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IES Common

What will IES Common be?

IES Common will comprise a foundational ontology layer or Top Level Ontology (TLO), and IES Core – a general, cross-domain, layer. IES Common will underpin the Information Exchange Standard (IES), providing a structured, standardised, and extensible framework for defining and exchanging data across multiple domains.

The foundation ontology layer, or TLO, will contain 4D abstract concepts that form the basis of all other layers. These concepts are stable and change infrequently. These include:

1

Abstract Concepts

Thing, Element, Group Of Items, Possible World, Stuff
2

Spatio-Temporal Concepts

Entity-State, Period Of Time, Location, Event, Event Participant
3

Meta Classes

Class Of Element, Class Of Entity-State, Class Of Event

IES Core, the general, cross-domain layer, will contain:

1

Physical Concepts

for example, Actor, Asset, Device, Vehicle, GeoPoint, Country, and Region
2

Geographical Concepts

for example Location, Address, Altitude, Country, Crossing, GeoPoint, and Geographic Feature
3

Social Concepts

for example, Responsible Actor, Person, Organisation, and Post
4

Core Events

for example, Movement, Lifecycle Event, Business Event, Communication, End To End Activity
5

Information & Representation

for example, Representation, Name, Identifier, Measure Value, language, and Document

IES Common will ensure that all data—regardless of sector or system—adheres to a consistent structure, enabling seamless integration, interpretation, and reuse across industries. It serves as the common model, upon which domain-specific extensions can be developed to address sector or industry-specific requirements while maintaining interoperability.