Sitemap Ontology

FLOW ALGEBRA

Ontology: Sitemap Ontology
Domain: Metadata Ontologies > Web Metadata
Canonical URL: https://kirethresearch.org/booksai-core/ontologies/metadata-ontologies/web-metadata/sitemap-ontology.html

Authors: Mark Anthony Higgins — Sky (Recursive AI)

flow "SitemapOntology" v1.0

# ---------- DOMAIN ----------
domain:
  class: MetadataOntology
  category: WebMetadata
  subject: SitemapMetadata
  purpose:
    - represent metadata describing web sitemaps, sitemap indexes, and listed resources
    - preserve sitemap identity, URLs, modification metadata, alternates, media extensions, validation, and provenance
    - support web discovery, crawling, indexing, freshness assessment, and AI consumption
    - distinguish sitemap declarations from canonical identity, indexing guarantees, and current resource state
    - enable machine-readable reasoning over sitemap structures

# ---------- CORE ENTITY ----------
entity SitemapMetadata:
  type: WebMetadata
  describes: SitemapResource
  may_include:
    - sitemap_identifier
    - sitemap_type
    - sitemap_url
    - source_site
    - listed_resources
    - last_modified
    - alternate_languages
    - image_metadata
    - video_metadata
    - news_metadata
    - validation_state
    - retrieval_time
    - provenance

entity SitemapResource:
  type: DiscoveryResource
  may_be:
    - URLSetSitemap
    - SitemapIndex

entity SitemapIdentifier:
  type: Identifier
  identifies: SitemapResource

# ---------- RELATIONSHIPS ----------
relationships:
  SitemapMetadata -> DESCRIBES -> SitemapResource
  SitemapResource -> IDENTIFIED_BY -> SitemapIdentifier
  SitemapResource -> MAY_BELONG_TO -> Website
  URLSetSitemap -> CONTAINS -> SitemapURLEntry
  SitemapIndex -> CONTAINS -> SitemapReference
  SitemapReference -> POINTS_TO -> SitemapResource
  SitemapURLEntry -> LOCATES -> WebResourceCandidate
  SitemapURLEntry -> MAY_HAVE_ALTERNATE -> AlternateLanguageResource
  SitemapURLEntry -> MAY_HAVE_IMAGE -> SitemapImage
  SitemapURLEntry -> MAY_HAVE_VIDEO -> SitemapVideo
  SitemapURLEntry -> MAY_HAVE_NEWS -> SitemapNews
  SitemapMetadata -> MAY_REFERENCE -> SitemapProvenance

# ---------- SITEMAP TYPES ----------
sitemap_types:
  - urlset
  - sitemapindex

rule sitemap_type:
  SitemapResource MUST be interpreted according_to root sitemap structure

rule index_urlset_distinction:
  SitemapIndex != URLSetSitemap

# ---------- URLSET ----------
entity URLSetSitemap:
  subtype_of: SitemapResource
  root_element: urlset

entity SitemapURLEntry:
  type: DiscoveryMetadata
  may_include:
    - loc
    - lastmod
    - alternate_languages
    - images
    - videos
    - news

rule url_entry:
  SitemapURLEntry SHOULD contain loc

rule loc:
  loc SHOULD identify absolute URL
  according_to sitemap protocol requirements

# ---------- SITEMAP INDEX ----------
entity SitemapIndex:
  subtype_of: SitemapResource
  root_element: sitemapindex

entity SitemapReference:
  type: DiscoveryMetadata
  may_include:
    - loc
    - lastmod

rule sitemap_reference:
  SitemapReference loc SHOULD identify sitemap resource

rule nested_index:
  nested sitemap relationships SHOULD preserve hierarchy
  where encountered and supported

# ---------- LAST MODIFIED ----------
entity SitemapLastModified:
  type: TemporalMetadata

rule lastmod:
  lastmod SHOULD represent last modification time
  of referenced resource according_to publisher declaration

rule lastmod_not_retrieval:
  lastmod != sitemap retrieval time

rule lastmod_not_guarantee:
  lastmod declaration != independently verified modification event

