← System Model

Four-Layer Architecture

Definition

An ESGR-aligned system must be composed of four explicitly separated layers:

  1. Data Layer
  2. State Evaluation Layer
  3. Interpretation Layer
  4. Action Boundary Layer

No layer may collapse into another.

Purpose

The ESGR System Reference Model exists to:

  • Translate abstract principles into implementable structure
  • Prevent responsibility leakage across system layers
  • Ensure that failure, degradation, and refusal are first-class behaviors

This model specifies what must be separated, not what must be built.

Layer 1: Data Layer

Role

The Data Layer is responsible for:

  • Ingesting raw signals
  • Preserving source context
  • Maintaining temporal integrity

It answers: "What signals are available?"

Constraints

The Data Layer must:

  • Avoid normalization that implies interpretation
  • Preserve uncertainty and noise
  • Record source, method, and continuity metadata

The Data Layer must not:

  • Produce scores
  • Infer meaning
  • Smooth data to fit narratives

Layer 2: State Evaluation Layer

Role

The State Evaluation Layer is responsible for:

  • Assessing structural capacity (e.g., ERI)
  • Estimating current load (Stress Load)
  • Determining recovery allowance (Recovery Capacity)
  • Detecting boundary signals (DSI)

It answers: "Given available data, what state conditions exist?"

Principles

This layer must:

  • Operate conservatively
  • Prefer under-interpretation
  • Explicitly output uncertainty

This layer must allow:

  • Partial evaluation
  • Degraded evaluation
  • No evaluation

Forbidden Behaviors

The State Evaluation Layer must never:

  • Predict outcomes
  • Recommend actions
  • Optimize for improvement

Layer 3: Interpretation Layer

Role

The Interpretation Layer is responsible for:

  • Translating state outputs into human-readable descriptions
  • Preserving probabilistic language
  • Avoiding causal implication

It answers: "How should this state be described without distortion?"

Language Constraints

Interpretation must:

  • Use conditional phrasing
  • Reflect uncertainty explicitly
  • Avoid medical or therapeutic framing

Interpretation must not:

  • Assign blame
  • Promise change
  • Suggest necessity of intervention

Layer 4: Action Boundary Layer

Role

The Action Boundary Layer determines:

  • Whether suggestions may be shown
  • Whether interpretation depth must be reduced
  • Whether silence or refusal is required

It answers: "Is any action appropriate at all?"

Refusal as a Valid Output

An ESGR-aligned system must treat refusal as:

  • A legitimate outcome
  • A protective mechanism
  • A sign of system maturity

No action is preferable to a misleading action.

Compliance Note

Systems that collapse layers, skip layers, or allow one layer to perform another layer's function violate ESGR System Model specifications.

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