Serialization &
Specification Identity
The specification boundary for canonical interchange, normative representation, standard identity, and preservation of one mathematical truth across multiple durable forms.
This section translates accepted Foundational Survey Fabric requirements into the specification rules for serialization and specification identity. It now incorporates the candidate mathematical design selected through Formal Mathematical Decisions FMD-01 through FMD-09 where those decisions resolve canonical machine representation, deterministic normalization, exact numeric encoding, representation equivalence, and compatibility-preserving evolution.
The candidate core now selects FSF-CJSON-1.0 as the primary canonical machine-readable serialization for the current Point / Segment / SCPE geometry profile. This closes the principal machine-interchange question for the solved core, while preserving the distinction between mathematical meaning, canonical bytes, Specification identity, future compatible encodings, and any public human-readable address grammar.
Specification Principle One meaning. Many durable expressions.
Primary Canonical Machine Representation Selected
FMD-08 selects FSF-CJSON-1.0 as the primary canonical machine representation for the current core geometry profile. FMD-01 supplies the exact CRPC values serialized by that format. FMD-07 supplies the canonical geometry normalization that must occur before serialization. FMD-09 supplies the compatibility rule that future representational capability may expand without moving established place.
FMD-02 through FMD-06 define mathematical meaning that serialization must preserve. The serialization format does not create those semantics; it carries them deterministically. The final Specification identifier scheme, compatibility-declaration syntax, and any future additional normative encoding remain open.
FSF-CJSON-1.0
The current candidate core uses FSF-CJSON-1.0 as the primary canonical machine-readable representation for supported FSF geometry.
Canonical FSF-CJSON shall be encoded as compact UTF-8 JSON with no byte-order mark and no insignificant whitespace. Canonical exact coordinate values shall not use JSON numeric literals.
The canonical byte sequence is produced only after the underlying mathematical object has been validated and normalized.
CRPC as Structured Exact Data
A CRPC scalar n/d Pang shall be serialized as an object containing canonical integer strings for numerator and denominator.
The canonical object shape is: {"d":"<positive-integer>","n":"<signed-integer>"}.
The denominator shall be positive; the fraction shall already be reduced; canonical zero shall be represented as {"d":"1","n":"0"}. JSON number syntax, exponent notation, positive signs, leading zeros, and negative zero shall not establish canonical exact values.
Typed Point, Segment, and SCPE Structures
The current candidate format defines canonical typed representations for Point, Segment, and SCPE geometry.
Geometry shall be normalized under FMD-07 before serialization. Segment endpoint order and SCPE traversal/start-vertex order therefore enter serialization already canonicalized rather than being corrected by the serializer.
Same Normalized Meaning, Same Canonical Bytes
Canonical object keys shall be emitted in ascending Unicode code-point lexicographic order. Array order shall preserve the semantic order defined by the geometry model.
Duplicate keys are invalid. Unknown fields are invalid unless introduced by a governed future format version. Strings shall be valid Unicode and normalized to NFC.
For the same normalized supported geometry under the same governing format version, conforming implementations shall emit identical canonical UTF-8 bytes.
Canonical, Lossless Alternate, and Non-Normative Forms
FSF-CJSON-1.0 is the current primary canonical machine representation for the solved core.
Other lossless representations may exist or be introduced later, but they shall not become co-equal canonical representations merely because they encode the same mathematical meaning. Any future normative representation must be explicitly governed and must participate in deterministic semantic-equivalence and precedence rules.
Explanatory, archival, debugging, display, or convenience encodings remain non-normative unless explicitly designated otherwise.
Mathematics Before Bytes
Mathematical equivalence shall be established through the governing FSF semantics and normalization rules before canonical serialization is compared.
For the current core: same canonical geometry meaning → same normalized structure → same FSF-CJSON-1.0 bytes.
A byte mismatch after canonical normalization indicates a serialization or conformance failure rather than permission for competing canonical meanings.
The Standard Must Be Identifiable
The Foundational Survey Fabric Specification, serialization rules, Conformance profiles, Reference Vectors, and other normative materials shall carry explicit identity sufficient for an implementation to determine which governing standard applies.
