@prefix : <https://ontology.inferal.com/modules/decision/> .
@prefix dcterms: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix mod: <https://w3id.org/mod#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix prov: <http://www.w3.org/ns/prov#> .
@prefix pubacc: <https://ontology.inferal.com/modules/publication-access/> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix vann: <http://purl.org/vocab/vann/> .
@prefix voaf: <http://purl.org/vocommons/voaf#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .

:
    a owl:Ontology, pubacc:PublicationManagedOntology ;
    dcterms:accessRights pubacc:PublicAccess ;
    owl:imports <http://www.w3.org/ns/prov> ;
    dcterms:title "Decision Ontology"@en ;
    dcterms:description "A domain-neutral vocabulary for the goals, issues, options, evaluations, deliberations, commitments, records, resulting actions, and consequences that form a traceable decision lifecycle."@en ;
    dcterms:abstract "The ontology separates a decision from the activity that produces it, the record that documents it, the action that implements it, and the consequences observed afterward. It also keeps motivating goals distinct from issues and anticipated consequences distinct from observed consequences."@en ;
    dcterms:issued "2026-07-13"^^xsd:date ;
    dcterms:license <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/> ;
    dcterms:source
        <http://www.w3.org/ns/prov> ,
        <https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2728/paper1.pdf> ,
        <https://w3id.org/dio#> ;
    dcterms:references
        <https://www.w3.org/TR/prov-o/> ,
        <https://nimonika.github.io/ontologies/dio/doc/> ;
    vann:preferredNamespacePrefix "decision" ;
    vann:preferredNamespaceUri "https://ontology.inferal.com/modules/decision/" ;
    voaf:reliesOn <http://www.w3.org/ns/prov> ;
    mod:status "draft" ;
    rdfs:label "Decision Ontology"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Provides a provenance-compatible core for documenting why a decision was made, what it selected, how it was recorded and acted upon, and what consequences were later observed without collapsing those resources into one record."@en ;
    rdfs:seeAlso
        <https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2728/paper1.pdf> ,
        <https://nimonika.github.io/ontologies/dio/doc/> ;
    owl:versionInfo "0.1.0" .

# Motivation and alternatives

:Goal
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "goal"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A desired state or objective that motivates a deliberation; it is not the issue or current situation being addressed."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:Issue
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "issue"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A question, problem, or situation that a deliberation addresses; it is not the desired state expressed by a goal."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:Option
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "option"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A possible course, answer, configuration, policy, or other alternative considered during a deliberation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:Criterion
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "criterion"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A dimension, quality, requirement, or rule used to evaluate an option in the context of a deliberation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:Evaluation
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "evaluation"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A qualified assessment of one option against one criterion, optionally carrying a value, evidence, provenance, or evaluator attribution."@en ;
    dcterms:description "An evaluation is contextual rather than an intrinsic universal score of the option. Use prov:value for a literal assessment and prov:wasAttributedTo or prov:wasDerivedFrom for evaluator and evidence provenance."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:addressesIssue
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:used ;
    rdfs:domain :Deliberation ;
    rdfs:range :Issue ;
    rdfs:label "addresses issue"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies a question, problem, or situation addressed by a deliberation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:pursuesGoal
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:used ;
    rdfs:domain :Deliberation ;
    rdfs:range :Goal ;
    rdfs:label "pursues goal"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies a desired state or objective that motivates a deliberation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:considersOption
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:used ;
    rdfs:domain :Deliberation ;
    rdfs:range :Option ;
    rdfs:label "considers option"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies an alternative considered during a deliberation without implying that it was selected."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:hasEvaluation
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:used ;
    rdfs:domain :Deliberation ;
    rdfs:range :Evaluation ;
    rdfs:label "has evaluation"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Connects a deliberation to a contextual evaluation used in it."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:evaluatesOption
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:domain :Evaluation ;
    rdfs:range :Option ;
    rdfs:label "evaluates option"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies the single option assessed by an evaluation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:appliesCriterion
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:domain :Evaluation ;
    rdfs:range :Criterion ;
    rdfs:label "applies criterion"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies the single criterion under which an evaluation assesses its option."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:basedOnEvidence
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:wasDerivedFrom ;
    rdfs:domain :Evaluation ;
    rdfs:range prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "based on evidence"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies an entity from which an evaluation derives evidential support; it does not assert that the evidence is sufficient or true."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

# Deliberation, commitment, and records

:Deliberation
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Activity ;
    rdfs:label "deliberation"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "An activity that considers an issue, motivating goals, and options and may generate a decision."@en ;
    dcterms:description "A deliberation may be performed by a person, organization, group, or software agent. Its existence does not entail that a decision was reached."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:Decision
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "decision"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A commitment generated by a deliberation that settles or selects at least one considered option."@en ;
    dcterms:description "A decision is the commitment, not its documentary representation, implementation activity, selected option, or later consequence. A materially revised commitment is a new decision and may supersede the earlier one."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:DecisionRecord
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "decision record"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "An information artifact that documents one or more decisions and may preserve their rationale, provenance, and surrounding context."@en ;
    dcterms:description "Editing or revising a decision record does not by itself change the decision it records. Conversely, a decision may exist even when no record is available in the graph."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:Rationale
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "rationale"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "An information entity explaining why a decision was made, including relevant evaluations, evidence, assumptions, constraints, or trade-offs."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:generatedDecision
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:generated ;
    rdfs:domain :Deliberation ;
    rdfs:range :Decision ;
    rdfs:label "generated decision"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies a decision generated by a deliberation; the relation does not imply that the decision was implemented."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:resultedFromDeliberation
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:wasGeneratedBy ;
    rdfs:domain :Decision ;
    rdfs:range :Deliberation ;
    rdfs:label "resulted from deliberation"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies the deliberation that generated a decision."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:selectedOption
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:domain :Decision ;
    rdfs:range :Option ;
    rdfs:label "selected option"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies an option selected or settled by a decision; it does not imply implementation or success."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:basedOnEvaluation
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:wasDerivedFrom ;
    rdfs:domain :Decision ;
    rdfs:range :Evaluation ;
    rdfs:label "based on evaluation"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies a contextual evaluation that informed a decision without claiming the basis is exhaustive."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:recordsDecision
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:domain :DecisionRecord ;
    rdfs:range :Decision ;
    rdfs:label "records decision"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies a decision documented by a decision record; it does not make the record and decision identical."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:hasRationale
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:domain :DecisionRecord ;
    rdfs:range :Rationale ;
    rdfs:label "has rationale"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Connects a decision record to an explanation of why its recorded decision or decisions were made."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:supersedesDecision
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:wasRevisionOf ;
    rdfs:domain :Decision ;
    rdfs:range :Decision ;
    rdfs:label "supersedes decision"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies an earlier decision whose commitment is replaced by this decision in an applicable governance context; it does not select the authoritative decision without that context."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

# Action and consequences

:ResultingAction
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Activity ;
    rdfs:label "resulting action"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "An activity undertaken to implement, realize, or otherwise act on a decision."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:Consequence
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf prov:Entity ;
    rdfs:label "consequence"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A situation or outcome related to carrying out an option or decision, whether anticipated or observed."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:AnticipatedConsequence
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf :Consequence ;
    rdfs:label "anticipated consequence"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A projected situation or outcome associated with an option before or during deliberation; it is not evidence that the outcome occurred."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:ObservedConsequence
    a rdfs:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf :Consequence ;
    rdfs:label "observed consequence"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "A situation or outcome observed in the provenance trace of a resulting action; its linkage does not by itself prove exclusive causation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:anticipatesConsequence
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:domain :Option ;
    rdfs:range :AnticipatedConsequence ;
    rdfs:label "anticipates consequence"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Connects an option to a projected consequence considered before selection or implementation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:implementsDecision
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:used ;
    rdfs:domain :ResultingAction ;
    rdfs:range :Decision ;
    rdfs:label "implements decision"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies a decision on which a resulting action acts; it does not imply complete or successful implementation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:producedConsequence
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:generated ;
    rdfs:domain :ResultingAction ;
    rdfs:range :ObservedConsequence ;
    rdfs:label "produced consequence"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Connects a resulting action to an observed consequence generated in its provenance trace without asserting that no other influences existed."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:correspondsToAnticipation
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:domain :ObservedConsequence ;
    rdfs:range :AnticipatedConsequence ;
    rdfs:label "corresponds to anticipation"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Relates an observed consequence to a prior anticipated consequence judged to describe the same relevant outcome without asserting identity."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .

:informedByConsequence
    a rdf:Property ;
    rdfs:subPropertyOf prov:used ;
    rdfs:domain :Deliberation ;
    rdfs:range :ObservedConsequence ;
    rdfs:label "informed by consequence"@en ;
    rdfs:comment "Identifies an observed consequence used as input to a later deliberation, forming an explicit feedback relation."@en ;
    rdfs:isDefinedBy : .