Context

Definition

A Context is a container of one or more Digital Subjects. Contexts are provided by Context Providers.

Examples of multiple-subject Contexts include: directories, informal groups, project teams, collaboration spaces, and communications systems and networks.

Every Context defines its own identifier namespace. Every Digital Subject within a Context has a unique identifier from this namespace called "CUID" --a Contextually Unique Identifier Identity Attribute.

Every Context has a schema (or more correctly, ontology) that describes kinds of Digital Subjects and Identity Attributes that an instance of this Context contains.

<to-be-written: describe authN policies>

<to-be-written: describe authZ policies>

Contexts are implemented by Context Providers.

Digital Subject Networks

In a given Context an Entity is represented as one or more Digital Subjects engaged in interactions with other Digital Subjects. These interactions between Digital Subjects are represented by [Subject Relationship] objects. Digital Subjects are connected by these [Subject Relationships] into a directed graph structure. This graph is often referred to as the Network (as in social network). A Context with no inter-Digital Subjects links is effectively equivalent to a directory or a list.