Read About Us We aim to give the holon concept a rigorous, implementable, and interoperable specification that can serve architects, developers, ontologists, standards bodies, and the broader Web community. This plan is derived from the W3C Holon Community Group GitHub repository, including its proposed charter, repository README, architectural materials, specifications, and related documentation. The repository and its specifications are under active development, and content should be treated as draft unless explicitly marked otherwise. Proposed architectures produced independently by interested parties should not be considered canonical with respect to the Community Group unless and until community consensus is established. ^^ The seven numbered objectives in Article II of the proposed charter are explicit source intentions. The Goals used to organize them in this StratML rendition, as well as Objectives identified as inferred in their Other Information elements, have been derived from the source content to express intended results in StratML form. Where concise StratML Goal or Objective names differ from terminology used in the source, the source terminology is preserved in the applicable Other Information element. The inferred structure should not be interpreted as having been formally adopted by the W3C Holon Community Group. ^^ Note on XML and StratML: Although the source materials emphasize RDF, JSON-LD, HTTP, SPARQL, SHACL, and related Web standards, the relationship of holon-based architecture to XML technologies may also warrant consideration. XML provides established mechanisms for representing nested whole/part structures, identifying and separating vocabularies through namespaces, constraining and validating structures through schemas, linking information resources, transforming representations, and exchanging structured information across system boundaries. These capabilities appear relevant to HBA principles including whole/part integrity, nesting, mediated boundaries, declarative verifiability, and interoperability. ^^ StratML may be particularly relevant because it is an XML vocabulary for representing strategic plans and performance information in machine-readable form. A StratML plan can itself be viewed as exhibiting holonic characteristics: it is an identifiable whole composed of structured parts; it may participate in larger collections and networks of plans; it identifies stakeholders and intended results; its structure can be validated declaratively; and its elements and relationships can be processed, linked, transformed, and exchanged. Conversely, holon-based architectural concepts may offer ways of representing relationships among distributed StratML plans, organizations, objectives, stakeholders, agents, and other resources. These observations are analytical inferences of the submitter and ChatGPT and should not be interpreted as positions or intentions of the W3C Holon Community Group. ^^ Submitter's Note: This plan has been compiled and rendered in StratML format by ChatGPT and lightly edited in the form at https://stratml.us/forms/Claude/Part1.html W3C Holon Community Group W3CHCG _3fb8c589-f49a-494b-ac1b-5caf87b72a81 Provide a neutral, open forum within W3C for developing and standardising the vocabulary, ontology patterns, and architectural conventions that make holonic graph systems interoperable. World Wide Web Consortium Provides the Community Group framework within which the Holon Community Group operates. Semantical LLC Affiliation of Acting Chair and editor Kurt Cagle and contributor of proposed Holon Graph Architecture and DataBook materials. Chair status is identified in the repository as provisional pending formal confirmation. Founding membership of the W3C Holon Community Group Adopted the proposed charter establishing the Holon Community Group. Contributors to the Holon Community Group Develop specifications, reference implementations, use cases, and community discussion surrounding the Holon Graph Architecture. Architects Potential users of rigorous, implementable, and interoperable specifications for holon-based architectures. Developers Potential implementers and users of holon-based architectures and their specifications and reference implementations. Ontologists Contributors to and users of the ontology and taxonomy for holon-based architectures. Knowledge graph practitioners Potential contributors to and users of holonic patterns for knowledge graph deployments. AI researchers Potential contributors to and users of holon-based architectures for neurosymbolic processing and other applications of artificial intelligence. Semantic Web engineers Potential contributors to and implementers of holonic graph systems using Web and Semantic Web technologies. Standards bodies Potential users of and collaborators on interoperable specifications for holon-based architectures. Existing standards communities Communities with which the Holon Community Group intends to engage rather than duplicate their work. Web community Broader community intended to benefit from interoperable holon-based architectures that compose with the Web. Kurt Cagle Acting Chair of the W3C Holon Community Group and editor of the Holon Core Ontology, SHACL Shape Libraries, and DataBook Specification; affiliated with Semantical LLC. Coherent, verifiable systems in which structures can function simultaneously as wholes in their own right and as parts of larger wholes across domains and implementations. urn:uuid:6684d9e5-2750-47ed-a409-b32a6f653762 To give the holon concept a rigorous, implementable, and interoperable specification that can serve architects, developers, ontologists, standards bodies, and the broader Web community. urn:uuid:65e16958-b7a0-48aa-a76b-62d7cddc119d