Reel · guided sequence

The Journey of an RSM Identity

A guided sequence in eight frames — from a resource in the world, through registration, naming, resolution, and revision — showing what changes around an identity and what never does.

Step 1 of 8

A real-world resource exists

Before any identifier, there is a referent: here, the Wellzai paper Outcome Formation Model.

A resource may be digital, physical, conceptual, organizational, or ecological. It need not be public to have an identity.

Document 08 v1.1 §2.1, §3.6 — an illustrative exampleRSM ID Learning Center · informative material01 / 08

One illustrative paper, from registration to revision. Its identifiers are examples from Document 08 and this site's demonstration records; none has been issued.

The sequence moves only when you do: use the previous and next buttons, or the arrow keys when it has focus. Prefer the full deck, with fullscreen and section navigation? Open it as a Viewgraph.

The same journey, as text
  1. Step 1 of 8A real-world resource existsBefore any identifier, there is a referent: here, the Wellzai paper Outcome Formation Model.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §2.1, §3.6 — an illustrative example
  2. Step 2 of 8An authorized issuer registers its RIDUnder a delegated prefix, in one atomic registry write. A candidate is not an identity until it commits.An authorized issuer, holding delegated authority under prefix 451, commits the RID 451.7K4M9Q2X8D5P0R6T to the registry.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §3.4, §5.4 — the 451 prefix is proposed; this RID is illustrative
  3. Step 3 of 8The resource receives a registered RRNA structured name records where it was issued. The name maps to exactly one RID.rrn:451:451labs:us-ca:wellzai:document/outcome-formation-modelRealm, authority, jurisdiction, space, kind, and local id.Maps to 451.7K4M9Q2X8D5P0R6TA name can later be succeeded; the RID cannot.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §2.3, §4.3, §18.2 — identifiers illustrative
  4. Step 4 of 8Its Identity Record establishes durable contextKeyed by the RID: referent, names, lifecycle, provenance, and bindings — not the paper's text.Holds identityIssuance provenance, registered names, kind, and lifecycle state: active.Not the contentThe paper itself stays with the space that governs it.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §5.3, §5.3.1
  5. Step 5 of 8A Semantic Space becomes its authoritative homeWellzai governs the paper's knowledge. The record binds the RID to that logical space, not to a server.The Identity Record for 451.7K4M9Q2X8D5P0R6T is bound to the Wellzai Semantic Space, which a Locus node currently serves. The binding names the space, not the node.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §4.5, §5.3.1 — Wellzai space proposed; identifiers illustrative
  6. Step 6 of 8Another system references the RIDAtlas finds the paper through Wellzai and reconciles references by RID — no copy of the paper.Atlas, the proposed explorer, references the paper by its RID 451.7K4M9Q2X8D5P0R6T rather than by an application link.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §10.3, §13.2 — identifiers illustrative
  7. Step 7 of 8A resolver verifies, then returns what policy permitsPrefix, record, and authority are verified before any representation is chosen.VerifySyntax, registered prefix, identity record, and authority.DecideLifecycle and disclosure policy for this requester.ReturnA landing page, JSON, or JSON-LD — all about the same referent.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §6.3, §6.9, §18.7 — no operational resolver exists yet
  8. Step 8 of 8The resource evolves; its RID persistsRevisions, new names, new hosts, and new stewards change the metadata — never the identity.Revised to revision 7A revision is selected separately; it is never part of the RID.Moved or transferredA successor RRN may be registered; the original stays reserved.Still 451.7K4M9Q2X8D5P0R6TOne resource, one permanent identity.Source: Document 08 v1.1 §9.2, §9.4, §4.4

Sources and provenance

Normative basis

This reel is an informative explanation. Where it and the specifications differ, Documents 08 and 09 v1.1 govern.

What it contains

Document 08 v1.1 · normative
Grounded directly in Document 08, the controlling standard. Cited by section.
Interpretation
Explanation or design rationale written for this Learning Center. It does not add requirements.
Hypothetical example
An illustrative scenario. Its identifiers are examples or fictional; none has been issued.
Proposed, not operational
Something the specifications propose — a host, a prefix, a federation, a service — that does not exist yet.

Related

Pathway: Understanding Identity · For everyone · Revised 2026-10-09 · Content ID reel.journey-of-an-rsm-identity (a page identifier on this site, not an RID)