Classification – ‘Type of’ or ‘Part of’

Every few months there is a conversation on Social Media about what element or system classification code should be given to a pipe or a brick.

“Can a brick be classified ‘Ss_25_13_50 Masonry wall systems‘ or ‘EF_25_10 Walls‘?”

“Can a pipe be classified ‘Ss_60_40_37_81 Solar heating systems‘ or ‘EF_60_40 Space heating and cooling‘.

The answer to both questions is ‘no’.

Classification deals with ‘types of‘ things. Modelling is what defines what is ‘part of‘.

So a brick may be a type of ‘Pr_20_93_52_15 Clay bricks‘ and the pipe may be a type of ‘Pr_65_52_63_17 Copper pipelines‘.

A modelling tool is what then determines whether that type of brick is part of a particular type of wall system. A modelling tool determines whether that type of pipe is part of a particular type of heating system.

This may not just be the modelled relationship between a product and a system, but any ‘part of’ relationship. Further examples would be:

  • A digital projector (Pr) is part of a classroom or meeting room…

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