Health-RI Mapping Vocabulary

A specialized subproperty of semiotics:expresses indicating that the meaning is formally and fully defined by the expression—i.e., the expression’s semantics are precisely determined by the associated meaning, rather than merely conveyed. It is used when an expression's semantics are unambiguously and exclusively defined by a specific meaning.

Unlike owl:equivalentClass—which asserts full logical equivalence between two classes—this property is meant to capture a definitional relation between an expression and a meaning. It conveys semantic definition without declaring classes to be interchangeable under all logical inferences. While the former establishes full semantic equivalence between classes, enabling bi-directional inference of class membership, the latter models a one-way definitional relation from an expression to a meaning, rather than interchangeability of classes.

This property also differs conceptually from skos:exactMatch. skos:exactMatch serves to align semantically similar concepts across systems (potentially without shared logic), indicating that two concepts may be used interchangeably across vocabularies without guaranteeing logical equivalence. hriv:hasExactMeaning encodes a precise, definitional link—the expression’s semantics are directly and unambiguously defined by the associated meaning.

• CASE 'Code-to-meaning (exact clinical condition)'
  - Context: A coding token precisely and exclusively denotes a disease concept.
  - Triples:
   ex:ICD10_E11 a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:DiabetesMellitus a semiotics:Meaning .
   ex:ICD10_E11 hriv:hasExactMeaning ex:DiabetesMellitus .
  - Rationale: The expression’s semantics are fully determined by that disease meaning (no broader/narrower substitution).

• CASE 'Measurement label-to-meaning (method-independent)'
  - Context: A variable named “Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)” denotes the systolic arterial pressure measurement.
  - Triples:
   ex:SBP_mmHg_label a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:SystolicArterialBloodPressure a semiotics:Meaning .
   ex:SBP_mmHg_label hriv:hasExactMeaning ex:SystolicArterialBloodPressure .
  - Rationale: The semantics are the specific physiological quantity (unit choice does not change the meaning).

• CASE — 'Data element name-to-meaning (operational metadata)'
  - Context: A column header has a fixed, definitional intent.
  - Triples:
   ex:birth_year_label a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:YearOfBirth a semiotics:Meaning .
   ex:birth_year_label hriv:hasExactMeaning ex:YearOfBirth .
  - Rationale: The label defines exactly the intended meaning (year component of birth), not merely hints at it.

Inverse of hriv:hasExactMeaning.

Indicates that the semantics of an expression are defined by a generalized meaning—one that generalizes the linked meaning (triple's object). If an expression A hasBroaderMeaningThan B, then there exists a generalization B′ of B such that A hriv:hasExactMeaning B′. This property is used when the semantics of an expression are determined not by the object meaning itself, but by a more general meaning of it.

In relation to hriv:hasExactMeaning, hriv:hasBroaderMeaningThan captures a weaker, less precise form: while hriv:hasExactMeaning asserts a precise definitional link between an expression and a meaning, hriv:hasBroaderMeaningThan establishes the link through a generalization of the referenced meaning (i.e., A → B′ where B′ ⊒ B).

This property differs conceptually from skos:broadMatch, which aligns a concept to a more general one across vocabularies, and from skos:narrowMatch, which aligns a concept to a more specific one across vocabularies; by contrast, hriv:hasBroaderMeaningThan links an expression to a meaning that is more specific than the expression’s own meaning, indicating that the expression’s meaning serves as a generalization of the linked meaning.

• CASE 'Broader disorder linked to a specific subtype'
  - Context: Local label “Heart disease” must map where the target has a specific subtype available.
  - Triples:
   ex:HeartDisease a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:IschemicHeartDisease a semiotics:Meaning . # specific
   ex:HeartDisease hriv:hasBroaderMeaningThan ex:IschemicHeartDisease .
  - Rationale: The expression’s semantics are defined by a generalization (e.g., CardiovascularDisease), which is a superclass of IschemicHeartDisease.

• CASE 'Generic test linked to a specific analyte test'
  - Context: Variable “Cholesterol test” mapped where the target distinguishes 'LDL cholesterol test.'
  - Triples:
   ex:CholesterolTest a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:LDLCholesterolTest a semiotics:Meaning . # specific
   ex:CholesterolTest hriv:hasBroaderMeaningThan ex:LDLCholesterolTest .
  - Rationale: The expression denotes a general cholesterol measurement; its defining meaning is a superclass of LDLCholesterolTest (e.g., CholesterolMeasurement).

• CASE 'High-level condition linked to a specific type'
  - Context: Dataset column “Diabetes mellitus” (any) mapped where the target provides 'Type 2 diabetes mellitus.'
  - Triples:
   ex:Diabetes a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:Type2Diabetes a semiotics:Meaning . # specific
   ex:Diabetes hriv:hasBroaderMeaningThan ex:Type2Diabetes .
  - Rationale: The semantics are determined by a general diabetes meaning (e.g., DiabetesMellitus) that is a superclass of Type2Diabetes.

Inverse of hriv:hasBroaderMeaningThan.

Indicates that the semantics of an expression are defined by a more specific meaning—one that specializes the linked meaning (triple's object). If an expression A hasNarrowerMeaningThan B, then there exists a specialization B′ of B such that A hriv:hasExactMeaning B′. This property is used when the semantics of an expression are determined not by a general meaning, but by a more specific meaning.

In relation to hriv:hasExactMeaning, hriv:hasNarrowerMeaningThan captures a weaker, less precise form: while hriv:hasExactMeaning asserts a precise definitional link between an expression and a meaning, hriv:hasNarrowerMeaningThan establishes the link through a specialization of the referenced meaning (i.e., A → B′ where B′ ⊑ B).

This property differs conceptually from skos:broadMatch, which aligns a concept to a more general one across vocabularies, and from skos:narrowMatch, which aligns a concept to a more specific one across vocabularies; by contrast, hriv:hasNarrowerMeaningThan links an expression to a meaning that is more general than the expression’s own meaning, indicating that the expression’s meaning serves as a specialization of the linked meaning.

• CASE 'Anatomical specificity unavailable'
  - Context: “Left femur fracture” must map where laterality isn’t modeled.
  - Triples:
   ex:LeftFemurFracture a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:BoneFracture a semiotics:Meaning . # broader site-agnostic
   ex:LeftFemurFracture hriv:hasNarrowerMeaningThan ex:BoneFracture .
  - Rationale: Semantics of ex:LeftFemurFracture are defined by a specialized meaning of ex:BoneFracture.

• CASE 'Specific condition mapped to a broader disorder'
  - Context: Target vocabulary lacks “Acute myocardial infarction” (AMI).
  - Triples:
   ex:AMI_term a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:MyocardialInfarction a semiotics:Meaning . # broader than “acute MI”
   ex:AMI_term hriv:hasNarrowerMeaningThan ex:MyocardialInfarction .
  - Rationale: Semantics of ex:AMI_term are defined by a specialized meaning of ex:MyocardialInfarction.

• CASE 'Stage-qualified neoplasm'
  - Context: “Breast cancer stage II” where stages are modeled.
  - Triples:
   ex:BreastCancerStageII a semiotics:Expression .
   ex:BreastCancer a semiotics:Meaning .
   ex:BreastCancerStageII hriv:hasNarrowerMeaningThan ex:BreastCancer .
  - Rationale: Semantics of ex:BreastCancerStageII are defined by a specialized meaning of ex:BreastCancer.

Inverse of hriv:hasNarrowerMeaningThan.