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Message Ontology

Definition: A generically dependent continuant that is concretized by at least two copies, where at least one copy is generated by an agent with the intention of having at least one other agent notice the GDC.

Parent: Generically Dependent Continuant

See also: Message Transmission Process, Message Reception Process

Modeling Notes​

  • BFO-based formal ontology of message-based communication processes and roles
  • Extends Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) 2020 design patterns
  • Messages are distinguished by their intentional communicative purpose
  • Requires multiple concretizations for proper message definition
  • Essential for AI agent communication and coordination

Core Message Concepts​

Message Types​

  • Text Message - Textual communication content
  • Audio Message - Spoken or audio-based communication
  • Visual Message - Image or visual communication content
  • Structured Message - Formatted data communication

Communication Roles​

  • Message Sender Role - Role of creating and transmitting messages
  • Message Receiver Role - Role of receiving and interpreting messages

Communication Processes​

  • Message Transmission Process - Process of sending messages
  • Message Reception Process - Process of receiving messages
  • Response Generation Process - Process of generating responses

Implementation Example​

# AI agent communication scenario
abi:user_query a messaging:Message ;
    rdfs:label "User Query Message"@en ;
    messaging:hasTextualRepresentation "Explain quantum computing" ;
    messaging:hasContentLength "25"^^xsd:nonNegativeInteger .

# Message transmission process
abi:query_transmission a messaging:MessageTransmissionProcess ;
    rdfs:label "Query Transmission Process"@en ;
    messaging:hasMessageOutput abi:user_query ;
    messaging:hasTimestamp "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime .

# AI agent receives message
abi:claude_agent a abi:AIAgent ;
    rdfs:label "Claude AI Agent"@en ;
    bfo:BFO_0000196 abi:receiver_role . # bearer of

abi:receiver_role a messaging:MessageReceiverRole ;
    rdfs:label "Message Receiver Role"@en .

# Message reception process
abi:query_reception a messaging:MessageReceptionProcess ;
    rdfs:label "Query Reception Process"@en ;
    messaging:hasMessageInput abi:user_query ;
    bfo:BFO_0000055 abi:receiver_role . # realizes

Communication Framework​

Message Properties​

  • messaging:hasTextualRepresentation - String content of message
  • messaging:hasContentLength - Size measurement of message
  • messaging:hasTimestamp - Temporal instant of communication process

Process Relations​

  • messaging:transmits - Agent transmits message relationship
  • messaging:receives - Agent receives message relationship
  • messaging:hasMessageInput - Reception process input relationship
  • messaging:hasMessageOutput - Transmission process output relationship

AI Communication Patterns​

Agent-to-Agent Communication​

  • Direct message passing between AI agents
  • Structured data exchange for coordination
  • Status and progress reporting

Human-AI Interaction​

  • Natural language query processing
  • Response generation and delivery
  • Multi-turn conversation management

System Integration​

  • API message formatting and transmission
  • Event-driven communication patterns
  • Asynchronous message processing

Message Lifecycle​

  1. Message Creation - Agent generates message content
  2. Message Transmission - Sender role realizes transmission process
  3. Message Reception - Receiver role realizes reception process
  4. Message Processing - Receiver interprets and acts on message
  5. Response Generation - Optional response creation and transmission