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Instance

1        Introduction

This section collects the functionalities that refer to a Metaverse Instance. It is organised in the following sub-areas:

Management
Organisation
Features
Storage 
Process Management
Security
Services

2        Management

This subsection identifies and defines Functionalities that enable a Metaverse Manager to manage a Metaverse Instance.

Area 1. Metaverse Instance
Subarea 1.1 Management
Title 1.1.1 Complete Layer Management
Description A Metaverse Manager owns/operates/maintains all Layers of a Metaverse Instance.
Comment All Layers of a Metaverse Instance are managed and operated by a single entity. The Metaverse Instance may have any architecture, e.g., a non-layered one.
 
Area 1. Metaverse Instance
Subarea 1.1 Management
Title 1.1.2 Partial Layer Management
Description A Metaverse Manager owns/operates/maintains some of the Layers of a Metaverse Instance.
Comment 1.      The different Layers of a Metaverse Instance or its component services are managed and operated by different entities E.g., the Infrastructure Layer may be managed and operated by a telecom operator.

2.      Some Enabling Services, e.g., Blockchain and Marketplace, may be provided by entities possibly providing their services to different Metaverse Instances.

3.      Some Services, e.g., traffic monitoring, weather forecast, etc., maybe provided by External Service Providers, and typically used by Meta­verse Environments.

3        Organisation

This subsection identifies and defines Functionalities that enable a Metaverse Manager to operate a Metaverse Instance.

Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.1 Centralised Functionalities
Description A Metaverse Instance supports centralised Functionalities.
Comment The Metaverse Manager collects, stores, and manages the Data generated in their Metaverse Instance.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title Terms of Services – General
Description A Metaverse Manager sets the Terms of Service of a centralised Metaverse Instance.
Comment The Terms of Service determine Rights and of Duties that Metaverse Instance Users, e.g., Metaverse Operators, Metaverse Partners, and End Users should have.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.2 Terms of Services – Ethical
Description The Terms of Service of a Metaverse Instance include the ethical requirements that Users shall conform to.
Comment The Terms of Service may extend beyond the requirements set by the laws of the jurisdiction under which the Metaverse Instance operates.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.3 Decentralised Functionalities
Description A Metaverse Instance supports decentralised Functionalities.
Comment A decentralised function may be the Smart Contract on which a virtual society is established and the Blockchain for enabling the required Transactions.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.4 Rights and Duties
Description Rights and Duties of Users joining a Decentralised Metaverse Instance are set and controlled by Smart Contracts.
Comment A Smart Contract defines the ownership of a parcel in the Metaverse Instance without centralised control.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.5 Permissioned Functionalities
Description A Metaverse Instance supports permissioned Functionalities.
Comment Access to a Metaverse Instance requires permission, e.g., because the Metaverse Instance serves the needs of a company.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.6 Permissionless Functionalities
Description A Metaverse Instance supports permissionless Functionalities.
Comment Access to a Metaverse Instance does not require permission. The Instance is typically decentralised.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.7 Trust-less Functionalities
Description A Metaverse supports Trust-less Functionalities.
Comment Two Users making a Transaction need to trust each other.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.2 Organisation
Title 1.2.8 Decentralised Apps
Description A Metaverse Instance uses a Blockchain to enable dApps.
Comment The Blockchain provides the peer-to-peer infrastructure enabling the Decentra­lised Application to run.

4        Features

This subsection identifies and defines the Functionalities that enables a Metaverse Instance to offer a set of features.

Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.3 Features
Title 1.3.1 Concurrent Users
Description A Metaverse Instance supports an arbitrary number of concurrent Users and Digital Objects, especially Digitised Humans.
Comment A User of a Metaverse Instance may add an arbitrary number of Digital Humans to an Environment within the constraints of their subscription plan.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.3 Features
Title 1.3.2 Limited concurrent Users
Description The Metaverse Manager sets a limit to the number of concurrent Users.
Comment While the Metaverse specifications should be written in such a way that a limitless increase of a Metaverse Instance complexity is possible, a specific Metaverse Manager may have limited ICT resources and only support a bounded complexity.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.3 Features
Title 1.3.3 Synchronous Experiences
Description A Metaverse Instance offers Users Experiences that appear as synchronous to an arbitrary large number of Users.
Comment Users can interact with one another and with a Metaverse Environment in real time as if they were in a Universe Environment.
Note Currently, large events made available by Metaverse Instances cannot offer the same Experience to all participants. Groups of Users are created sharing a full synchronous Experience and have full Interactivity with other Users. Users belonging to other groups may have slightly different Experiences and not have full Interaction with Users in other Groups.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.3 Features
Title 1.3.4 Persistent Environment
Description A Metaverse Environment is persistent, i.e., it runs continuously and continues to exist and evolve independently of whether Users are active in it or not.
Comment A User who left an Environment may find upon returning that the Environment has changed since they left it, i.e., the lights are now on because it is “night”.
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.3 Features
Title 1.3.5 Persistent Object
Description An Object remains available to those who have the Right to access it and for as long as the Metaverse Environment Operator decides or until a Process removes it.
Comment An Object may disappear because a User has achieved a certain number of points in a game or because it is “sunset” in a Metaverse Environment.

