article: id: CA-UI-005 title: Theory and Discipline Crosswalk Schema version: 1.0 status: canonical type: specification parent_protocol: CA-UI-001 depends_on: - CA-UI-002 - CA-UI-003 - CA-UI-004
Purpose
purpose: > Allow external disciplines, theories, models, datasets and research traditions to connect to Civilisation Atlas without being replaced, flattened or forced into one universal theory.
EXTERNAL RESEARCH PROVIDES DEPTH.THE CROSSWALK PROVIDES COMPATIBILITY.THE ATLAS PROVIDES LOCATION.CivOS PROVIDES OPERATING MECHANISMS.THE CONTROL TOWER PROVIDES ROUTING.
Core rule
crosswalk_rule: replace_external_model: false preserve_original_structure: true preserve_original_language: true map_to_atlas: true allow_partial_mapping: true allow_multiple_interpretations: true require_evidence: true
Crosswalk(M) ≠ Rewrite(M)Crosswalk(M) =Preserve(M)+ Locate(M)+ Translate(M)+ Connect(M)
Crosswalk object
research_crosswalk: crosswalk_id: required source_model_id: required canonical_name: required source_type: required originating_domain: required source_structure: original_terms: [] unit_of_analysis: required variables: [] mechanisms: [] outputs: [] time_horizon: optional spatial_scale: optional atlas_mapping: object_types: [] coordinate_dimensions: [] secondary_vectors: [] civos_mechanisms: [] relationship_types: [] dependency_types: [] transition_types: [] diagnostic_instruments: [] translation_rules: [] compatibility: required limitations: [] evidence_ids: required confidence: required version: required
Source types
source_types: - discipline - theory - model - framework - method - dataset - taxonomy - historical_school - analytical_lens - forecasting_system - measurement_system - simulation
Discipline registry
discipline_registry: archaeology: primary_objects: - artefact - settlement - infrastructure - material_remain - landscape history: primary_objects: - event - institution - state - civilisation - transition anthropology: primary_objects: - culture - kinship - ritual - population - social_structure economics: primary_objects: - production - exchange - labour - capital - allocation political_science: primary_objects: - state - authority - legitimacy - governance - control sociology: primary_objects: - institution - class - network - norm - population ecology: primary_objects: - ecosystem - resource - carrying_capacity - regeneration - planetary_boundary engineering: primary_objects: - infrastructure - system - process - maintenance - failure_mode complexity_science: primary_objects: - network - feedback_loop - emergence - threshold - phase_transition education: primary_objects: - knowledge - curriculum - capability_transfer - institution - population futures_studies: primary_objects: - scenario - trajectory - uncertainty - transition - forecast
Atlas mapping dimensions
atlas_mapping_dimensions: primary_coordinate: - capability - lifecycle - habitat secondary_state: - basefloor_health - ecological_condition - institutional_capacity - control_geometry - information_condition - regenerative_capacity - dependency_load - risk_exposure - motion_vector civos: - education - governance - production - distribution - memory - coordination - control - maintenance - repair - adaptation diagnostics: - fracture_map - repair_map - dependency_floor - lower_floor_law - control_geometry - sensor_and_signal_map - transition_test - staircase_removal_test
Compatibility classes
compatibility_classes: DIRECT: definition: > The source variable or mechanism maps cleanly to an existing Atlas field. PARTIAL: definition: > The source overlaps with an Atlas field but retains additional meaning that must be preserved. COMPOSITE: definition: > One source concept maps to multiple Atlas fields. DERIVED: definition: > The Atlas mapping is inferred from several source variables. ANALOGICAL: definition: > The mapping is useful for comparison but is not identical. UNMAPPED: definition: > No valid Atlas equivalent currently exists. CONFLICTING: definition: > The source assumes definitions incompatible with the current Atlas schema.
Translation contract
translation_rule: rule_id: required source_term: required source_definition: required atlas_target: field_ids: [] mapping_type: required preserved_difference: required transformation_logic: required confidence: required
Example:
translation_rule: rule_id: CA-XWALK-TAINTER-COMPLEXITY-001 source_term: complexity source_definition: > Organisational differentiation, specialisation and information-processing structure requiring increasing support. atlas_target: field_ids: - institutional_capacity - dependency_load - maintenance - control_geometry mapping_type: COMPOSITE preserved_difference: > Tainter's complexity is not reduced to institutional capacity. Its maintenance cost and diminishing-return structure remain attached to the source theory. transformation_logic: > Map organisational complexity to institutions, dependency and maintenance while retaining the original causal model. confidence: high
Variable mapping
variable_mapping: source_variable: required source_scale: required source_unit: optional atlas_field: required atlas_scale: required conversion: type: - identity - normalisation - aggregation - disaggregation - categorical_translation - inferred - none formula: optional assumptions: [] information_loss: required confidence: required
NO SILENT CONVERSION.NO HIDDEN NORMALISATION.NO FALSE EQUIVALENCE.
