Title: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Executive Summary

This deliverable (which consists in this document and in an associated WIKI) represents the first results of a work aiming at specifying a conceptualization of the Identity domain conducted in the FIDIS project.  

The objective of such a conceptualisation is to provide to both the experts and the non-expert a common and explicit understanding of the identity domain, so as to facilitate the comprehension and the sharing of knowledge of the subject of Identity. 

In this first version, the conceptualisation has consisted principally on the inventory of topics and concepts used in the Identity domain, and in the definition of key Identity concepts. 

This document (complemented by a WIKI) is organised into sections providing: 

1. A methodological presentation of the approaches and principles used to specify a conceptualisation, and its application to FIDIS, in order to conceptualise the Identity domain. 

2. An overall presentation of key Identity concepts. 

3. An structured inventory of Identity terms 

4. A concluding section 

The first section in theoretical and methodological and presents the main principles related to the specification of a conceptualisation, and how it can be applied to the context of FIDIS. The first part of this section first introduces the concept of Ontology (Ontology represents the discipline concerned with the specification of conceptualisations) and indicates the different forms of representation of this conceptualisation (from textual description, to simple taxonomies, or to very elaborated specifications involving semantic representations). It then presents the different methods, processes and tools that can be used to construct such a conceptualisation. In particular it indicates how a technology like a WIKI can be used for this construction by a community of users. Finally, it addresses the organisational and cognitive dimension (how to motivate people and groups to participate to this construction).

The second part of this section is about the application of these principles to the context of FIDIS to specify the conceptualisation of the Identity domain. In this first version, the conceptualisation of the Identity domain consists mainly in the definition of the key concepts and in the identification and the basic structuring (based on taxonomies) of the Identity terms. 

The second section describes, using a textual representation, some of the key Identity concepts to the reader. It first presents the Identity domain and formulates what are the main Identity issues and concepts. In this description, it distinguishes a structural perspective and a process perspective. In the first case, Identity is considered related to the characterisation of a person via a set of attributes, their application in different situations, and how it relates to the person. Examples of concept presented include the distinction between the ipse-identity and the idem-identity (the inner identity of the person or its external projection), the concept of the virtual person or the relationship of the identity with a territory. In the second case, with the concept of identification, identity relates to the set of approaches, mechanisms and processes involved in the disclosure of the identity information, in the course of an interaction. Examples of associated concept that relate to processes include anonymity, pseudonymity, observability, linkability, etc.

The third section presents an inventory that categorises and defines the different terms used in the Identity domain. It can be seen both as a dictionary and a map of the Identity domain, in which the reader can easily locate a term and get a definition. This section also details how the WIKI technology is being used in the project to support this process of conceptualisation. In particular, it proposes templates and approaches to be used to define the terms and their relationships, and indicate processes to be used for a community to collectively participate to this collection.

The last section concludes and summarises the work, indicate the principal issues that were identified, and gives some indications for future work. It is suggested that more elaborated representation will be initiated in subsequent versions of this conceptualising work, once more content will have been generated in the FIDIS project.