The current canonical serialization identifier is FSF-CJSON-1.0. This identifies the serialization format, not the spatial identity of any place encoded under it.
The final top-level FSF Specification identifier and complete identifier syntax remain to be selected during Specification-wide integration and adoption preparation.
Version the Standard, Not the Place
Specification documents, serialization rules, Conformance profiles, schemas, and Reference Vectors may carry governed version history.
Compatible evolution shall preserve previously established canonical spatial meaning. A new format or Specification version shall not renumber, relocate, reinterpret, snap, or otherwise change an existing canonical place.
Compatible Extension Preserves Old Meaning
Compatible successor Specifications may expand exact representational capability, add explicitly governed lossless encodings, extend supported geometry, or strengthen conformance material, provided previously valid canonical spatial meaning remains unchanged.
Where Rv is the valid reference set of version v, compatible extension shall preserve old meaning for previously valid references. Serialization evolution therefore follows the same ECEM principle as precision evolution: extend capability without migrating established place.
The Format Is Not the Place
Canonical spatial meaning remains mathematical and shall not depend on JSON, a specific schema language, text encoding technology, database layout, file extension, or storage system.
FSF-CJSON-1.0 is the current canonical machine representation of the solved core, not the ontological source of the geometry it represents.
Canonical Bytes Before Integrity Technology
Cryptographic hashes, signatures, Merkle structures, blockchains, databases, or other verification technologies may authenticate or preserve canonical material, but they do not define spatial meaning.
Where integrity evidence is applied to FSF-CJSON, it shall operate over the canonical UTF-8 byte sequence produced by the governing normalization and serialization rules. The specific integrity algorithm remains outside the current serialization decision.
Identity of the Standard Is Not Identity of the Place
Specification identity, publication history, signatures, adoption acts, provenance metadata, and integrity evidence may establish which rules or artifacts are authoritative.
Those mechanisms remain separate from the canonical spatial meaning of the Points, Segments, or extents described under those rules.
Many Implementations, One Canonical Byte Result
A conforming implementation claiming FSF-CJSON-1.0 support shall be able to emit, receive, parse, validate, normalize, and interpret the format without dependence on proprietary hidden state.
Independent conforming implementations shall be capable of producing identical canonical bytes from the same normalized supported FSF geometry.
Syntax Validation Does Not Replace Semantic Validation
A machine-readable schema may validate the structural shape of FSF-CJSON-1.0.
Schema validity alone does not prove reduced-rational correctness, Domain validity, geometry validity, SCPE simplicity, canonical normalization, or semantic equivalence. Those remain validator responsibilities defined by the mathematical Specification and Conformance model.
Spatial Truth Should Outlive Its Formats
The governing Specification shall preserve enough mathematical meaning that canonical Survey truth can be re-expressed in future durable formats without changing the mathematics beneath it.
New representations may be introduced where useful, but no representation shall create an alternate canonical space.
Integrated Candidate Mathematics
FSF-CJSON-1.0 as primary canonical machine representation; compact UTF-8 canonical bytes; exact CRPC object encoding; deterministic key order; duplicate-key rejection; normalized geometry before serialization; Point / Segment / SCPE typed structures; same normalized meaning yielding identical canonical bytes; versioned format identity.
Still Open in the Specification
Final top-level FSF Specification identifier; complete compatibility-declaration syntax; any future additional normative encoding and its precedence rules; hash/signature algorithm selection above the spatial mathematics; serialization for future geometry types not yet formally selected; and final adoption/version-governance procedure.
Core Serialization Is Selected and Ready for Conformance Work
No contradiction was found between Specification 06 and FMD-01 through FMD-09 for the current Point / Segment / SCPE profile. The solved core now has a deterministic path from exact mathematical meaning through normalization to canonical machine bytes.
Formal adoption remains contingent on Specification-wide integration, executable schema/semantic validators, Reference Vectors, independent implementation, adversarial testing, traceability, compatibility policy, and the applicable adoption act.
Primary Derived Findings
This specification section is derived especially from Requirements Findings #59–#61 and #64.
Architectural Boundary Representations may change or multiply. The Specification may evolve. Canonical spatial meaning must remain singular, deterministic, and unchanged.