Simulation Object Standard - (SOS)
OOF™ Origin Open Foundation™
Independent Methodological Authority
Architecture Ecosystem: Structured Reality Standards™
Architecture Family: SIMULOS® — Simulation Governance Architecture
Parent Standard: Simulation Object Standard (SOS)
Operational Layer: Simulation Object Governance Layer
Category: Governance & Enforcement
Subcategory: Simulation Governance
Type: Parent Standard
Governed Space: Simulation Object
Version: 1.0
Status: Canonical · Open Standard
Effective Date: 15 August 2026
Compatibility: OOF® Methodology OS™ · GOA™ · ORA™ · VALIDOS® · INTEGROS® · ADIT® · AGA™ ·
AIG® · CLIA® · MGIA™ · ASGA™ · RIS™
AI-Readable: Yes
Authority: OOF®
Protection: MIP® — Methodological Intellectual Property
Canonical Language: English (UCL™)
Governed Space
Simulation Object
Canonical Definition
Simulation Object Standard (SOS) defines the governance conditions under whichthe exact object, system, process, behavior, environment, event, interaction,
infrastructure, population, mission, organization, or other reality target
intended to be represented through simulation is formally identified, bounded,
distinguished, versioned, configured, and documented as a governed Simulation
Object.
SOS establishes the foundational object layer of SIMULOS® by ensuring that
simulation governance begins with an explicitly defined and traceable
simulation target rather than an ambiguous, unstable, retrospectively
reconstructed, or silently changing object.
Purpose
The purpose of SOS is to establish the object foundation upon which thecomplete SIMULOS® lifecycle depends.
Simulation cannot be meaningfully governed if the object it claims to
represent is unclear.
Before SIMULOS® can govern: Simulation Purpose & Scope, Reality
Representation, Simulation Assumptions, Simulation Model & Environment,
Simulation Inputs & Data, Scenario Design, Simulation Execution, Simulation
Output Governance, Simulation-to-Reality Correlation, simulation-derived
evidence, or lifecycle resimulation,
the architecture must first establish:
What exactly is being simulated?
Operational Role
SOS is the first Parent Standard of SIMULOS® — Simulation GovernanceArchitecture.
It transforms an intended simulation target into a formally governable
Simulation Object.
Its role is to ensure that downstream simulation activities remain traceably
connected to:
the same object, the correct version, the relevant configuration, the correct
boundaries, and the applicable object state.
Governance Flow
Candidate Simulation Target → Simulation Object Identification → ObjectBoundary → Object Structure → Object Version → Object Configuration → Object
State → Object Documentation → Governed Simulation Object
The governed Simulation Object becomes the input to:
Simulation Purpose & Scope Governance
Simulation Object
A Simulation Object is the formally governed reality target whose selectedcharacteristics, states, behaviors, relationships, interactions, processes, or
conditions are intended to be represented through simulation.
A Simulation Object may be: physical, digital, biological, behavioral,
organizational, environmental, infrastructural, economic, cognitive,
autonomous, hybrid, process-based, event-based, population-based,
mission-based, system-based, system-of-systems based, conceptual, or
future-state based.
The Simulation Object defines what the simulation claims to represent.
Simulation Object ≠ Simulation Representation
SIMULOS® distinguishes between:
Simulation Object
and:Simulation Representation
The Simulation Object is the governed subject being simulated.The Simulation Representation is the constructed representation through which
selected characteristics of that object are later reproduced or examined.
Therefore:
Object ≠ Representation Simulation Object
≠ Simulation Model
The Simulation Object must also remain distinct from the simulation model.For example:
Operational Robot
may be the Simulation Object.A mathematical, digital, behavioral, or hybrid model of the robot is not the
object itself.
Therefore:
Simulation Object ≠ Simulation Model Simulation Object ≠ Simulation
Environment
The environment surrounding an object may materially affect simulation, but it
does not automatically become part of the Simulation Object.
A governed distinction must exist between:
Object
Environment
and:
Object–Environment Interaction
unless the simulation intentionally defines them as one composite object.Simulation Object Identification
Every Simulation Object must be sufficiently identifiable to distinguish itfrom materially different objects.
Relevant identity characteristics may include: object name, object identifier,
object class, system identity, product identity, mission identity, process
identity, population identity, object version, configuration, state, component
structure, relevant dependencies, and applicable temporal condition.
The required identification depth depends upon what differences could
materially affect downstream simulation.
