Key idea & worked example
A manifest describes the research object and its resource relationships. A carrier is a package that delivers some or all of those exact resources.
One research release can have several delivery packages without becoming several historical interpretations.See the worked example →On this page
From a file to a reusable research object
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Two versions, two different jobs
VAO formatVersion names the exchange contract. The instrument’s content version names one published object release. Cuntz uses formatVersion 0.5.0 while its released content is labelled 0.5.0-rc.2. Keep both: a similar-looking string is not a reason to rewrite the format version.
- StandardVAO 0.5.0The rules for reading and checking the object.
- Cuntz content0.5.0-rc.2The particular dataset release used here.
Pull the layers apart
A conceptual package diagram. Layer thickness and order illustrate responsibilities; they are not a file layout or a measured model of Cuntz.
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Two versions, two different jobs
VAO formatVersion names the exchange contract. The instrument’s content version names one published object release. Cuntz uses formatVersion 0.5.0 while its released content is labelled 0.5.0-rc.2. Keep both: a similar-looking string is not a reason to rewrite the format version.
- StandardVAO 0.5.0The rules for reading and checking the object.
- Cuntz content0.5.0-rc.2The particular dataset release used here.
Which formatVersion should describe this released Cuntz object?
- 0.5.0 — the exchange contract — Yes. Retain 0.5.0-rc.2 separately as the object content version.
- 0.5.0-rc.2 — copied from the dataset label — That names the dataset content release, not its declared formatVersion.
- Whatever version the viewing software uses — A client version cannot silently change the format contract of an existing release.
A light preview is a new realization
The website’s light Cuntz GLB is derived from its more detailed display model. Its size and digest differ. It can serve the same visual research subject without being the exact file the detailed realization identifies. Preserve the source relationship and distinguish the files.
- Logical assetThe model as a resourceIts intellectual role and subject are identified.has an exact encoding
- RealizationOne exact GLBA particular byte sequence and digest.is available through
- DistributionA way to acquire itA location must resolve to the promised bytes.
You simplify a GLB. What should happen to its exact-byte identity?
- Describe the derivative with its own size and SHA-256 — Correct. Keep the derivation relationship and applicable attribution; a new byte sequence has a new realization identity.
- Keep the original digest because the subject is the same — The subject can stay the same while the bytes change. The original digest would fail an integrity check.
- Only change its filename — A new filename does not establish the new file’s exact identity or record how it was derived.
Choose what a task needs, then follow the dependencies
A bootstrap carrier gives you an entry point. A preservation-closure carrier contains every realization and completes every group. A custom carrier can hold a local selection. For a task, select declared groups and recursively include their dependencies; do not infer completeness from a successful preview.
- Requested groupYour intended taskChoose a declared group, not a guessed filename.follow the dependency links
- DependenciesRequired supporting groupsFollow dependsOnGroupIds recursively.verify the resulting set
- Complete selectionVerified realizationsAll required exact members are available.
A bootstrap opens and its model displays. What have you established?
- This available representation can be inspected — Exactly. Full preservation closure and other capabilities still need their own checks.
- The complete release has been preserved locally — A working entry point does not show that every realization and dependency is present.
- The instrument is ready for acoustic playback — Visual geometry does not establish the data or runtime support required for playback.
A passed validator tells you what it checked
Validation checks the declared contract: structure, relationships, profiles and exact-byte integrity, with further layers when claimed. Research review asks whether the evidence supports a historical or acoustic conclusion. The released Cuntz timestamp qualification is a useful reminder: a valid date can still be a workbook modification time.
- ContractVersion + profilesIdentify which requirements were checked.run the relevant checks
- Technical checksRecorded outcomesParsing, relationships, fixity and other claimed layers.interpret their limits
- Research judgmentEvidence & interpretationReview what the result can support.
A file validates. Can you treat its timestamp as a verified measurement-session date?
- Only if the source evidence supports that interpretation — Yes. Conformance does not erase the released qualification or invent a session date.
- Yes, because its date field is structurally valid — A valid date value does not establish what event it dates.
- Remove the qualification to make the record simpler — Keep it. The qualification is part of what makes the observation reusable and interpretable.
Turn the practice into your own next step
- Start smallA known-good fixtureUse the versioned release and an isolated working copy.learn what the fields do
- Inspect & validateUnderstand the reportTrace a resource to the bytes and check its contract.carry the method forward
- Adapt deliberatelyYour research objectReplace identities, sources and capabilities as a coherent new release.
Choose one resource from your own project. Write down its subject, whether it was captured or derived, the source it depends on, the exact file you will use, and the rights that travel with it. Then identify the smallest capability your initial carrierCarrierA package or workspace that contains a manifest, carrier mapping and selected realizations. Bootstrap, preservation-closure and custom carriers serve different delivery purposes.Work through the Cuntz example → must support. This gives you a focused first release instead of an unnecessarily large application.
Why does the Cuntz release offer two VAO downloads?
A manifest describes the research object and its resource relationships. A carrier is a package that delivers some or all of those exact resources.
- BootstrapDiscover & selectCarries entry-point resources and pinned references.
- Preservation closureKeep every realizationCompletes the release’s groups and dependencies.
Work through the example 3 STEPS
The published Cuntz record offers a bootstrap carrier and a preservation carrier. The release states that both carry the same manifest; the preservation carrier includes every declared realization.
Begin with the inventory
The bootstrap supplies the semantic inventory and core evidence. It lets a reader discover what exists without first downloading all the media.
Request the required material
A geometry inspection needs the selected model and its dependencies. A playable experience may need audio, control mappings and other groups. Reading metadata does not make those resources locally available.
Choose preservation deliberately
The complete preservation carrier supports the full declared realization inventory. Cite the exact release and record which carrier or selected closure you actually acquired.
- Cuntz Positiv · VAO 0.5.0-rc.2 ↗
Published manifest: identities, measurement observations, realization digests, profiles and rights. Exact examples checked against this release.
- VAO Standard 0.5.0 ↗
The standard contract is separate from the Cuntz dataset content version 0.5.0-rc.2.
A downloaded bootstrap does not prove that every external resource has been fetched or verified.
The useful distinction. One research release can have several delivery packages without becoming several historical interpretations.