struktuurses

Struktuurses are a formal framework for representing complex structural relationships across multiple layers in a system. They generalize traditional trees and graphs by allowing nodes to belong to different layers and by supporting multiple types of relations that connect nodes within and across layers.

A struktuurse consists of a finite set of nodes (N), a finite set of layers (L), a set of edges (E) labeled by relation types, an attribute function A that assigns properties to nodes, and a layer-embedding function f that places each node in a layer. In this way, a struktuurse can encode both hierarchical organization and cross-layer connections in a unified model.

Key characteristics include support for hierarchical containment and cross-layer links, the ability to express both tree-like and graph-like structures, and the inclusion of constraints that govern how nodes relate across layers. Struktuurses can represent rigid and soft constraints, enabling partial hierarchies and optional cross-layer dependencies.

Applications span natural language processing, where struktuurses can model syntactic structure alongside semantic roles; software architecture, for representing modular systems across presentation, logic, and data layers; knowledge graphs with provenance; and data governance or bioinformatics. In each domain, the framework aims to capture multi-level structure and provenance in a single formalism.

Origin and reception: The term appears in limited theoretical discussions and experimental tooling, with definitions varying by author. Struktuurses are not yet standardized and are primarily used in research contexts as a general modeling device. Related concepts include graphs, hypergraphs, multilevel networks, and ontologies.