5        Storage

This subsection identifies and defines Functionalities offered by a Metaverse Instance.

Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.1 Persistent Storage
Description A Metaverse stores Data permanently and securely.
Comment Critical data may be stored on the Metaverse Blockchain.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.2 Storage and Retrieval Interface
Description A User stores, searches, and retrieves Data through a standard interface.
Comment A User can search for and access an Event in a Metaverse Instance.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.3 Time and Space Management
Description A Metaverse Instance manages the Data it collects based on time and space.
Comment A User can:

1.      Experience an Event related to a certain Metaverse Environment at a Time past, or,

2.      Schedule the recording of an Event in the future.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.4 Storage Interoperability
Description A Metaverse Instance supports Interoperability between its own Data and the Data stored in another Metaverse Instance.
Comment A User may access Data stored on the Ethereum Blockchain used by a Metaverse Instance while being in another Metaverse Instance that uses the Cardano Blockchain.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.5 Blockchain Interface
Description A Metaverse Instance uses a standard interface to store, search and retrieve Data on the Blockchain used by the Instance.
Comment The Format may be used to store Events on the Blockchain.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.6 Recording of Event
Description A User requests that an Event be recorded.
Comments Recording of an Event is subject Rights.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.7 Entity Creation
Description A User requests a Service Provider to open a content creation session.
Comments A Metaverse Environment can also offer anative content creation service.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.8 Entity Storage
Description A User stores an Entity at an Address.
Comment A User selects, duplicates, and stores Objects at an Address.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.9 Copy Entity
Description A User duplicates an Entity or some of its Objects.
Comment A User selects, duplicates, and stores Objects at an Address.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.10 Entity Erasure
Description A User erases an Entity from an Address.
Comment Erasure of an Entity is based on Rights.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.4 Storage
Title 1.4.11 Entity Editing
Description A User edits the Metadata of an Entity
Comment Editing includes see, add, remove, change, copy of metadata items. Editing of each item may be subject to Rights.

6        Process Management

This subsection identifies and defines the Functionalities that enable a Metaverse Instance to manage its Processes.

Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.5 Process Management
Title 1.5.1 Smart Contract
Description A Metaverse uses Smart Contracts stored on a Blockchain.
Comment The Metaverse’s Blockchain is used to enable Smart Contracts.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.5 Process Management
Title 1.5.2 Smart Contract Monitoring
Description The Metaverse Instance monitors Smart Contracts for consistency, e.g., adherence to rules, and security.
Comment The distributed executability of Smart Contracts may affect the security of a Metaverse Instance. A Metaverse Operator may decide to stop and kill a Smart Contract upon detecting critical situations.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.5 Process Management
Title 1.5.3 Smart Contract Interoperability
Description The function of a Smart Contracts of a Metaverse Instance is executed in another Metaverse Instance.
Comment This may be possible even if the Blockchains of the two Metaverse Instances are different.

7        Security

This Subsection identifies and defines the Functionalities that enable a Metaverse Instance to offer security functions.

Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.6 Security
Title 1.6.1 User Profile Security
Description A Metaverse Instance ensures that a malicious User does not take over the Profile of another User.
Comment A Metaverse Instance guarantees a User that a malicious User cannot impersonate them.
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.6 Security
Title 1.6.2 Data Security
Description A Metaverse Instance ensures that a malicious User does not take over the Data of another User.
Comment A Metaverse Instance guarantees a that a malicious User does not appropriate any of their Assets.
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.6 Security
Title 1.6.3 Device Security
Description A Metaverse Instance ensures that a malicious User does not take over or compromise a Device that has passed security verification.
Comment A Device Testing regime makes sure that a malicious User cannot take over or compromise a Device used by a Metaverse Instance to capture data from the Universe or by a User to interact with a Metaverse Instance.
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.6 Security
Title 1.6.4 Security against attacks
Description A Metaverse ensures that a malicious User does not cyber-attack Services or Assets.
Comment A Metaverse Instance guarantees Assets beyond stealing.
 
Area 1. Instance
Subarea 1.6 Security
Title 1.6.5 Anti-DDOS security
Description A Metaverse Instance withstands denial of service attacks.
Comment DDoS stretches a Metaverse Instance’s ability to support a large number of concurrent Users.

8        Services

This Subsection collects the Functionalities that refer to Services provided by a Metaverse Instance.

Area 1. Metaverse Instance
Subarea 1.7 Services
Title 1.7.1 Teleporting
Description A User Instantiates and Renders themselves at a specific Location.
Comments Teleporting information includes

1.      Location, composed of Metaverse Instance, Metaverse Environment, and Portion of Metaverse Environment

2.      Spatial Attitude
 
Area 1. Metaverse Instance
Subarea 1.7 Services
Title 1.7.2 Group Teleporting
Description A User requests that a group of Users be teleported as a group to a specific Location.
Comments The request is made to the target Metaverse Instance by giving destination Location, UserIDs, and Spatial Attitudes.

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