Theory mapping contract
theory_mapping: theory_id: required theory_name: required proposes: unit_of_analysis: required causal_mechanisms: [] dependent_variables: [] independent_variables: [] boundary_conditions: [] expected_outcomes: [] atlas_crosswalk: relevant_objects: [] relevant_coordinates: [] relevant_mechanisms: [] relevant_dependencies: [] relevant_relationships: [] relevant_transitions: [] relevant_diagnostics: [] coverage: explains_well: [] explains_partially: [] does_not_address: [] preservation: original_theory_retained: true source_terms_retained: true atlas_is_replacement: false
Example: Kardashev scale
theory_mapping: theory_id: EXT-KARDASHEV-001 theory_name: Kardashev Scale proposes: unit_of_analysis: technological_civilisation dependent_variables: - civilisation_type independent_variables: - energy_use - energy_control causal_mechanisms: - increasing_energy_capture expected_outcomes: - higher_energy_capability atlas_crosswalk: relevant_coordinates: capability: mapping: PARTIAL fields: - energy_capture - infrastructure_scale lifecycle: mapping: UNMAPPED habitat: mapping: PARTIAL fields: - planetary_reach - stellar_reach relevant_mechanisms: - production - energy - infrastructure relevant_diagnostics: - dependency_floor - lower_floor_law coverage: explains_well: - energy_scale - technological_reach explains_partially: - habitat_extension does_not_address: - institutional_health - ecological_regeneration - lifecycle_condition - control_geometry - repair_capacity
Example: Tainter
theory_mapping: theory_id: EXT-TAINTER-001 theory_name: Diminishing Returns to Complexity proposes: unit_of_analysis: complex_society independent_variables: - organisational_complexity - maintenance_cost - resource_input dependent_variables: - marginal_return - systemic_stability - collapse_risk causal_mechanisms: - increasing_complexity - rising_support_cost - diminishing_marginal_returns expected_outcomes: - institutional_burden - declining_resilience - simplification - collapse atlas_crosswalk: relevant_coordinates: capability: mapping: PARTIAL fields: - administrative_capability - institutional_complexity lifecycle: mapping: DIRECT fields: - drift - descent - collapse habitat: mapping: UNMAPPED relevant_mechanisms: - governance - maintenance - allocation - production relevant_dependencies: - energy - institutional_support - material_throughput relevant_diagnostics: - fracture_map - dependency_floor - repair_map
Example: Ostrom
theory_mapping: theory_id: EXT-OSTROM-001 theory_name: Polycentric Commons Governance proposes: unit_of_analysis: shared_resource_system independent_variables: - rule_design - monitoring - local_participation - graduated_sanctions - nested_governance dependent_variables: - resource_persistence - cooperation - institutional_resilience causal_mechanisms: - local_rule_formation - monitoring - distributed_governance - feedback - conflict_resolution atlas_crosswalk: relevant_coordinates: capability: mapping: PARTIAL fields: - governance_capability lifecycle: mapping: DIRECT fields: - repair - stabilisation - regeneration habitat: mapping: UNMAPPED relevant_mechanisms: - governance - control - feedback - repair relevant_diagnostics: - control_geometry - sensor_and_signal_map - repair_map
Multi-theory object
multi_theory_mapping: target_object: required applicable_theories: - theory_id: required explanatory_scope: required confidence: required overlap_matrix: required contradiction_matrix: required uncovered_dimensions: []
Example:
multi_theory_mapping: target_object: CA-HIS-CIV-ROMAN-EMPIRE-LATE applicable_theories: - theory_id: EXT-TAINTER-001 explanatory_scope: maintenance_cost_and_complexity confidence: high - theory_id: EXT-WORLD-SYSTEMS-001 explanatory_scope: core_periphery_and_resource_flows confidence: medium - theory_id: EXT-CLIMATE-HISTORY-001 explanatory_scope: ecological_and_disease_stress confidence: medium uncovered_dimensions: - habitat_independence - information_integrity
Overlap matrix
overlap_matrix: theories: - theory_a - theory_b shared: objects: [] variables: [] mechanisms: [] outcomes: [] differences: scale: [] time_horizon: [] causal_priority: [] assumptions: [] relationship: - complementary - overlapping - nested - contradictory - orthogonal
Contradiction contract
theory_conflict: conflict_id: required theory_a: required theory_b: required disputed_issue: required positions: theory_a_claim: required theory_b_claim: required evidence_for_a: [] evidence_for_b: [] shared_evidence: [] conflict_type: - definition - causation - scale - measurement - interpretation - prediction resolution_status: - unresolved - conditionally_reconciled - empirically_resolved - scale_dependent - context_dependent
THE ATLAS STORES DISAGREEMENT.THE ATLAS DOES NOT ERASE IT.
