<-Scope Go to ToC References ->
Capitalised Terms used in MMM-ARC and MMM-TEC have the meaning defined in Table 1. Terms applicable to all MPAI Technical Specifications are defined in Table 2. Non-capitalised terms letter have the meaning commonly defined for the context in which they are used or represent an entity in the real world. For instance,
- Table 1 defines Object, Scene, and User but does not define object, scene, and human.
- Object indicates an Item but object indicates an entity in the Universe commonly classified as object.
A dash “-” preceding a Term in Table 1 means the following:
- If the font is normal, the Term in the table without a dash and preceding the one with a dash should be placed before that Term. The notation is used to concentrate in one place all the Terms that are composed of, e.g., the word Decentralised followed by one of the words Application, Autonomous Organisation, Finance, System, and User Identifier, or definitions belonging to the same class, e.g., Action and Items.
- If the font is italic, the Term in the table without a dash and preceding the one with a dash should be placed after that Term. The notation is used to concentrate in one place all the Terms that are composed of, e.g., the word Interface preceded by one of the words Brain-Computer, Haptic, Speech, and Visual.
- If the term is underlined, it is a definition of the components of Actions, Items and Processes.
Table 1 – General Terms and Definitions
Terms | Definitions |
Account | An Item that uniquely references a human Registered on the M-Instance managing the Account. |
Action | A Functionality provided by a Process. |
– Authenticate | The Action of requesting that a Service confirm that an Item is what it claims to be. |
– Author | The Action of Calling a Service to obtain an Item with associated OutRights to Act on the Item. |
– Change | The Action of requesting that a Service modify the Rights of a User and provide OutRights, e.g., to further Change the Rights. |
– Convert | The Action of requesting that a Service Modify an Item according to a provided Data Qualifier. |
– Discover | The Action of requesting that a Service provide information about Items or Processes satisfying the conditions expressed in the request. |
– Execute | The Action of requesting that a Process execute the conditions of a non-executable Contract. |
– Hide | The Action of requesting that a Service make the ID of an Item unavailable and provide OutRights, e.g., to make the ID available again. |
– Identify | The Action of requesting that a Service produce an Item from Data & Metadata. |
– Inform | The Action of requesting that a Service provide information about an Item or Process, such as the Metadata of an Item. |
– Interpret | The Action of requesting that a Service provide interpretations of an InItem, such as translation or extraction of Personal Status. |
– MM-Add | The Action of requesting that a Service add an Item at an M-Location with a Spatial Attitude and provide OutRights to Act on the MM-Added Item. |
– MM-Animate | The Action of requesting that a Service change the features of a Model MM-Embedded at an M-Location with a Stream and provide the OutRights to Act on the MM-Animated Item. |
– MM-Disable | The Action of requesting that a Service stop MM-Enabling selected Items Embedded at an M-Location and provide OutRights to Act on the MM-Disabled Entities. |
– MM-Embed | The Composite Action of requesting that a Service MM-Add and MM-Enable an Item either located at a Service or at an M-Location at a destination M-Location with a Spatial Attitude and provide OutRights to Act on the MM-Embedded Item. |
– MM-Enable | The Action of requesting that a Service accept requests to MM-Send selected Entities MM-Added at an M-Location or to MM-Embed those selected Entities at a destination M-Location and provide OutRights to act on the M-Entities. |
– MM-Send | The Action of requesting that a Process forward an Item or Data/Metadata to a Process with appropriate Rights to act on Item or Data/Metadata. |
– Modify | The Action of requesting that a Service produce a new Item from an existing Item by providing new Data and Metadata with the OutRights to further Act on the new Item. |
– MU-Actuate | The Action of requesting that a Device present an Item available at a Device to a U-Location as Media with a Spatial Attitude. |
– MU-Embed | The Composite Action of requesting that: 1. A Service MM-Send selected Entities Embedded at an M-Location to a Device. 2. The Device MU-Actuate the Item received at a U-Location with a Spatial Attitude. |
– MU-Send | The Action of requesting that a Process transmit an Item to a Device or store an Item at an Address. |
– Post | The Action of requesting that a Marketplace include an Asset to its repertory of Assets. |
– Register | The Action of requesting that a Service grant selected Processes of a human the Rights to perform Actions in the M-Instance. |
– Resolve | The Action of requesting that a Service forward a Request-Action or a Response-Action to a Resolution Service in another M-Instance. |
– Track | The Composite Action of requesting that a Service: 1. MM-Embed a Model at an M-Location with a Spatial Attitude. 2. MU-Animate the Model MM-Embedded at an M-Location. 3. MU-Embed specified Entities at the M-Location to a U-Location. |
– Transact | The Action of a User1 (“sender”) requesting that a Service: 1. Assign Rights on an Asset to User2 (“receiver”). 2. Cause: 2.1.Wallet1 of User1 to be increased by Value1. 2.2.Wallet2 of User2 to be decreased by Value2. 2.3.Wallet3 of the Service enabling/facilitating the Transaction to be increased by Value3 (optionally). |
– UM-Animate | The Composite Action of a User requesting: 1. A Device to1.1.UM-Capture an animation stream extracted from a scene at a U-Location. 1.2.UM-Send the animation stream and Metadata to a User. 2. A Service to Identify the Animation Stream. 3. A Service to MM-Animate the Model MM-Embedded at the M-Location using the Animation Stream. |
– UM-Capture | The Action of requesting that a Device capture Media from a scene at a U-Location. |
– UM-Embed | The Composite Action of a User requesting: 1. A Device to:1.1.UM-Capture a scene at U-Location. 1.2.MM-Send Data and Device-provided Metadata to a User. 2. A Service to: 2.1.Identify an Item from UM-Sent Data and Metadata. 2.2.MM-Embed the Item at an M-Location with a Spatial Attitude. |
– UM-Send | The Action of a Device acquiring Data & Metadata from an Address. |
– Validate | The Action of requesting that a Service verify that a Process has the Rights to perform or request a Process to perform an Action on an Item. |
Avatar | A digital representation of a real or fictitious human. |
Blockchain | A shared immutable ledger stored on a peer-to-peer network of computers. |
Certification | The attestation that a Process or Item has specified characteristics. |
Connected Autonomous Vehicle | (CAV) A vehicle able to autonomously reach a U-Location by using its own sensing and processing capabilities to generate an M-Instance, sharing its M-Instance with other CAVs and issuing actuation commands to its Motion Actuation Subsystem. |
Coordinates | A set of numbers used to represent a Position in an M-Instance using a coordinate system. |
Conversion | The process of Modifying the Data of an Item according to a provided Data Qualifier. |
Data | Information represented in digital form. |
– Format | The syntax and semantics of Data. |
– Qualifier | Data about Data designed for use by a Machine. |
DataMdata | The combination of Data and Metadata that is not (yet) an Item. |
Decentralised | |
– Application | (dApp) A Process that runs on a decentralised computing system. |
– Autonomous Organisation | (DAO) An organisation without centralised leadership, where the main governing rules are typically encoded by means of a Smart Contract. |
– Finance | (DeFi) A financial technology based on a secure infrastructure of distributed ledgers like those used by crypto currencies. |
– System | A set of dApps enabling a group of Users to make decisions without a centralised entity. |
Device | Equipment enabling: – A U-Environment to interact with an M-Instance and/or- An M-Instance to interact with a U-Environment. |
Duty | A moral or legal obligation to act or behave. |
Entitlement | The state of a User having certain Rights in an M-Instance. |
Functional Requirement | A Functionality that is expected to be provided by an entity. |
Human | |
– Digital | Either a Digitised or a Virtual Human. |
– Digitised | The digital representation of a human. |
– Virtual | A computer-created Object that has a human appearance when rendered but is not a Digitised Human. |
Governance | The action or manner of directing and controlling actors of the Metaverse Ecosystem. |
Information and Communication Technologies | (ICT) Technologies that enable the processing and distribution of information via the network. |
Interface | A communication pathway enabling systems to interact. |
– Brain-Computer | (BCI) A communication pathway that allows a human to interact with an M-Instance by sensing and processing the electrical activity of the brain. |
– Haptic | A communication pathway that allows a human to interact with an M-Instance through bodily movements and sensations. |
– Speech | A communication pathway that allows a human to interact with an M-Instance using spoken language. |
– Visual | A communication pathway that allows a human to interact with an M-Instance through bodily movements and visual messages. |
Interoperability | The ability of an M-Instance to exchange and make use of the data of another M-Instance as intended by the latter M-Instance. |
Item | Data and Metadata supported and identified by an M-Instance. |
– Account | An Item that uniquely references a human who has Registered. A User may have more than one Account with one or more Services. |
– Activity Data | An Item containing the record of all the Process Actions made by a Process. |
– Address | The URL of a storage facility. |
– Amount | A number expressing a Value in a Currency. |
– Asset | An Item that may be the object of a Transaction. It may be MM-Embedded at an M-Location or Posted to a Service. |
– Contract | An Item expressing terms and conditions or a Program that is activated when terms and conditions are met. |
– Smart | A Program stored on a Blockchain that runs when activated by an external entity, e.g., a User or another Smart Contract. |
– Currency | A medium of exchange enabling Transactions. |
– Emotion | The representation of a User’s Personal Status that results from its interaction with an environment, such as “Angry”, “Sad”, “Determined”. |
– Event | An Item that includes selected Entities at an M-Location and their Animations during a period. |
– Identifier | An Item that uniquely references an Item or a Process in an M-Instance. |
– M-Environment | An administratively identified subset of an M-Instance. |
– Capabilities | (E-Capabilities) An Item expressing the capabilities of an M-Environment. |
– Message | An Item containing application-specific Data MM-Sent by a Source Process to a Destination Process. |
– M-Instance | An implementation of the MMM-ARC and MMM-TEC Technical Specification. |
– M-Location | A region of an M-Instance with Space-Time attributes that is exposed as further subdivided. |
– Model | An Object that can be used to spawn other Objects, e.g., by animating them. |
– Object | An Item with at least one of Audio, Visual, or Haptic perceptibility attributes. |
– Audio | An Object perceptible by a hearing device or audible to a human when rendered. |
– Audio-Visual | An Object whose rendering has both Audio and Visual perceptibility attributes. |
– Visual | An Object perceptible by a visual device or visible to a human when rendered. |
– Orientation | An Item representing an Object’s orientation, velocity, and acceleration. |
– Persona | A Model representing a human. |
– Personal Data | An Item containing a human’s Personal Profile, Activity Data of their Users, and Personae. |
– Personal Profile | An Item containing a human’s Personal Data submitted when Registering with an M-Instance. |
– Personal Status | An Item representing the information internal to a User that characterises their behaviour. |
– Point of View | The Spatial Attitude of a Persona watching an Environment. |
– Position | The Coordinates of a point in a Metaverse Environment using a Coordinate system. |
– Program | An Item containing executable code, e.g., application program. |
– Provenance | A Data Type containing the list of all Transactions executed on an Asset, first and last included. |
– Request-Action | An Item of the request to a Process to perform an Action. |
– Response-Action | An Item containing the response of a Process to a Request-Action. |
– Rights | An Item expressing the authorisation of a Process to perform Actions on Items at M-Locations during a Time and the Rights Level. |
– Level | A type of Right, currently Internal (granted at Registration Time), Acquired (by Process Activity), Granted (by another Process). |
– Rules | An Item expressing the terms and conditions under which a Process can perform Action in an M-Instance or M-Environment. |
– Scene | A hierarchical Composition of Objects and Scenes having Spatial Attitudes. |
– Basic | A hierarchical Composition of Objects having Spatial Attitudes. |
– Social Attitude | A Personal Status Factor representing the internal state of an Entity related to the way it intends to position itself vis-à-vis the Context, e.g., “Respectful”, “Confrontational”, “Soothing”.. |
– Space-Time | An Item representing the combined digital representation of space and time. |
– Spatial Attitude | An Item representing the Position and Orientation of an Object, and their velocities and accelerations. |
– Stream | An Item made by a continuous temporal flow of Data. |
– Time | An Item representing the measure of time. |
– Transaction | An Item representing: – The Amount, the WalletID and the Rights on an Asset of a User transferring Rights to another User (Sender). – The Amount, the WalletID and the Rights on on the Asset of another User receiving the Rights (Receiver). – Optionally the Amount and the WalletID of the Service Provider facilitating/enabling the Transaction. |
– U-Location | An Item representing a region of the Universe with Space-Time attributes. |
– Universe-Metaverse Map | An Item containing a structure establishing a correspondence between U-Locations with M-Locations. |
– Value | An Amount and the Currency with which the Amount is expressed. |
– Wallet | A container of Values. |
– Crypto | Software or hardware holding the Public and Private Keys of a User to enable them to make Transactions by accessing their Account on a Blockchain. |
Ledger | An Item containing a list of Transactions involving Assets. |
Media | Data that is: 1. acquired by a Device sensor whose rendering can be perceived by a human. 2. Can be presented and perceived by a human. |
Metadata | Data about Data, e.g., of a human, a Process, or an Item. |
Metaverse | |
– Actuator | A component of a Device able to MU-Embed an Item to a U-Environment. |
– Ecosystem | The ensemble of entities and rules ensuring that Metaverse Instances operate in the interest of Metaverse Stakeholders. |
– Enabling Service Layer | The set of Services such as payment, security, identity, privacy, etc. that enable operation of an M-Instance. |
– Experience Layer | The set of functions, such as Devices, that generate Experiences. |
– Industry | The collection of players that support the design, development, deployment, operation, and content and service provisioning to Metaverse Instances. |
– Instance | (M-Instance) A set of Processes providing some or all the following functions: 1. To sense data from U-Locations.2. To process the sensed data and produce Data. 3. To produce one or more M-Environments populated by Objects that can be either digitised or virtual, the latter with or without autonomy. 4. 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: 4.1.Consistent with the goals set for the M-Instance. 4.2.Effected within the capabilities of the M-Instance. 4.3.Complying with the Rules set for the M-Instance and applicable laws. |
– Interoperability | The ability of M-InstanceA to use data from and as intended by M-InstanceB. Interoperability can be Direct or Mediated by a Conversion Service. |
– Infrastructure Layer | The set of functions such as network, transport, storage, and (cloud, edge) processing that enable an M-Instance to operate. |
– Manager | The entity overseeing the operation of an M-Instance. |
– Operation Model | The components and sequence of steps involved in an M-Instance providing Functionalities. |
– Operator | The entity overseeing the operation of an M-Environment. |
– Partner | A User participating in activities of a Metaverse Operator (i.e., a business customer of an Operator) |
– Platform Layer | The set of Services, such as content creation, content discovery, and content access functions that enable an M-Instance to operate. |
– Process | The instance of a program being executed. |
– Profile | A recognised subset of Technologies specified by MMM-ARC and MMM-TEC. |
– Stakeholder | An entity performing a function aimed at achieving a goal in an M-Instance. |
– Tool | A Technology or group of Technologies enabling an M-Instance to provide a Functionality. |
– Technology | A structured application of scientific and/or technical methods that supports a Functionality. |
Object | |
– Audio | The digital representation of an object or a computer-generated Object that can be rendered to and perceived by a human ear. |
– Autonomous | A Virtual Object animated by a Process giving it the ability to act (e.g., move, speak, respond, execute) with a degree of autonomy. |
– Composite | An Object that includes more than one Object Type. |
– Digital | A Digitised or a Virtual Object. |
– Digitised | The digital representation of an object. |
– Haptic | An Object with the haptic features of an object able to be rendered to provide haptic sensations in a human. |
– Human | An Object representing a human. |
– Speech | The digital representation of a sound emitted by the vocal tract of a human or generated by a computer with similar audio characteristics. |
– Type | One of Audio, Visual, Haptic, Olfaction, and Gustation. |
– Virtual | A computer-generated Object that is not a Digitised Object. |
– Visual | The digital representation of an object captured by an electromagnetic or high-frequency audio signal or computer-generated that can be rendered to and perceived by a human eye. |
Oracle | A Process providing information from a U-Environment to a Blockchain. |
Privacy | The Rights of a User to keep their Personal Profile secret. |
Process | An instance of a Program running in a Device or in the computing platform underpinning an M-Instance. |
– App | An application-specific Program executed on a Device. |
– Capabilities | (P-Capabilities) An Items containing a description of the capabilities of a Process. |
– Device | A Process able to: 1. UM-Capture Data from a U-Location2. UM-Send Data and Metadata to a User. and/or 1. MM-Send an Item from an M-Location to the Device. 2. MU-Embed an Item at a U-Location. |
– Actuator | The component of a Device able to convert Data into information for the Universe |
..- Sensor | The component of a Device able to capture information from the Universe and convert it into Data and Metadata. |
– Service | A Process that can be called to provide specific Functionalities. |
– Authoring | A Service enabling the creation of Items. |
– Conversion | A Service converting the Data produced by an M-InstanceA into Data understood and acted upon by M-InstanceB as intended by M-InstanceA. |
– User | A Process representing a Registered human. |
Profile | A set of base standards and/or their subsets. |
– Functional | The set of Functionalities offered by a Metaverse Profile. |
– Level | A subdivision of a Profile indicating the completeness of the user experience provided by the Profile. |
– Technology | The set of Technologies offered by a Metaverse Profile. |
Registration | The process whereby a human provides a subset of Personal Data to an M-Instance/Environment to obtain an Account and be authorised to deploy their Processes and Personae. |
Rendering | The process of making an Item perceptible by human senses. |
Representation | Data in an M-Instance representing an entity of a U-Environment. |
Sense of | |
– Agency | The subjective awareness of being able to decide, execute, and control one’s own actions in an M-Environment. |
– Embodiment | The engagement of senses to form a complete M-Instance Experience. |
– Presence | The feeling of being in an M-Instance with other Digital Humans for real. |
Social Graph | A representation of a User’s network of connections with Items, M-Locations, and Processes. |
Token | |
– Fungible | A representation of an Asset that is interchangeable with other Assets of the same type. |
– Non-Fungible | (NFT) A unique digital identifier of an Asset that: – Cannot be copied (i.e., a copy is known to be a copy), substituted, or subdivided.- Is recorded in a digital ledger. – Is used to certify Object authenticity and ownership. |
Trust-less system | A system allowing a User to make reliable Transactions without trusting or knowing the parties the User makes Transactions with. |
Universe | The physical world. |
– Location | (U-Location) A region of the Universe with Space-Time attributes. |
Use Case | An example of how an application domain can be supported by an MMM-ARC and MMM-TEC. |
User Keys | The pair of public and private keys where the public key is used to encrypt, and the private key is used to both encrypt and decrypt Data. |
User Identifier | |
– Decentralised | An Identifier that enables the verifiable association with a human without requiring a centralised registry. |
– Self-Sovereign | A Decentralised Identifier derived from the human’s Public Key owned and managed directly by the human based on the knowledge of their own Private Key, e.g., stored in the Crypto Wallet enabled by the Blockchain underpinning the M-Instance. |
Table 1 is shared between MMM-ARC V1.2 and MMM-TEC V1.0.
Table 2 includes Terms generally used across MPAI Technical Specifications.
Term | Definition |
Access | Static or slowly changing data that are required by an application such as domain knowledge data, data models, etc. |
AI Framework (AIF) | The environment where AIWs are executed. |
AI Model (AIM) | A data processing element receiving AIM-specific Inputs and producing AIM-specific Outputs according to according to its Function. An AIM may be an aggregation of AIMs. |
AI Workflow (AIW) | A structured aggregation of AIMs implementing a Use Case receiving AIW-specific inputs and producing AIW-specific outputs according to the AIW Function. |
Application Standard | An MPAI Standard designed to enable a particular application domain. |
Channel | A connection between an output port of an AIM and an input port of an AIM. The term “connection” is also used as synonymous. |
Communication | The infrastructure that implements message passing between AIMs. |
Component | One of the 7 AIF elements: Access, Communication, Controller, Internal Storage, Global Storage, Store, and User Agent |
Composite AIM | An AIM aggregating more than one AIM. |
Component | One of the 7 AIF elements: Access, Communication, Controller, Internal Storage, Global Storage, Store, and User Agent |
Conformance | The attribute of an Implementation of being a correct technical Implementation of a Technical Specification. |
– Testing | The normative document specifying the Means to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
– Testing Means | Procedures, tools, data sets and/or data set characteristics to Test the Conformance of an Implementation. |
Connection | A channel connecting an output port of an AIM and an input port of an AIM. |
Controller | A Component that manages and controls the AIMs in the AIF, so that they execute in the correct order and at the time when they are needed |
Data | Information in digital form. |
– Format | The standard digital representation of Data. |
– Type | An instance of Data with a specific Data Format. |
– Semantics | The meaning of Data. |
Descriptor | Coded representation of a text, audio, speech, or visual feature. |
Digital Representation | Data corresponding to and representing a physical entity. |
Ecosystem | The ensemble of actors making it possible for a User to execute an application composed of an AIF, one or more AIWs, each with one or more AIMs potentially sourced from independent implementers. |
Explainability | The ability to trace the output of an Implementation back to the inputs that have produced it. |
Fairness | The attribute of an Implementation whose extent of applicability can be assessed by making the training set and/or network open to testing for bias and unanticipated results. |
Function | The operations effected by an AIW or an AIM on input data. |
Global Storage | A Component to store data shared by AIMs. |
AIM/AIW Storage | A Component to store data of the individual AIMs. |
Identifier | A name that uniquely identifies an Implementation. |
Implementation | 1. An embodiment of the MPAI-AIF Technical Specification, or 2. An AIW or AIM of a particular Level (1-2-3) conforming with a Use Case of an MPAI Application Standard. |
Implementer | A legal entity implementing MPAI Technical Specifications. |
ImplementerID (IID) | A unique name assigned by the ImplementerID Registration Authority to an Implementer. |
ImplementerID Registration Authority (IIDRA) | The entity appointed by MPAI to assign ImplementerID’s to Implementers. |
Instance ID | Instance of a class of Objects and the Group of Objects the Instance belongs to. |
Interoperability | The ability to functionally replace an AIM with another AIW having the same Interoperability Level |
– Level | The attribute of an AIW and its AIMs to be executable in an AIF Implementation and to: 1. Be proprietary (Level 1) 2. Pass the Conformance Testing (Level 2) of an Application Standard 3. Pass the Performance Testing (Level 3) of an Application Standard. |
Knowledge Base | Structured and/or unstructured information made accessible to AIMs via MPAI-specified interfaces |
Message | A sequence of Records transported by Communication through Channels. |
Normativity | The set of attributes of a technology or a set of technologies specified by the applicable parts of an MPAI standard. |
Performance | The attribute of an Implementation of being Reliable, Robust, Fair and Replicable. |
– Assessment | The normative document specifying the Means to Assess the Grade of Performance of an Implementation. |
– Assessment Means | Procedures, tools, data sets and/or data set characteristics to Assess the Performance of an Implementation. |
– Assessor | An entity Assessing the Performance of an Implementation. |
Profile | A particular subset of the technologies used in MPAI-AIF or an AIW of an Application Standard and, where applicable, the classes, other subsets, options and parameters relevant to that subset. |
Record | A data structure with a specified structure |
Reference Model | The AIMs and theirs Connections in an AIW. |
Reference Software | A technically correct software implementation of a Technical Specification containing source code, or source and compiled code. |
Reliability | The attribute of an Implementation that performs as specified by the Application Standard, profile, and version the Implementation refers to, e.g., within the application scope, stated limitations, and for the period of time specified by the Implementer. |
Replicability | The attribute of an Implementation whose Performance, as Assessed by a Performance Assessor, can be replicated, within an agreed level, by another Performance Assessor. |
Robustness | The attribute of an Implementation that copes with data outside of the stated application scope with an estimated degree of confidence. |
Scope | The domain of applicability of an MPAI Application Standard |
Service Provider | An entrepreneur who offers an Implementation as a service (e.g., a recommendation service) to Users. |
Standard | A set of Technical Specification, Reference Software, Conformance Testing, Performance Assessment, and Technical Report of an MPAI application Standard. |
Technical Specification | (Framework) the normative specification of the AIF.
(Application) the normative specification of the set of AIWs belonging to an application domain along with the AIMs required to Implement the AIWs that includes: 1. The formats of the Input/Output data of the AIWs implementing the AIWs. |
Testing Laboratory | A laboratory accredited to Assess the Grade of Performance of Implementations. |
Time Base | The protocol specifying how Components can access timing information |
Topology | The set of AIM Connections of an AIW. |
Use Case | A particular instance of the Application domain target of an Application Standard. |
User | A user of an Implementation. |
User Agent | The Component interfacing the user with an AIF through the Controller |
Version | A revision or extension of a Standard or of one of its elements. |
Zero Trust | A cybersecurity model primarily focused on data and service protection that assumes no implicit trust. |