Evidence Span

• CURIE: gmeow:EvidenceSpan
• IRI: https://blackcatinformatics.ca/gmeow/EvidenceSpan
• Category: class
• Defined by: gmeow:slices/evidence
• Box roles: CBox role, TBox role (What is this?)

An anchored target span within a resource — a text quote, character position, fragment identifier, page, or generic locator. Generalized from the citation-selector model to serve both evidentiary claims (GraphRAG provenance design/EvidenceSpan audit machinery) and annotation targets (annotation target span). The selector properties (selectorTextQuote, selectorTextPosition, selectorPage, selectorLocator) are asserted on EvidenceSpan individuals and inherited by Selector instances. No second selector model is minted (Principle 4).

Structure

Subclass of: gmeow:InformationObject, gmeow:JustificationGround

Practical Pattern

Use gmeow:EvidenceSpan as a specialized kind of gmeow:InformationObject, gmeow:JustificationGround. Add statement metadata or a standpoint when the assertion needs provenance, confidence, or vantage.

Example Snippets

These snippets are generated from canonical slice examples and trimmed to the Turtle blocks where this term appears.

Grounded Claim

• Source: slices/core/ai/examples/grounded-claim.ttl
• Examples catalog: open in catalog#example-slices-core-ai-examples-grounded-claim

ex:span-close-2200 a gmeow:EvidenceSpan ;
    gmeow:spanOfChunk ex:chunk-042 ;
    gmeow:spanStart "310"^^xsd:nonNegativeInteger ;
    gmeow:spanEnd "366"^^xsd:nonNegativeInteger ;
    gmeow:supportPolarity gmeow:polaritySupports .

Flagship Epistemic Ledger

• Source: slices/core/epistemics/examples/flagship-epistemic-ledger.ttl
• Examples catalog: open in catalog#example-slices-core-epistemics-examples-flagship-epistemic-ledger

@prefix gmeow: <https://blackcatinformatics.ca/gmeow/> .
@prefix ex:    <https://blackcatinformatics.ca/gmeow/examples/epistemics/flagship/> .
@prefix rdfs:  <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix xsd:   <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .



# --- EvidenceSpan justification pinned to a source chunk -------------------------
ex:evidenceSpan1 a gmeow:EvidenceSpan ;
    rdfs:label "calendar evidence span for the meeting date"@en ;
    gmeow:selectorTextQuote "the meeting is scheduled for 2026-06-18"@en ;
    gmeow:spanOfChunk ex:chunk1 .

Common Companion Terms

gmeow:InformationObject, gmeow:JustificationGround

Usage Advice

Use when

• Use to anchor the exact location within a source that backs a claim or carries an annotation — a quote, character offset, fragment, page, or locator — so evidence points at a span, not merely at a whole document; the shared selector target for citations and notes (Principle 4).

Avoid when

• Avoid minting a second selector model (this one is reused by both citations and annotations) and avoid pointing it at the whole resource when a precise span is available; reserve the bare resource link for cases with no usable locator.

How to use

• Mint the span as an EvidenceSpan (or a Selector specialization), assert the applicable selector properties (gmeow:selectorTextQuote, gmeow:selectorTextPosition, gmeow:selectorPage, gmeow:selectorLocator), and link it from the gmeow:CitationAct or annotation target so the warrant resolves to an exact, auditable location.

Examples

• ex:span a gmeow:EvidenceSpan; gmeow:selectorTextQuote "founded in 1998"; gmeow:selectorPage 12.