Object Distinction
A generic category is insufficient where materially different members of thecategory may behave differently in simulation.
For example:
Autonomous Vehicle
may be insufficient where the simulation outcome materially depends upon:Vehicle Platform + Hardware Version + Software Version + Sensor Configuration
+ Autonomy Configuration
SIMULOS® therefore requires Simulation Object identification at the level
necessary to preserve simulation meaning.
Simulation Object Boundary
Every Simulation Object must have a defined boundary.The boundary establishes:
what belongs to the Simulation Object
and:
what remains outside it.
The boundary may be: physical, digital, logical, functional, organizational,
behavioral, temporal, spatial, systemic, or hybrid.
Object Inclusion
Material components, actors, processes, functions, relationships, anddependencies included in the Simulation Object must remain identifiable.
Inclusion should be deliberate rather than inferred after simulation.
Object Exclusion
Material exclusions must remain visible.A simulation of part of a system must not silently become represented as
simulation of the whole system.
SIMULOS® therefore establishes:
Object exclusion must remain visible wherever it materially limits simulation
meaning.
Simulation Object Structure
Complex Simulation Objects may contain multiple governed levels.These may include:
Composite Object
System Object
Subsystem Object
Component Object
Dependent Object
and:External Object
Where multiple levels exist, findings from one level must not automatically begeneralized to another.
Composite and System-of-Systems Objects
Multiple interacting systems may collectively form a Simulation Object.In such cases SOS preserves:
Composite Object Identity
while maintaining visibility of the identities and boundaries of materiallyrelevant subordinate objects.
This allows SIMULOS® to govern: vehicles and infrastructure, spacecraft and
ground systems, robot fleets, AI agents and tools, industrial production
systems, energy networks, or other system-of-systems simulations
without collapsing all components into one indistinguishable object.
Object Dependencies
A Simulation Object may depend upon systems or conditions outside itsboundary.
Dependencies may include: external infrastructure, software services,
communications, human operators, data services, energy, environmental
conditions, external control systems, organizational dependencies, or other
external objects.
Dependency does not automatically establish object inclusion.
The relationship must remain explicit.
Simulation Object Version
Where the Simulation Object can materially change over time, the applicableversion must be identifiable.
Version change may arise from: hardware modification, software update,
component replacement, architecture revision, process revision, capability
change, mission revision, organizational change, or another material
modification.
Version Binding
A governed simulation must remain traceable to the object version it claims torepresent.
Conceptually:
Simulation → Simulation Object → Object
Version
A simulation performed against one materially distinct version may notautomatically be represented as applying to another.
Simulation Object Configuration
Version alone may not sufficiently define the Simulation Object.The same version may operate under multiple configurations.
Configuration may include: enabled capabilities, disabled capabilities,
software settings, sensor configuration, actuator configuration, payload,
autonomy level, permissions, operating mode, control configuration, safety
configuration, network configuration, dependency configuration, or mission
configuration.
Where these materially affect simulated behavior, they form part of governed
Simulation Object definition.
Configuration Binding
Simulation results must remain connected to the configuration actuallyrepresented.
Therefore:
Simulation of Configuration A ≠ Simulation
of Configuration B
unless a governed basis demonstrates sufficient applicability between them.Simulation Object State
A Simulation Object may change materially without receiving a formal newversion.
Relevant object state may include: operational state, degradation state,
maintenance state, failure state, learning state, load state, damage state,
resource state, or another material condition.
Where object state affects simulation meaning, the state must remain
identifiable.
Temporal Object Condition
Some Simulation Objects must be bound to a point in time or period.Therefore:
Object at T1
may not be equivalent to:Object at T2
where material change occurred between those states.SOS governs the temporal identity necessary to preserve this distinction.
Dynamic Simulation Objects
Dynamic objects may continuously evolve.Examples include: adaptive AI systems, autonomous agents, organizations,
populations, biological systems, economic systems, infrastructure networks,
and ecosystems.
For dynamic objects, SOS requires a sufficiently bounded:
Object State
or:Object-State Range
so that downstream simulation does not rely on an undefined moving target.Object Change
Material Simulation Object change may affect downstream simulation governance.Relevant changes include: identity change, boundary change, version change,
configuration change, component change, dependency change, capability change,
state change, or structural change.
Object Change Propagation
SIMULOS® establishes:Material change to the Simulation Object must propagate to every downstream
simulation space materially dependent upon that object definition.
SOS identifies the object-level change.
