{"id":84,"date":"2011-06-24T12:04:28","date_gmt":"2011-06-24T12:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/infodrivenbusiness.wordpress.com\/?p=84"},"modified":"2020-09-28T16:22:15","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T06:22:15","slug":"the-four-layer-model-applied-to-unstructured-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/2011\/06\/24\/the-four-layer-model-applied-to-unstructured-content\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cfour layer\u201d model applied to unstructured content"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my book, Information-Driven Business<\/a>, I introduce a four layer model for information.\u00a0 You can also read more about this model in the MIKE2.0 article: Four Layers of Information<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The four layer model provides a way of describing information in every organisation.\u00a0 The model explains how information is consumed (layer 1: metrics), navigated (layer 2: dimensional), held (layer 3: atomic) and created (layer 4: operational).\u00a0 Using this model helps to organisation to understand where it is overly dependent on staff or customer knowledge to manage information at any of these layers (such as summarising to report, or slicing-up in spreadsheets to answer questions).<\/p>\n

Some people have commented that the descriptions I use in the book, and are used in the MIKE2.0 article, are geared towards structured data.\u00a0 To help readers understand how the model equally applies to both structured and unstructured data, the following definitions of each layer may help<\/p>\n

Layer 1: Metrics
\nFor information to be used for management decision making, it ultimately needs to be summarised into a score or metrics against which \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d can be defined.\u00a0 This is the same regardless of whether we are talking about structured data or summarising a collection of unstructured content.\u00a0 The metric for documents could be as simple as a count (for example, the number of policies) or a combination of factors such as the number of processes covered by a particular type of policy.<\/p>\n

Layer 2: Dimensional or Navigational
\nWhile formally described as the dimensional layer, it is perhaps better described as the way that the organisation can be navigated.\u00a0 At this layer we are talking about structuring the content in way that we can find in a systematic way (via a taxonomy).\u00a0 It is from here that metrics, such as a count of policies, can be derived.\u00a0 It is also from here that we go to find content in its general form (\u201cget me all procedures associated with disaster recovery\u201d).\u00a0 For instance, in this layer policies can be cross referenced against each other.<\/p>\n

Layer 3: Normalised or Atomic
\nIn the unstructured sense it is better to use the term \u201catomic\u201d for this layer which contains the content in its original form reference by the event that created it rather than a business taxonomy.\u00a0 This layer is often handled badly in organisations but can be as simple as recording the time, author and organisational hierarchy.\u00a0 It can also be aligned to business processes.\u00a0 For instance, in this layer, policies and procedures should be fully formed but only associated with the scope that they are covering.<\/p>\n

Layer 4: Operational
\nThe fourth layer is the front line and refers to the situation and technology context in which the content is created or updated.\u00a0 Examples include: social media, documents on network drives and email within the inbox of the conversation participants.\u00a0 For instance, in this layer, policies are created (maybe in many parts) but have no context.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my book, Information-Driven Business, I introduce a four layer model for information.\u00a0 You can also read more about this model in the MIKE2.0 article:…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[149,1],"tags":[88],"class_list":["post-84","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-original","category-uncategorized","tag-information-overload"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":691,"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions\/691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infodrivenbusiness.com\/posts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}