Variant Annotation Type Modeling Tasks

Initial modeling work will focus on defining the structured elements required to capture the semantics of primary statements for each VA Statement type (subject, predicate, descriptor, qualifier(s)). For each VA type, the following tasks will be completed:

1. Review Existing Requirements: See notes in data examples here and requirements doc here, and any relevant Github issues.
2. Draft Definition and Scope: Create definition for the VA type, and clearly demarcate its scope (i.e. describe/enumerate the types of primary statements that it can hold).
3. Model Primary Statement: Define subject, predicate, descriptor, qualifier (S, P, D, Q) in the modeling spreadsheet here.
4. Identify Domain Entities: Discuss/document modeling requirements and considerations for 'domain entities' required to fill D or Q slots.
5. Consider Value Sets: Where should we bind P, D, or Q elements/attributes to a controlled set of values, and what might we use as the value sets? Just note ideas and considerations at this stage - can revisit to formally define value set later after we decide how these will be technically implemented, and can do more requirements analysis into the content that should go into the value set.
6. Draft Data Examples: Create yaml examples of diverse, representative use cases.
7. Consider Evidence and Provenance: Consider modeling requirements here, but punt on formal modeling for now.

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This work will be guided the Annotation Content Model (ACM), and the principles it establishes:

1. The scope of an annotation is a single primary statement and its supporting metadata.
2. A statement is a single claim made by particular agent on a particular occasion. It has a specific provenance and evidence associated with it.
3. Formally, a statement is composed of a single subject (required explicit), a descriptor (required explicit), a predicate (required, but can be implicit), and qualifier(s) (optional - only when necessary to refine meaning of primary statement)
4. Metadata in an annotation may include additional information about the variant that does not refine the scope or meaning of the primary statement. These are considered to be secondary statements can provide evidence for the primary statement, or provide additional information that is relevant to interpreting/using the primary statement.