Map a trail back to documentation from your ontology. Trace where key concepts and terms are defined.

Document Lineage has its origins in how documents are maintained, created, revised, shared, published and archived. It provides visibility into the origins of knowledge and its evolution over time.  Coupled with tools to link your ontology back to its source is a powerful knowledge management resource.

Some key aspects of document lineage include:

Creation - When and by whom the document was originally authored.
Revisions - Tracking the different versions of the document as it is edited and updated. This includes seeing who made changes, when, and what was changed.
Sharing - Recording who the document was shared with for review/collaboration.
Publication - If the document is published or distributed, documenting where and when that occurred.
Archiving - Tracking if and where versions of the document are stored for records management purposes.

Maintaining accurate document lineage has a number of benefits for organizations. It enhances transparency and accountability. It also helps with regulatory compliance, records management, and knowledge preservation.

Document Lineage and Ontologies

FactEngine is a pioneer in the burgeoning discipline of mapping ontology concepts back to the documentation used to create the ontology.

Linking ontology concepts to related documents via their lineage, we trace back to the original or authoritative sources that defined, explained or prescribed usage of those concepts.

While ontologies provide a formal representation of concepts, their properties, the relationships between them as a structured taxonomy, an ontology without document lineage is like a journal paper without citations and references.

As concepts evolve, new documents and versions may be connected to that concept in the ontology, and we maintain ties back to the original coining/definition. This helps reveal provenance - you can surface who  or how the concept was first introduced, how it has been refined over time, with a reference trail of knowledge.

Document lineage enables better contextual understanding and evaluation of concepts. Rather than just a term, you can see its origins and history.

Document lineage is useful for many domains. E.g. Technical documentation, research, legal/compliance.

The key is robust document metadata enabling concept-to-document linkage. Document lineage improves contextual awareness in knowledge management.