Microsoft Word fidis-wp2-de models doc

FIDIS 

Future of Identity in the Information Society (No. 507512)

 

D2.3 

  

[Final], Version: 2.0 

File: fidis-wp2-del2.3.models.doc 

Page 38 

 

4 The Representation of the Person in Different 

Application Contexts, and the Use of Standards 

 

In the previous section, we looked at the different categories of attributes that can be used to 

represent the person. 

In this section, we are going to see how these attributes are being assembled to represent the 

person for an application in different contexts. We will also have a look at some of the 

standards of representation of the “identity” of the person. These standards rely on well 

specified sets of attributes that are used to represent the “identity” of the person in “Identity 

informed” Information Systems. 

 

The objective of this chapter is not to redefine again the identity concept (this has been largely 

covered in the deliverable del.2.1 of the FIDIS project), nor to make a complete inventory of 

the technical standards (which are tasks that belongs more to other workpackages such as 

“WP4 Interoperability” or “WP3 Technologies” of this project), but to provide a more 

concrete perspective of identity based on how the identity is represented and use in different 

application domains, and represented by standards.  

 

4.1  Identity in Different Application Contexts 

 

The objective of this section consists mainly in providing the application context perspective 

of the work that was done in chapter 3. More concretely, it consists in identifying application 

domains in which identity represents a key role, and for each of them in indicating the set of 

attributes that are relevant for the representation of the person. It also mentions the relevant 

standards that can be used (although these standards will be presented more specifically later). 

This section provides us with a basic comparison of the approaches that are being used to 

represent the person in the different domains, and in particular what are the aspects in which 

they differ or on the contrary are very similar. 

 

In the following table, we provide an overview of key aspects of identity in different 

application contexts, as well as some relevant standards. In some cases (for instance for Work 

and “Commerce”) we have distinguished the organisational perspective from the individual 

perspective is order to reflect different way the identity is managed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FIDIS 

Future of Identity in the Information Society (No. 507512)

 

D2.3 

  

[Final], Version: 2.0 

File: fidis-wp2-del2.3.models.doc 

Page 39 

 

Domain 

Some Key aspects of identity (attributes) 

Indicative Standards 

Mobile applications (mobile 

phone, ambiant intelligence) 

Name, address, location, preferences,  

CC/PP, UAProf, 

Education (e-learning, 

learning networks) 

Name, address, competence, Social networks IMS/LIP; 

LDAP 

(Educause) 

Human 

Resources 

Name, address, competence, psychology, 

sociology, social networks, roles 

HR-XML, FOAF 

Work (Organisations) 

Name, address, location, security, roles 

LDAP, PKCS, etc. 

Work (knowledge worker) 

Name, pseudonym, social networks, competence,   FOAF 

Justice & police (forensic, 

money laundering, law 

enforcement) 

Name, SSN, address, location, biometrics,  

JXDM 

Government (taxation, 

democracy/voting) 

Name, address, assets & liabilities, … 

 

Commerce (companies) 

Customer information, reputation 

CIQ 

Commerce (customer) 

Name, address, preferences, banking information,   

Banking, insurance 

Name, address, banking information, Assets & 

liabilities, 

 

Personal sphere (Leisure, 

family) 

Name, pseudonym, address, preferences, social 

networks, psychology 

FOAF 

Health 

Name, SSN, address, Biological information 

 

 

This table represents a very preliminary work, that should need to be consolidated in the 

future (using a much more rigorous methodology of classification). 

It indicates the important overlapping of the identity from a domain to another (see the Del 

2.1 for a more theoretical perspective, as well as the possible implications for the privacy of 

the person), but also the specificity of each application. 

In some cases, there exists some strong similarity in the way an aspect of the identity is 

managed. For instance the name of the person or her address is an element that will be found 

in many different application domains, and will be managed in a very similar way. Other 

domains may have a strong overlapping in the way they represent a facet of the identity, such 

as for instance the management of competence in Human Resource Management or 

Education. 

In some other cases, certain aspects of identity can be considered as very specific to the 

application domain. Sets of ad hoc and much elaborated attributes are then used to represent 

and capture the complexity of a particular element of the identity. For instance, in the case of 

mobile application (mobile phone, ambient intelligence), the location of the person represents 

an important dimension, and can therefore be represented with a high level of precision (this 

will include for example the precise and instant location of the person). In the case of 

commerce application, the address of the person can be represented with a high level of 

precision in CIQ/xNAL (information which is important for direct marketing 

communications). 

 

 

 

 

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