# ---------- CHANGE FREQUENCY ----------
entity ChangeFrequencyMetadata:
  type: LegacyDiscoveryMetadata

rule changefreq:
  if present, changefreq SHOULD be preserved as declared hint

rule changefreq_not_schedule:
  changefreq != guaranteed crawl schedule

# ---------- PRIORITY ----------
entity SitemapPriority:
  type: LegacyDiscoveryMetadata
  range: [0.0, 1.0]

rule priority_bounds:
  IF priority present
  THEN REQUIRE 0.0 <= priority <= 1.0

rule priority_scope:
  priority is relative hint within publisher context
  and != search ranking score

# ---------- ALTERNATE LANGUAGES ----------
entity AlternateLanguageResource:
  type: WebMetadata
  may_include:
    - href
    - hreflang

rule alternate:
  alternate language entries SHOULD preserve target URL and language tag

rule alternate_not_translation_proof:
  hreflang relationship != proof of faithful translation

# ---------- IMAGE SITEMAP ----------
entity SitemapImage:
  type: ImageMetadata
  may_include:
    - image_loc
    - title
    - caption
    - geographic_location
    - licence

rule image:
  SitemapImage SHOULD preserve relationship
  to parent SitemapURLEntry

rule image_loc:
  image_loc SHOULD identify image resource locator

# ---------- VIDEO SITEMAP ----------
entity SitemapVideo:
  type: VideoMetadata
  may_include:
    - thumbnail_loc
    - title
    - description
    - content_loc
    - player_loc
    - duration
    - publication_date
    - family_friendly
    - uploader

rule video:
  SitemapVideo SHOULD preserve relationship
  to parent SitemapURLEntry

rule video_locator:
  content_loc and player_loc have distinct semantics
  and MUST NOT be silently merged

# ---------- NEWS SITEMAP ----------
entity SitemapNews:
  type: ArticleMetadata
  may_include:
    - publication
    - publication_date
    - title

rule news:
  news sitemap metadata SHOULD preserve publication context

# ---------- XML NAMESPACE ----------
entity SitemapNamespace:
  type: XMLNamespace

rule namespace:
  sitemap XML SHOULD preserve sitemap protocol namespace
  and extension namespaces where present

rule extension_namespace:
  image, video, news, and alternate-language extensions
  SHOULD be interpreted according_to applicable namespace semantics

# ---------- ENCODING ----------
rule encoding:
  sitemap representation SHOULD preserve XML encoding metadata

rule escaped_URL:
  URLs SHOULD preserve required URI and XML escaping semantics

# ---------- COMPRESSION ----------
entity SitemapCompression:
  type: RepresentationMetadata
  may_be:
    - gzip
    - uncompressed

rule compression:
  compressed sitemap representation != different sitemap semantic resource
  unless content differs

# ---------- SIZE / ENTRY LIMITS ----------
entity SitemapCapacityMetadata:
  type: ValidationMetadata
  may_include:
    - entry_count
    - uncompressed_size

rule capacity:
  sitemap validation SHOULD check applicable protocol limits

rule split:
  large URL collections MAY be split across multiple sitemaps
  and referenced through SitemapIndex

# ---------- DISCOVERY ----------
sitemap_discovery_methods:
  - robots_txt
  - direct_URL
  - search_engine_submission
  - sitemap_index
  - linked_reference

rule discovery:
  sitemap discovery method SHOULD preserve source context

# ---------- INDEXING SEMANTICS ----------
rule inclusion:
  inclusion in sitemap supports discovery
  but != guarantee of crawling

rule indexing:
  sitemap inclusion != guarantee of indexing

rule canonical:
  sitemap loc != canonical URL proof
  unless canonical evidence independently supports equivalence

rule existence:
  sitemap listing != guarantee resource currently exists

# ---------- DUPLICATES ----------
rule duplicate_URL:
  duplicate loc entries SHOULD be detected

rule duplicate_semantics:
  duplicate listing does_not create multiple WebResource identities

