Roughing in this idea - testing my own thoughts.
I think "devices" are at a different layer than identities, persons, meat. They aren't part of the graph of relationships.
Again, roughing it, there seem to be three layers that are relevant:
- "reality" - meat, things, stuff (things we don't treat as things), places, time, etc.
- devices - the infrastructure on which the data model is maintained. Devices depend on further infrastructure, such as communication protocols, wires and power supplies. This is, I suppose, the "(sync" part.
- a graph of relationships - the subject of Eve's (relationship (identity (person (meat)))) and John's diagrams.
The "internet of things" is of course transactions among devices and not the "things" themselves. The devices support bookkeeping and control of the things.
From my work, the graph of relationships seems to need objects (nodes) for:
- (relationship - this can be a combination of legal prose and code. The archetype of an increment in a relationship is signing a new agreement, but each notice or payment is also an increment. Becoming a citizen of a country or member of a club are broad examples of incrementing relationships with many persons via an interaction with a single person.
- (identity - this is something like a role, or account. A bank account is a good archetype. "Identities" can be nested, an identity can relate to identities. E.g. I make a contribution from my account to a pool to make an investment or gift, or into an escrow to make a purchase, which may not have legal "personality."
- (person - some relationships among humans are treated by legal systems as "persons" Persons also have nested relationships, e.g. an agent, employee, subsidiary.
- (meat - humans. The part we care about.
- places - addresses etc.
- properties - cars, houses, patent rights, money ...
- facts - my focus is the legal docs and I haven't broken down facts very much.
From my perspective, the graph of relationships is a different layer than the devices. A bank statement does not mention the computer on which the bank generated the document.