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Dictionary

The AIMO Dictionary is the authoritative list of all valid codes within the taxonomy. It provides complete definitions for each code including labels, descriptions, and lifecycle information.

What is Dictionary

The dictionary provides a complete, machine-readable set of all AIMO taxonomy codes. It contains:

  • All 91 codes across 8 dimensions
  • Labels and definitions (with translations in language packs)
  • Lifecycle metadata (status, version introduced, deprecated, removed)
  • Scope notes and examples for code usage

The dictionary enables:

  1. Evidence Templates: Codes are used in EV templates to classify AI systems
  2. Validator: The validator checks that all codes exist in the dictionary
  3. Coverage Map: Codes enable mapping to external frameworks and regulations

!!! info "Single Source of Truth (SSOT)" The SSOT for the dictionary is:

- **Structure**: `data/taxonomy/canonical.yaml` (codes, status, lifecycle)
- **Translations**: `data/taxonomy/i18n/*.yaml` (labels, definitions per language)

CSV files are **generated artifacts** for distribution. See [Releases](../../../releases/) for downloads.

!!! note "Standard release version vs dictionary/taxonomy versions" The AIMO Standard release version (site/release, e.g. /0.1.2/) and the dictionary content version (or taxonomy schema version) are not necessarily the same. In 0.1.x they often align; future releases may version them independently. For audit citations, prefer the Standard release version (/X.Y.Z/); in Evidence, state taxonomy_version and dictionary_version where applicable.

Column Schema

The canonical dictionary uses 18 columns (language-neutral structure):

Identification Columns (5)

# Column Required Description Example
1 standard_id Yes Standard identifier AIMO-STD
2 standard_version Yes SemVer format 0.1.0 (example; use the Standard release version you align to)
3 dimension_id Yes Two-letter dimension ID FS, UC, DT
4 dimension_name Yes Dimension name Functional Scope
5 code Yes Full code UC-001

Label and Definition Columns (4)

# Column Required Description Example
6 label Yes Code label (max 50 chars) General Q&A
7 definition Yes Code definition (1-2 sentences) General question answering...
8 scope_notes No Usage scope clarification Low to medium risk...
9 examples No Pipe-separated examples chatbot\|recommendation

!!! note "Translations" The canonical data model separates translations into language packs (data/taxonomy/i18n/*.yaml). Each language pack provides localized dimension_name, label, and definition values. See Localization Guide for details.

Lifecycle Columns (6)

# Column Required Description Example
10 status Yes active, deprecated, removed active
11 introduced_in Yes Version when added 0.1.0
12 deprecated_in No Version when deprecated 1.2.0
13 removed_in No Version when removed 2.0.0
14 replaced_by No Replacement code UC-015
15 backward_compatible Yes true or false true

Governance Columns (3)

# Column Required Description Example
16 references No External references ISO/IEC 42001
17 owner No Responsible party AIMO WG
18 last_reviewed_date No Last review (YYYY-MM-DD) 2026-01-19

Initial Entries

The current dictionary version is v0.1.0 and contains:

Dimension Name Active Codes Deprecated Total
FS Functional Scope 6 0 6
UC Use Case Class 30 0 30
DT Data Type 10 0 10
CH Channel 8 0 8
IM Integration Mode 7 0 7
RS Risk Surface 8 0 8
OB Outcome / Benefit 7 0 7
LG Log/Event Type 15 0 15
Total 91 0 91

!!! note "Complete Code Listings" The complete list of 91 codes is available in the generated CSV artifacts. This documentation page provides column definitions and usage guidance. For detailed code definitions:

- **Download**: See [Releases](../../../releases/) for per-language CSV files
- **Per-language CSV**: `artifacts/taxonomy/current/{lang}/taxonomy_dictionary.csv`
- **Legacy EN/JA mixed CSV**: `source_pack/03_taxonomy/legacy/taxonomy_dictionary_v0.1.csv` (frozen, for backward compatibility only)

Update Policy

Adding New Codes

  1. Assign the next available number within the dimension (e.g., UC-031 after UC-030)
  2. Set status to active
  3. Set introduced_in to the current version
  4. Set backward_compatible to true
  5. Provide label and definition (add translations to language packs)

Modifying Existing Codes

Change Type Allowed Version Impact
Definition clarification Yes PATCH
Scope notes update Yes PATCH
Label change (meaning preserved) Yes MINOR
Meaning change No Create new code instead

Deprecating Codes

  1. Set status to deprecated
  2. Set deprecated_in to current version
  3. Set replaced_by to the new code (if applicable)
  4. Code remains functional for backward compatibility
  5. Document the reason in scope_notes

Removing Codes

  1. Deprecate for at least one MINOR version first
  2. Set status to removed
  3. Set removed_in to current MAJOR version
  4. Code is no longer valid for new evidence

Compatibility Policy

Action Version Impact Backward Compatible
Add new code MINOR Yes
Deprecate code MINOR Yes
Clarify definition PATCH Yes
Remove code MAJOR No
Change code meaning Not allowed -

How to Use

In Evidence Templates

Each Evidence Pack template includes an 8-dimension codes table:

## AIMO Codes (8 Dimensions)

| Dimension | Code(s) | Label |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **FS** | `FS-001` | End-user Productivity |
| **UC** | `UC-001`, `UC-002` | General Q&A, Summarization |
| **DT** | `DT-002`, `DT-004` | Internal, Personal Data |
| **CH** | `CH-001` | Web UI |
| **IM** | `IM-002` | SaaS Integrated |
| **RS** | `RS-001`, `RS-003` | Data Leakage, Compliance Breach |
| **OB** | `OB-001` | Efficiency |
| **LG** | `LG-001`, `LG-002` | Request Record, Review/Approval Record |

In Validator

The validator checks:

  1. All codes referenced in evidence exist in the dictionary
  2. Code format matches the expected pattern (PREFIX-###)
  3. Deprecated codes trigger warnings
  4. Removed codes are rejected

Extension Guidelines

Organizations MAY extend the dictionary with custom codes:

Extension Prefix:

X-<ORG>-<DIM>-<TOKEN>

Example: X-ACME-UC-901 for ACME Corporation's custom use case code.

Extension Rules:

  1. Custom codes MUST NOT conflict with standard codes
  2. Custom codes SHOULD be documented in a local extension dictionary
  3. When exchanging evidence with external parties, use only standard codes

Downloads

See Releases for downloadable packages containing the dictionary and related files.