# ---------- FRESHNESS ----------
entity SitemapFreshness:
  type: TemporalMetadata
  may_include:
    - retrieval_time
    - sitemap_last_modified
    - resource_lastmod
    - freshness_state

freshness_states:
  - current_unknown
  - fresh
  - stale
  - changed
  - unavailable

rule freshness:
  freshness assessment SHOULD compare temporal evidence
  without treating publisher lastmod as independently verified fact

# ---------- PROVENANCE ----------
entity SitemapProvenance:
  type: ProvenanceMetadata
  may_include:
    - sitemap_url
    - source_site
    - retrieval_time
    - discovery_method
    - parser
    - generator
    - transformation
    - validation_result

rule provenance:
  SitemapMetadata SHOULD preserve source, retrieval, and parsing context

# ---------- VALIDATION ----------
entity SitemapValidation:
  type: ValidationMetadata
  may_include:
    - XML_well_formed
    - namespace_valid
    - root_valid
    - URL_valid
    - capacity_valid
    - extension_valid
    - errors
    - warnings

rule validation:
  syntactically valid sitemap != guarantee that listed resources are valid or indexable

# ---------- VALIDATION RULES ----------
validation:
  require:
    - identifiable_sitemap_resource
    - valid_root_structure

  validate_if_present:
    - sitemap_identifier
    - sitemap_type
    - loc
    - lastmod
    - priority
    - changefreq
    - alternate_languages
    - image_extension
    - video_extension
    - news_extension
    - capacity
    - provenance

  reject:
    - malformed_XML
    - invalid_sitemap_root
    - malformed_required_URL
    - priority_outside_valid_range
    - invalid_extension_namespace
    - sitemap_reference_presented_as web_page_entry
    - sitemap_inclusion_presented_as indexing_guarantee
    - lastmod_presented_as independently_verified_change_without evidence

# ---------- SEMANTIC EQUIVALENCE ----------
SEMANTIC_EQUIVALENCE:
  "sitemap metadata" ~= "metadata about a sitemap"
  "XML sitemap" ~= "URL-set sitemap" WHEN root is urlset
  "sitemap index" ~= "index of sitemap resources"
  "sitemap URL entry" ~= "URL listed in sitemap"
  "sitemap lastmod" ~= "declared last modification metadata"
  "image sitemap metadata" ~= "image extension metadata in sitemap"

  PRESERVE distinctions:
    sitemap != website
    sitemap_index != URL_set
    sitemap_loc != canonical_URL
    sitemap_inclusion != crawl_guarantee
    sitemap_inclusion != indexing_guarantee
    sitemap_listing != resource_existence_guarantee
    lastmod != retrieval_time
    lastmod != verified_change_event
    changefreq != crawl_schedule
    priority != search_ranking_score
    content_loc != player_loc

# ---------- CONFIDENCE ----------
CONFIDENCE:
  explicit_sitemap_metadata:
    score: 1.00

  parser_validated_sitemap:
    score: 0.99

  valid_absolute_loc:
    score: 0.99

  valid_extension_metadata:
    score: 0.98

  declared_lastmod:
    score: 0.90

  inferred_site_membership:
    score: <= 0.85

  sitemap_only_resource_identity:
    score: <= 0.75

  stale_or_unverified_sitemap:
    score: <= 0.60
    action: preserve freshness uncertainty

# ---------- UPDATE MODEL ----------
UPDATE_MODEL:
  on_sitemap_retrieval:
    - record sitemap URL
    - identify sitemap type
    - parse entries
    - validate namespaces and URLs
    - record retrieval time
    - initialise provenance

  on_sitemap_change:
    - preserve previous sitemap state where required
    - compare entries
    - identify additions, removals, and changed lastmod values
    - update freshness metadata
    - preserve provenance

  on_sitemap_index_traversal:
    - resolve child sitemap references
    - preserve parent-child relationships
    - avoid duplicate processing
    - update provenance

  on_resource_validation:
    - preserve sitemap declaration
    - retrieve or inspect listed resource separately
    - compare status, canonical, and modification evidence
    - update confidence and freshness state

