The Information Flow Framework: A Descriptive Category Metatheory

TL;DR

The paper introduces the Information Flow Framework, a categorical, bottom-up approach to formalizing ontologies with a modular, layered architecture that emphasizes clear boundaries between meta-logic and object-level representations.

Contribution

It presents a novel descriptive category metatheory framework that structures ontologies through a modular, multi-level architecture aligned with standards like IEEE P1600.1.

Findings

Provides a principled categorical framework for ontology design

Defines a layered architecture with namespaces and meta-ontologies

Establishes clear boundaries between meta-logic and object levels

Abstract

The Information Flow Framework (IFF) is a descriptive category metatheory. It is an experiment in foundations, which follows a bottom-up approach to logical description. The IFF forms the structural aspect of the IEEE P1600.1 Standard Upper Ontology (SUO) project. The categorical approach of the IFF provides a principled framework for the modular design of object-level ontologies. The IFF represents meta-logic, and as such operates at the structural level of ontologies. In the IFF, there is a precise boundary between the metalevel and the object level. The modular architecture of the IFF consists of metalevels, namespaces and meta-ontologies. Each metalevel services the levels below by providing a metalanguage used to declare and axiomatize those levels. Corresponding to the metalevels are nested metalanguages, where each metalanguage axiomatization includes specialization of the one immediately above. Within each metalevel, the terminology is partitioned into namespaces, and various namespaces are collected together into meaningful composites called meta-ontologies. All of the various meta-ontologies in the IFF are anchored to the IFF metastack. The IFF development is largely driven by the principles of conceptual warrant, categorical design and institutional logic.