Whole/Part Integrity Recognize structures as capable of being unified entities in their own right while simultaneously being parts of larger wholes. Nesting & Adjacency Treat nesting and adjacency as first-class structural relationships among holons. Mediated Boundaries Preserve holon integrity through semi-permeable boundaries that mediate, filter, and translate information crossing them. Implementation Neutrality Specify a substrate-neutral architectural pattern while permitting implementations appropriate to differing domains, formalisms, technology stacks, serialisation formats, and deployment environments. Temporal Coherence Recognize lifecycle, event history, state transitions, and boundary crossings as integral aspects of holons. Declarative Verifiability Enable architects to verify boundary conditions, inheritance behaviour, and message contracts declaratively before committing to action. Consent Recognize consent as an implication of boundary crossing where holons mediate human or artificial agents. Provenance Preserve provenance across boundary crossings to support accountability, auditability, and coherent histories of system activity. Data Sovereignty Support control over information and access through mediated holon boundaries. Interoperability Compose holon-based architectures with existing Web standards rather than requiring wholesale adoption of new infrastructure. Implementation Pluralism Enable and test multiple implementations rather than endorsing a single canonical platform. Openness Conduct work through open processes and make outputs available under open licences. Collaboration Engage existing standards communities rather than duplicating their work. Generality Treat holon-based architecture as a general-purpose systems pattern applicable both with and without artificial intelligence. Architectural Foundation Establish a rigorous conceptual, ontological, and theoretical foundation for interoperable holon-based architectures. urn:uuid:3f1c6924-cd15-45e6-bba5-7e0ed21728ea 1 Architects Apply the conceptual and architectural foundations of holon-based architectures. Ontologists Develop and apply formal representations of holons, their properties, and their relationships. Developers Implement systems based upon the architectural foundations and specifications. Holon Architectural Foundation ~ This Goal is an inferred grouping of intentions explicitly stated in Article II of the proposed Holon Community Group charter. The Goal name and description are not presented in the source as an adopted HCG Goal. The Objectives below preserve the corresponding purposes of the charter's stated objectives. Nomenclature & Ontology Establish a formal ontology and taxonomy for holon-based architecture, including core terms, structural relationships, boundary semantics, lifecycle concepts, and interoperability patterns. urn:uuid:d51ae197-f3c5-4f55-8d6b-493c874c5b1f 1.1 Ontologists Develop and use the formal ontology and taxonomy for holon-based architecture. Semantic Web engineers Implement and apply formal holon semantics using Semantic Web technologies. This Objective corresponds to Article II, Objective 1, “Nomenclature and Ontology,” of the proposed charter. The charter calls for establishing a formal ontology and taxonomy for HBA, including core terms, structural relationships, boundary semantics, lifecycle concepts, and interoperability patterns. Related repository work includes development of a Holon Core Ontology and canonical SHACL shape libraries. ^^ Current repository work further addresses boundary and composition constraints, identity, validation, verification, security, hierarchical and meta-ontology alignment, and formal foundations. These activities and artifacts are treated here as means of developing and applying the architectural foundation rather than as additional strategic objectives unless and until distinct intended results are explicitly established. Algebra Establish a theoretical algebra for holon-based architecture covering composition, nesting, adjacency, boundary crossing, inheritance, state transition, and related structural operations. urn:uuid:041f32ad-50b8-41c2-bef8-7e4e69fa987a 1.2 Architects Apply the theoretical foundations to the design of holon-based systems. Ontologists Relate formal holon semantics to the theoretical algebra underlying holon-based architecture. Theoretical Foundations ~ This Objective corresponds to Article II, Objective 2, “Theoretical Foundations,” of the proposed charter. The charter calls for developing the theoretical algebra underlying HBA, including composition, nesting, adjacency, boundary crossing, inheritance, state transition, and related operations. Verification Enable boundary conditions, inheritance behavior, message contracts, and other architectural constraints to be expressed and verified declaratively before actions are committed. urn:uuid:d042d221-fac9-4cba-9e46-91702c2f5415 1.3 Architects Specify and verify architectural constraints before committing systems to action. Developers Implement mechanisms supporting declarative validation and verification. Declarative Verification ~ This Objective is inferred from the charter's foundational principle of declarative verifiability rather than appearing as one of its seven numbered objectives. It makes explicit an intended result that is sufficiently distinct and significant to warrant treatment as an Objective. The charter states that architects should be able to verify boundary conditions, inheritance behavior, and message contracts declaratively before committing to action. Interoperability Enable holon-based architectures to be implemented across diverse technology stacks, serialization formats, deployment environments, and Web