Discipline-level crosswalk
discipline_crosswalk: discipline_id: required discipline_name: required dominant_units_of_analysis: [] primary_evidence_types: [] common_methods: [] common_outputs: [] atlas_entry_points: object_types: [] coordinate_dimensions: [] civos_mechanisms: [] relationship_classes: [] diagnostics: [] depth_preservation: specialist_methods_remain_external: true specialist_evidence_remains_citable: true atlas_stores_full_depth: false atlas_routes_to_depth: true
Depth routing rule
function route_to_depth(question, atlas_result): required_depth = detect_required_specialisation(question) if required_depth == "general": return atlas_result disciplines = identify_relevant_disciplines(required_depth) source_models = retrieve_crosswalked_models(disciplines) evidence = retrieve_specialist_sources(source_models) return compose( atlas_location = atlas_result, specialist_depth = source_models, evidence = evidence )
THE ATLAS DOES NOT CONTAIN ALL DEPTH.THE ATLAS KNOWS WHERE DEPTH LIVES.
Crosswalk coverage score
coverage_score: coordinate_coverage: capability: 0.0_to_1.0 lifecycle: 0.0_to_1.0 habitat: 0.0_to_1.0 mechanism_coverage: 0.0_to_1.0 dependency_coverage: 0.0_to_1.0 evidence_coverage: 0.0_to_1.0 overall: derived
overall_coverage = weighted_mean( coordinate_coverage, mechanism_coverage, dependency_coverage, evidence_coverage )
Unmapped concept rule
unmapped_concept: concept_id: required source_model: required source_term: required source_definition: required reason_unmapped: - no_existing_field - incompatible_scale - insufficient_definition - disputed_concept - schema_gap action: - preserve_as_external - propose_new_atlas_field - await_review - reject_mapping
UNMAPPED ≠ INVALIDUNMAPPED MAY INDICATEAN ATLAS SCHEMA GAP.
Crosswalk generation runtime
function build_crosswalk(source_model): preserve(source_model.original_structure) identify: unit_of_analysis variables mechanisms evidence outputs boundaries map: source_objects -> atlas_object_types source_variables -> atlas_fields source_mechanisms -> civos_mechanisms source_relations -> atlas_relationships source_outcomes -> transitions_and_diagnostics classify_each_mapping: DIRECT PARTIAL COMPOSITE DERIVED ANALOGICAL UNMAPPED CONFLICTING record: information_loss assumptions limitations evidence confidence validate_preservation() return crosswalk
Query runtime
query: "Which theories explain object X?"return: crosswalks(target_object = X) explanatory_scope coverage conflicts uncovered_dimensions
query: "How does theory Y connect to the Atlas?"return: source_structure(Y) atlas_mapping(Y) preserved_differences(Y) limitations(Y)
query: "Which disciplines provide depth for problem Z?"return: relevant_disciplines(Z) mapped_methods source_models evidence_routes
Validation runtime
function validate_crosswalk(crosswalk): require(crosswalk.source_model_id) require(crosswalk.originating_domain) require(crosswalk.source_structure.unit_of_analysis) require(crosswalk.evidence_ids) require(crosswalk.compatibility) require(crosswalk.confidence) reject(mapping_without_source_definition) reject(direct_mapping_with_information_loss) reject(external_theory_marked_as_atlas_substitute) reject(flattened_source_model) reject(unrecorded_assumptions) preserve_unmapped_concepts() preserve_conflicting_interpretations() return VALID
Canonical rule
canonical_rule: > Every external discipline, theory or model must retain its original structure, terminology, assumptions, evidence and limitations. Atlas mapping provides interoperability only; it does not establish equivalence, ownership or replacement.
Runtime summary
THEORIES EXPLAIN DIFFERENT PARTS.DISCIPLINES OPERATE AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS.THE CROSSWALK TRANSLATES WITHOUT FLATTENING.DIRECT MATCHES ARE CONNECTED.PARTIAL MATCHES RETAIN THEIR DIFFERENCES.CONFLICTS REMAIN VISIBLE.UNMAPPED CONCEPTS REMAIN OPEN.THE ATLAS BECOMES UNIVERSALBY CONNECTING DEPTH,NOT BY PRETENDING TO CONTAIN ALL OF IT.