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The relatively static core components of the ADAPT framework are minimalist in nature, but contain placeholders for attaching ContextItems (which are supported by a dynamic, data-driven system).
ContextItems contain a code, a RepresentationValue (RV), and an optional list of CIs. The code indexes into a table defining what each CI means; the RV encapsulates a value along with data needed to interpret it (such as a unit of measure); the nested list enables complex multiattribute CIs (e.g. PLSS cadastral information.)
Consider the humble key / value pair; both beautiful and powerful in its simplicity. It has a weakness however. The key is limited in how much shared meaning it can effectively communicate.
AgGateway’s SPADE project implemented a RESTful API to provide a machinereadable vocabulary of CI codes and definitions; its Standards & Guidelines Committee created an adhoc group to manage the vocabulary.
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