Subsequent SIMULOS® Parent Standards determine its effect on: purpose,
representation, assumptions, models, inputs, scenarios, execution, outputs,
correlation, evidence, and lifecycle relevance.
Object Equivalence
Two objects must not be treated as simulation-equivalent solely because theyshare: a name, product family, general function, manufacturer, architecture,
or superficial similarity.
Object equivalence must be sufficient relative to the simulation question.
Object Substitution
Where one object is used as a proxy or substitute for another, thesubstitution must remain explicit.
The record must distinguish:
Target Simulation Object
from:Proxy or Substitute Object
A proxy must not silently become the object the simulation claims torepresent.
No Object Inflation Rule
A simulation of:one component
must not silently become:
simulation of the complete system.
A simulation of:
one configuration
must not silently become:
simulation of all configurations.
A simulation of:
one version
must not silently become:
simulation of the full product family.
No Silent Object Change Rule
A materially changed Simulation Object must not continue through thesimulation lifecycle under an unchanged object definition where doing so would
conceal a material difference.
No Retrospective Object Redefinition Rule
The Simulation Object must not be materially redefined after simulationresults become known merely to increase apparent applicability of those
results.
Material redefinition requires explicit governance and downstream
reassessment.
Simulation Object Documentation
The Simulation Object must remain sufficiently documented so that a qualifiedreviewer can determine:
what was actually intended to be simulated.
Documentation should preserve, where materially relevant: identity, boundary,
inclusions, exclusions, version, configuration, state, component structure,
dependencies, temporal applicability, and object changes.
Simulation Object Traceability
The architecture should support reconstruction of:Simulation → Simulation Object → Version →
Configuration → State
to the level required by the simulation purpose.Operational Space
SOS governs: Simulation Object identification, object distinction, objectboundaries, inclusions and exclusions, composite and nested object structures,
dependencies and interfaces, object versions, object configurations, object
states, temporal applicability, proxy and substitute objects, object change,
object equivalence, object documentation, and object traceability.
SOS does not govern how the object is later represented inside the simulation.
Governance Scope
SOS governs only Simulation Object governance.It does not govern: why the simulation is performed, complete simulation
scope, representation fidelity, simulation assumptions, model construction,
simulation environment construction, input-data suitability, scenario design,
execution controls, output interpretation, simulation-to-reality correlation,
general validation, general integrity, audit governance, accountability
governance, or operational deployment authorization.
These responsibilities belong to subsequent SIMULOS® Parent Standards or
adjacent OOF® architectures.
Minimum Governance Requirements
A conforming application of SOS should establish:1. an identifiable Simulation Object, 2. sufficient object distinction, 3. an
explicit Simulation Object boundary, 4. material inclusions and exclusions, 5.
material component and object relationships, 6. material external
dependencies, 7. applicable object version, 8. applicable object
configuration, 9. relevant object state, 10. relevant temporal applicability,
11. visibility of proxy or substitution relationships, 12. material
object-change traceability, 13. prevention of silent object inflation, 14.
prevention of retrospective object redefinition, 15. and a persistent
Simulation Object Record.
Relationship to Other OOF® Architectures
Simulation Object Standard interoperates with: GOA™ ORA™ OBIDENITY® VALIDOS®INTEGROS® ADIT® AGA™ AIG® CLIA® MGIA™ ASGA™ RIS™
by establishing the simulation-specific object foundation consumed by
downstream simulation governance.
ORA™ may define or observe the operational reality from which a Simulation
Object is derived.
OBIDENITY® may govern broader identity, origin, ownership, provenance, and
authority relationships.
VALIDOS® may later treat the simulation, simulation output, or
simulation-derived claim as a Validation Object.
INTEGROS® governs general integrity conditions affecting objects and records.
ADIT® may preserve evidential and audit traceability surrounding simulation
activity.
AGA™ governs accountability for decisions involving the Simulation Object.
Specialized AI, cognition, memory, and autonomous-system architectures may
govern characteristics of the actual system being simulated.
SOS does not replace those architectures.
It governs specifically:
what the simulation claims to represent.
Architectural Position
Simulation Object Standard is the first Parent Standard of SIMULOS® —Simulation Governance Architecture.
It establishes the first transition in the simulation governance lifecycle:
Candidate Simulation Target → Governed
Simulation Object
The next architectural question is:Why is this object being simulated, what must the simulation cover, and what
remains outside its intended scope?
This transition leads directly into: