What does this topic answer?
Separate fields keep affect, background, time, meaning, rights, and provenance distinct, including the difference between “unknown” and “not present.”
Story relation: This story can be used to understand mixed affect with several simultaneous components. It is a reading example, not a claim that the chapter directly uses the name IAGA. Causal Stack Overflow and the Dirty Golden Age
Authority links: System overview · IAGA JSON Schema · JSON Schema and Example
If you only need the worldbuilding context, you can stop here. The sections below contain formal definitions, fields, governance, and implementation details for deeper reference.
Core Principle
IAGA fields preserve conceptual distinctions: formation context, resulting state, provenance, rights, and uncertainty are recorded separately rather than collapsed into one convenient property.
Core Fields
The formal machine keys are preserved below for implementers, with a plain-language explanation of what each field is responsible for.
| Machine key | Reader meaning | Formal rule |
|---|---|---|
dimension_id | Identifies a generation/context dimension | Identifies D01–D14. |
axis_id | Identifies a 12D Core axis | Identifies AX01–AX12. |
qualitative_state | Stores the normative qualitative affect state | It is a valid normative representation on its own; a numeric value is not required. |
value | Optional numeric representation | Used only when scale and measurement provenance are traceable. |
value_scale_ref | Identifies the scale used by a numeric value | Required whenever a numeric value exists. |
measurement_provenance_ref | Identifies how a numeric value was measured or derived | Required whenever a numeric value exists. |
annotation_perspective | Identifies who or what made the attribution | Preserves the observer/source perspective rather than assuming first-person self-report. |
confidence | Preserves uncertainty | Records the uncertainty associated with the data. |
target_ref / source_ref | Preserves affect direction and source direction | Maintains target/source directionality. |
| Machine key | Formal values / range | Rule |
|---|---|---|
binding_type | TARGET_SPECIFIC · SOURCE_SPECIFIC · COMPONENT_SPECIFIC · MODALITY_SPECIFIC · HISTORY_SOURCE · PERSPECTIVE_SPECIFIC · RELATIONAL · UNKNOWN | Records the formal binding type. |
residual_type | R0–R5 | Preserves the residual class for affect not fully explained by the current model. |
provenance_ref | reference | Separately preserves provenance and transformation history. |
rights_ref | reference | Separately preserves use permissions and rights information. |
UNKNOWN and Compatibility
UNKNOWN means the concept is relevant to the record but currently unresolved; it must not be treated as absence, zero, neutrality, or not-applicable.
For new records, family_id is superseded by dimension_id and remains only as a compatibility alias.
| Token | Relationship to UNKNOWN |
|---|---|
UNKNOWN | The concept is relevant but currently unresolved. |
ABSENT | Must not be treated as synonymous with UNKNOWN. |
null | Must not be treated as synonymous with UNKNOWN. |
0 | Must not be treated as synonymous with UNKNOWN. |
neutral | Must not be treated as synonymous with UNKNOWN. |
NOT_APPLICABLE | Must not be treated as synonymous with UNKNOWN. |
family_id → dimension_id | family_id is superseded by dimension_id for new records and remains only as a compatibility alias. |
Technical Example / Reader Interpretation
For example, AX06 may validly record only a qualitative state of “partially certain.” Scale, measurement provenance, and production method become mandatory only when a numeric value is also added.
| Field | Example | Rule |
|---|---|---|
qualitative_state | partially-certain | Valid on its own. |
value | optional | If present, value_scale_ref and measurement_provenance_ref are also required. |