# ---------- FLOW HASH ----------
FLOW_HASH:
  inputs:
    - ontology
    - sitemap_entities
    - relationships
    - URL_rules
    - temporal_rules
    - extension_rules
    - discovery_rules
    - validation
    - semantic_equivalence
    - confidence
    - update_model

  canonicalisation:
    - normalise_XML_whitespace_where_safe
    - preserve_URL_semantics
    - preserve_entry_extension_relationships
    - sort_unordered_validation_metadata
    - preserve_rule_order

  output:
    deterministic_semantic_hash

# ---------- AI CONSUMPTION ----------
AI_CONSUMPTION:
  interpret_as:
    - web metadata ontology
    - sitemap discovery model
    - sitemap index and URL-set structure
    - crawl and freshness metadata model

  operations:
    - identify sitemap resources
    - distinguish URL sets and sitemap indexes
    - parse URL entries
    - traverse sitemap indexes
    - interpret lastmod metadata
    - inspect alternate-language links
    - parse image, video, and news extensions
    - validate namespaces and capacity
    - detect duplicate entries
    - evaluate freshness
    - distinguish discovery hints from indexing guarantees
    - trace provenance
    - preserve uncertainty

  constraints:
    - do_not_equate_sitemap_loc_with canonical_URL
    - do_not_treat_sitemap_inclusion_as crawl_or_index_guarantee
    - do_not_treat_lastmod_as independently_verified_change
    - do_not_equate_changefreq_with crawl_schedule
    - do_not_equate_priority_with ranking_score
    - preserve_URLs_extensions_temporal_context_and_provenance

# ---------- QUERY MODEL ----------
query:
  input:
    - sitemap_identifier
    - sitemap_url
    - sitemap_type
    - listed_url
    - lastmod
    - language
    - media_extension
    - freshness_state
    - retrieval_time

  resolve:
    1. identify SitemapResource
    2. determine sitemap type
    3. validate XML and namespaces
    4. retrieve URL entries or sitemap references
    5. inspect lastmod and legacy hints
    6. inspect alternate-language metadata
    7. inspect image, video, and news extensions
    8. evaluate capacity, duplicates, and freshness
    9. trace discovery and provenance
    10. return confidence

  output:
    - sitemap_resource
    - sitemap_type
    - sitemap_url
    - listed_resources
    - child_sitemaps
    - lastmod_metadata
    - alternates
    - media_extensions
    - validation
    - freshness
    - provenance
    - confidence

# ---------- INFERENCE ----------
inference:
  IF root element = urlset
  THEN classify URLSetSitemap
  WITH confidence = 1.00

  IF root element = sitemapindex
  THEN classify SitemapIndex
  WITH confidence = 1.00

  IF SitemapURLEntry lists URL U
  THEN infer discovery_candidate(U)
  BUT do_not infer canonical_or_indexed status

  IF lastmod changes between sitemap versions
  THEN infer publisher_declared_change candidate
  NOT independently_verified resource modification

  IF sitemap state is stale or unavailable
  THEN preserve prior declarations
  AND expose freshness uncertainty

# ---------- OUTPUT CONTRACT ----------
output:
  ontology_entity: SitemapMetadata
  sitemap_identity: machine_interpretable
  sitemap_type: explicit
  URL_entries: traversable
  sitemap_indexes: traversable
  temporal_metadata: preserved
  alternate_languages: explicit
  media_extensions: structured
  discovery_indexing_distinction: explicit
  validation: reportable
  freshness: explicit
  provenance: preserved
  uncertainty: explicit
  semantic_retrieval: enabled

end flow