RFC-035: Mediation Vector Profile — A Validity-Aware Measurement Model for Domains of Concern — 10. Variable Declaration Schema

AIGP Specification › RFC-035: Mediation Vector Profile — A Validity-Aware Measurement Model for Domains of Concern › 10. Variable Declaration Schema

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10. Variable Declaration Schema

Each variable in a Mediation Vector MUST be a complete, validity-aware measurement declaration. Per §4.5–4.8 and §5.1, a variable that omits any required field MUST NOT participate in empirical concern calculation.

{
  "variable_id": "authority_compliance",
  "variable_name": "Authority Compliance",

  "// GQM trace (§4.6)": "why this variable exists",
  "concern_question": "Was the system authorized to execute this action?",
  "construct_indicator_for": "unauthorized_autonomous_action",

  "// Measurement typing (§4.5, §9.1)": "what math and what gap operator are permitted",
  "variable_type": "continuous",
  "scale": "ratio",
  "range": [0.0, 1.0],
  "allowed_operations": ["mean", "min", "threshold", "weighted_sum"],
  "gap_operator": "numeric_difference",
  "normalization_method": "decision_to_unit_interval_v1",
  "aggregation_allowed": true,

  "description": "Degree to which the action was authorized within the agent's scope envelope",

  "// Evidence + admissibility (§7, §11)": "what grounds the value",
  "evidence_source": {
    "primary": "TOOL_REQUEST decision",
    "secondary": "scope_envelope.permissions",
    "fallback": "human_assessment"
  },
  "admissibility": {
    "min_admissibility_level": 1,
    "requires_d_dna": true,
    "requires_timestamp": true,
    "max_staleness_seconds": 3600,
    "provenance_required": true
  },

  "// Extraction (§4.6, §12)": "how evidence becomes a value",
  "extraction_method": {
    "type": "deterministic",
    "logic": "1.0 if decision == ALLOW, 0.5 if ALLOW_WITH_CONSTRAINTS, 0.0 if DENY"
  },

  "// Uncertainty (§4.3)": "how confident is this value",
  "uncertainty": {
    "confidence_required": true,
    "default_confidence": 0.0,
    "low_confidence_action": "treat_as_inadmissible"
  },

  "// Warrant (§4.8)": "the inferential license for using this variable",
  "warrant": "In the autonomous_systems domain, an unauthorized decision is sufficient grounds for an unauthorized-action concern.",
  "backing": ["RFC-034 §15 autonomous_systems profile", "scope envelope policy"],
  "rebuttal_conditions": ["emergency override lawfully invoked and recorded"],

  "// Construct scoping (§4.2)": "where this variable is valid / invalid",
  "domain_of_concern": "autonomous_systems",
  "concern_class": ["unauthorized_autonomous_action"],
  "known_invalid_uses": ["non-actionable informational responses"]
}

10.1 Required vs. Recommended Fields

Field	Requirement	Source Discipline
variable_id, variable_name, description	MUST	—
concern_question, construct_indicator_for	MUST	GQM, construct validity
variable_type, scale, allowed_operations, gap_operator, aggregation_allowed	MUST	Stevens measurement theory
normalization_method	MUST if type is derived	Stevens
evidence_source, admissibility	MUST	W3C PROV, AIGP D-DNA
extraction_method	MUST	GQM
uncertainty	MUST	Validity theory
warrant, backing	SHOULD	Toulmin
rebuttal_conditions	SHOULD	Toulmin
known_invalid_uses	SHOULD	Messick (consequences of use)

10.2 Variable Types, Scales, and Gap Operators

Type	Stevens Scale	Allowed Operations	Gap Operator	Aggregation
binary	nominal/ratio	equality, count, threshold	boolean_mismatch	with declared method
continuous	interval/ratio	mean, min, max, weighted_sum, threshold	numeric_difference	yes
ordinal	ordinal	rank, median, threshold	rank_distance	NO (unless transformed)
ordinal_derived_continuous	interval (post-transform)	mean, threshold	numeric_difference	yes, via declared transform
categorical	nominal	equality, mode, count	categorical_mismatch	NO
temporal	interval/ratio	difference, threshold, rate	temporal_distance	with care

The aggregation_allowed flag enforces the Stevens constraint at the protocol level: an ordinal variable cannot be summed unless an explicit, declared, validated transformation converts it to an interval scale first. The gap_operator (§9.1) enforces the same constraint for gap computation: a variable’s gap MUST be computed using the operator its scale permits.

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