infrastructure. urn:uuid:b17e6e15-338c-42e8-bb48-a2e9d607e30f 2 Developers Implement holon-based architectures across technology stacks and deployment environments. Semantic Web engineers Implement holon-based architectures using existing and evolving Web and Semantic Web technologies. Standards bodies Develop and maintain standards with which holon-based architectures may interoperate. Existing standards communities Collaborate on interoperability while avoiding unnecessary duplication of existing standards work. Interoperable Implementation ~ This Goal is an inferred grouping of intentions explicitly stated in Article II of the proposed Holon Community Group charter. It groups the charter's objectives concerning implementation references, Web infrastructure, and interoperability without representing the Goal itself as formally adopted HCG language. Testing Identify and test implementations of holon-based architecture across multiple technology stacks, serialization formats, and deployment environments. urn:uuid:e2854c9a-1c9c-420b-bef6-b8bb916117fa 2.1 Developers Develop, test, compare, and use implementations of holon-based architecture. Implementers Demonstrate implementation of holon-based architectural concepts in differing technical environments. Implementation References ~ This Objective corresponds to Article II, Objective 3, “Implementation Reference,” of the proposed charter. The charter calls for identifying and testing implementations across multiple technology stacks, serialization formats, and deployment environments. The intent is implementation pluralism rather than endorsement of a single canonical platform. The group's scope includes specifications and reference implementations, not platforms. Infrastructure Enable holons and holonic architectures to be addressable, linkable, navigable, and renderable through Web-like infrastructure oriented toward scenarios, states, and events. urn:uuid:f94862fc-6268-451b-b057-6ed05835c5a6 2.2 Web community Use and contribute to Web-compatible infrastructure for addressing, linking, navigating, and rendering holonic structures. Architects Design holonic systems capable of participating in Web-like infrastructure. Developers Implement mechanisms for addressing, linking, navigating, and rendering holons. Web Infrastructure ~ This Objective corresponds to Article II, Objective 5, “Web Infrastructure,” of the proposed charter. The charter envisions a Web-like infrastructure in which scenarios, states, and events can be addressed, linked, navigated, and rendered. This extends familiar Web architectural properties into holonic structures rather than implying replacement of the existing Web. Web Standards Enable holon-based architectures to compose with RDF, JSON-LD, HTTP, SPARQL, SHACL, and successor Web standards. urn:uuid:cab374a2-04f8-4f93-b769-d75e45dba264 2.3 World Wide Web Consortium Provides the standards environment within which many of the Web technologies with which HBA is intended to compose are developed. Existing standards communities Develop and maintain standards with which holon-based architectures are intended to compose. Semantic Web engineers Apply RDF, JSON-LD, SPARQL, SHACL, and related technologies in interoperable holonic systems. Web Standards Interoperability ~ This Objective corresponds to Article II, Objective 7, “Interoperability,” of the proposed charter. The charter explicitly identifies RDF, JSON-LD, HTTP, SPARQL, SHACL, and successor Web standards. The intended approach is compositional: HBA should work with existing Web standards rather than require wholesale adoption of new infrastructure. Demonstration Enable holon-based architectures to demonstrate practical value across domains and provide viable entry points for adoption. urn:uuid:8afc3475-d1f7-4fa0-ae86-2f87d20cfc19 3 Domain communities Explore and demonstrate applications of holon-based architecture in differing domains. Implementers Apply holon-based architecture to practical systems and demonstrate viable adoption paths. Architects Apply holonic architectural patterns to domain-specific requirements and use cases. Developers Develop implementations demonstrating practical applications of holon-based architecture. Domain Application and Adoption ~ This Goal is inferred primarily from Article II, Objective 4, “Use Cases and Domain Application,” of the proposed Holon Community Group charter. The Goal expresses the intended result of the charter objective rather than treating the activities of identifying and documenting use cases as ends in themselves. The charter presents holon-based architecture as a general-purpose systems pattern rather than an architecture limited to a particular domain or to artificial intelligence. Use Cases Demonstrate the applicability of holon-based architecture through use cases spanning multiple domains and identify viable entry points for adoption. urn:uuid:fbb6bcec-9402-45a8-a588-d99bb203e237 3.1 Domain communities Provide requirements, use cases, implementation contexts, and evidence concerning the applicability of holon-based architecture. Implementers Test holon-based architectural concepts against practical use cases and deployment requirements. Use Cases and Domain Application ~ This Objective corresponds to Article II, Objective 4, “Use Cases and Domain Application,” of the proposed charter. The charter calls for identifying use cases across domains both to validate HBA concepts and to identify practical entry points for adoption. Use cases therefore serve both evidentiary and adoption purposes. Guidance Enable prospective adopters to understand and apply holon-based architectural patterns through specifications, reference implementations, examples, and best-practice guidance. urn:uuid:c27d22fd-4cf3-49ed-8d6b-737c8dba6bb9 