TrefC2

TrefC2 is a hypothetical framework used here to illustrate how cross-reference structures could be modeled in complex networks. The term is not tied to a specific published standard, but is useful for discussing concepts in data lineage, software architecture, and knowledge graphs.

Origin and naming: The name combines "Tref" from reference with "C2" to indicate a second calibration layer. There is no consensus on its formal definition beyond informal descriptions in this article.

Conceptual model: TrefC2 postulates two interacting layers: the Tref layer, which encodes references between components, entities, or data items; and the C2 layer, which captures contextual constraints, calibration rules, and temporal or provenance information that determine how references should be interpreted.

Structure and rules: In a TrefC2 model, nodes denote items or components; edges denote reference relations; the C2 layer imposes constraints such as acyclicity, transitivity, containment, and version or timestamp compatibility. The model supports queries that combine structural and contextual criteria to assess referential coherence.

Applications and evaluation: Potential uses include data lineage tracking, impact analysis in software systems, governance of knowledge graphs, and auditability of reference data. Benefits include a formal framework for reasoning about references and their context; limitations include lack of standardized semantics and potential complexity in large graphs.

See also: data lineage, knowledge graph, reference graph, software architecture, provenance.