An M-Instance operates according to the following Metaverse Operation Model.

  1. An M-Instance is an Information and Communication Technology platform operating according to this Technical Specification and providing the following general functions:
    • To sense data from U-Locations.
    • To process the sensed data and produce Data.
    • To produce one or more M-Environments populated by Objects that can be either digitised or virtual, the latter with or without autonomy.
    • To process Objects from the M-Instance or potentially from other M-Instances.
    • To affect U- and/or M-Environments using Objects in ways that are:
      • Consistent with the goals set for the M-Instance.
      • Within the Capabilities of the M-Instance.
      • According to the Rules of the M-Instance.
      • Respecting applicable laws and regulations.
  1. An M-Instance
    • May be subdivided in administratively separated M-Environments.
    • May make its Capabilities known.
    • May allow a human to Register with the M-Instance or one of its M-Environments.
    • May request a Registering human to provide a subset of their Personal Profile.
    • May give a Registered human the Rights to deploy one or more:
      • Users and Devices each with M-Instance-specific Rights.
      • Personae, i.e., human-like, or humanoid Models used by deployed Users to render themselves.
    • May establish Rules that the Users in the M-Instance shall comply with.
    • May penalise Users for lack of compliance with the Rules.
  2. An M-Instance
    • Is implemented as a set of Processes providing Functionalities defined by this Technical Specification.
    • Creates Items by processing sensed data and autonomously produced data.
    • Employs Data Types to represent entities such as Amount (of a Currency), length, area, and volume etc.
  3. An M-Instance may support four types of Processes:
    • User represents and is under the control of a human who has Registered with the M-Instance. A User may run on the M-Instance or on a Device connected to the M-Instance.
    • Device is one or more Processes running on a physical device connecting M-Locations to U-Locations, specifically the Registered human, by:
      • Capturing scenes as Media and providing Media as Data/Metadata (U-Location to M-Location). Data/Metadata shall be Identified as an Item to enable Processes to perform Actions.
      • Receiving an Entity and rending it as Media with a Spatial Attitude (Position and Orientation) – M-Location to a U-Location.
    • Service provides specific functionalities.
    • App runs on a Device. A Device may run the User Process as an App.

Figure 1 – The human-device-user-persona chain

  1. A Process in an M-Instance:
    • Is composed of:
      • A Program having a Format supported by the M-Instance.
      • Metadata describing the Program and containing the following as a minimum:

Table 2 – Minimum Metadata of a Process

Metadata elements Details
ProcessID The ID of the Process.
InRightsID The ID of the User’s Rights to Act granted to the Process.
OutRightsID The ID of the Rights a User may acquire on the Process.
DescrMdata Any description of the Process.
  • Provides Functionalities by performing Actions on Items that contain:
    • Data whose Format is supported by the M-Instance.
    • Metadata describing the Item and containing the following as a minimum:

Table 3 – Minimum Metadata for Item

Metadata elements Details
ItemID The ID of the Item.
DescrMdata Any description of the Item.
  • May request other Processes to perform Actions by transmitting a standard Request-Action Item and responding to a Request-Action with a Response-Action:

Table 4 – Elements of Request-Action and Response-Action

Request-Action Response-Action Details
Request-Action ID Response-Action ID Unique ID
Emission Time Emission Time Tine of Issuance
Source Process ID Source Process ID Requesting Process ID
Destination Process ID Destination Process ID Requested Process ID
InItems OutItems In/Output Items required by the Action
InLocations Locations of InItems
OutLocations Locations of OutItems
OutRights Expected Rights on OutItems
  • Performs the Request if:
    • The requesting Process holds the Rights that are required to perform the request.
    • The requested Process holds Rights to perform the requested Action on the Item.
  • May Perform, or request another Process to perform, Actions on Items even in the absence of Rights, if the Rules so allow.
  1. An M-Instance identifies Processes/Items with one more than one Identifier. Each Identifier uniquely refers to only one Process/Item.
  2. An M-Instance may require that Processes be Certified if imported and used in the M-Instance.
  3. An M-Instance may enable a Process:
    • To communicate to a Process in another M-Instance through an M-Instance’s Resolution Service.
    • To obtain conversion of the Format of an Item’s Data by calling a Conversion Service.
    • To specify their communication needs by:
      • Requesting the needed maximum and average bitrate value.
      • Reserving the needed bitrate for a time and a location.
      • Requesting that the same simultaneous Experience be provided to a specified number of Devices.

Figure 2 – Resolution and Conversion Services

Future versions of this Technical Specification may specify:

  1. Additional Actions and Items.
  2. Profiles of Actions and Items.