3.2 Prospective adopters Use specifications, examples, reference implementations, and guidance to evaluate and apply holon-based architecture. Contributors to the Holon Community Group Develop specifications, examples, reference implementations, use cases, and guidance supporting implementation and adoption. Implementation Guidance ~ This Objective is inferred from the repository's intended outputs rather than appearing among the seven numbered objectives in Article II of the proposed charter. Repository materials identify specifications, reference implementations, use cases, examples, and best-practice guidance as mechanisms for making HBA understandable and implementable. Those artifacts are treated here as means toward the intended result of enabling adoption rather than as strategic results in themselves. ^^ DataBook is a concrete implementation mechanism associated with this work. It is described as a document format for semantic documents combining human-readable Markdown with typed RDF, SPARQL, and SHACL payloads and self-describing YAML frontmatter. Its reference implementation is maintained separately from this repository as a single upstream source of truth. DataBook is treated here as a means supporting implementation and adoption rather than as an intended result in itself. Maturation Enable sufficiently mature Holon Community Group outputs to progress toward broader standardization where community consensus and implementation experience justify doing so. urn:uuid:be350f61-d593-4867-8872-52d18a817c67 3.3 World Wide Web Consortium Provides processes through which sufficiently mature community work may potentially inform subsequent standards activity. Standards bodies Evaluate mature holon-based architectural concepts for potential use in standards and related specifications. Existing standards communities Provide relevant standards, implementation experience, and opportunities for coordination rather than duplication. Standards Maturation ~ This Objective is inferred from the W3C Community Group context and repository materials concerning Community Group reports and possible progression of mature work. It should not be interpreted as a commitment by W3C to establish a Working Group or adopt any HCG output as a W3C Recommendation. Any such progression would be subject to applicable W3C processes, community interest, consensus, implementation experience, and subsequent decisions. Contexts Enable holon-based architectures to provide structured, grounded, and verifiable contexts for neurosymbolic and artificial intelligence systems. urn:uuid:d369d0fd-58ed-416c-936b-f955420417c8 4 AI researchers Explore the use of holon-based architecture for grounded and constrained artificial intelligence processing. Knowledge graph practitioners Develop and apply structured knowledge capable of grounding neurosymbolic processing. Developers Implement AI and neurosymbolic systems using holonic knowledge structures and constraints. Neurosymbolic Knowledge Infrastructure ~ This Goal is inferred from Article II, Objective 6, “Neurosymbolic Integration,” together with the charter's broader principles concerning boundaries, provenance, declarative verification, and interoperability. Artificial intelligence is an application area for HBA rather than the defining scope of HBA; the charter treats holon-based architecture as a general-purpose systems pattern applicable with or without AI. Reasoning Enable holon-based architecture to ground neurosymbolic processing by providing explicit, structured, and verifiable contexts for reasoning. urn:uuid:5b08cf20-c0a9-43b2-824b-a318b450fa34 4.1 AI researchers Investigate neurosymbolic processing grounded in holon-based architectural structures. Knowledge graph practitioners Provide structured semantic contexts supporting neurosymbolic reasoning. Neurosymbolic Integration ~ This Objective corresponds to Article II, Objective 6, “Neurosymbolic Integration,” of the proposed charter. The charter calls for exploring how HBA can ground neurosymbolic processing and provide structural constraints for artificial intelligence systems. AI Outputs Reduce unsupported or structurally inconsistent AI outputs by grounding processing in explicit holonic contexts, boundaries, relationships, provenance, and declaratively verifiable constraints. urn:uuid:005d63ee-baae-42e2-837e-94c6ebf606ae 4.2 AI researchers Evaluate whether holonic structures and constraints improve the grounding and reliability of AI systems. Developers Implement and test mechanisms for grounding AI processing in holonic contexts and constraints. Users of artificial intelligence systems Benefit from AI outputs that are more effectively grounded, constrained, traceable, and verifiable. AI Grounding and Constraint ~ This Objective is inferred from the charter's discussion of using HBA to help constrain AI hallucination together with its principles of declarative verifiability, mediated boundaries, and provenance. The intended result is expressed here as reducing unsupported or structurally inconsistent outputs rather than claiming that HBA can eliminate hallucination. Such effectiveness would require empirical validation. ^^ DataBook materials characterize DataBooks as practical instantiations of holonic boundary conditions in a knowledge graph architecture, with metadata defining identity and scope, structured content representing internal graph reality, and prose providing a human-facing projection. Such mechanisms provide a potential implementation path for the contextual grounding and constraint envisioned by this Objective, but their effectiveness in reducing unsupported AI outputs remains to be empirically demonstrated. 2026-09-07 https://github.com/w3c-cg/holon Owen Ambur Owen.Ambur@verizon.net