An ontology for anthropogenic impact accounting

Overview

This ontology is a tool for aggregating and consolidating impact accounting data across different standards and vocabularies. The ontology is intended to be generic enough to be used for anthropogenic impact accounting in almost any discipline and context, including climate action impact accounting.

Structure

The ontology currently comprises 54 classes and 12 primary axioms.

Premise

An agent engages in an activity that impacts a thing.

Classes

thing
- agent
- attribute
- claim
  - identity claim
  - impact claim
  - state claim
  - report
  - attestation
- control
  - classification system
  - calculation formula
  - identification system
  - indicator
    - location (spatial or temporal)
    - position (spatial)
  - measurement system
    - spatial measurement system
    - temporal measurement system
  - objective
  - parameter
    - extent (spatial or temporal)
    - scope
    - capacity
  - role
    - calibrator
    - claimant
    - operator
    - owner
    - verifier
      - auditor
  - spatial reference system
  - temporal reference system
- environment
- event
  - activity
    - calculating
    - claiming
      - reporting
    - measuring
    - monitoring
    - representing
    - validating
    - verifying
      - auditing
  - state difference
- instrument
- process
  - project
- state
- substantiation

Axioms

Primary

An agent engages in an activity.
An activity impacts an environment.
An environment is defined by (interrelated) parameters.
A state is the value of a parameter P at time position t.
An activity is performed with an instrument.
An activity has at least one thing as input.
An activity has at least one thing as output.
A claim is a statement about a (some specific) thing.
An agent enacts a role.
An event impacts a state.
A control limits or directs a thing.
A claim can be substantiated by another thing.

Secondary

(Listed in OWL file.)

Tertiary