DTV13 — Need Informal Definitions or Descriptions

Many Date Time Vocabulary concepts have very formal definitions that are hard for one of the target audiences – business users – to understand. For example, the definition of the Allen Relationship 'time interval1 is properly before time interval2' reads:
Definition: the time interval1 is before the time interval2 and the time interval1 is before a time interval3 and the time interval3 is before the time interval2

This formal definition provides a precise meaning for use by reasoning engines, but it takes even an expert human awhile to understand. Business users have little chance of understanding it.

The solution proposed by this Issue is that this and every other Date Time Vocabulary concept should have an informal definition or description that explains the concept to the business user audience. Note that SBVR permits a concept to have multiple definitions, so adding informal definitions need not displace any existing formal definitions.

Improve wording for Allen relations

There are multiple aspects to this issue. One is whether SBVR Structured English can be used to convey the needed precision in time concepts and still be intelligible to business persons. A second is about the choice of SBVR SE phrasing in the actual Definitions – can they be made clearer to business readers? The third question is: Which of the concepts and definitions in DTV is even useful for business readers, as distinct from the “ontology” audience that uses the CLIF and OWL versions?
As stated, the issue is a recommendation for general editorial changes without guidance. The RTF agrees that the text of the definitions of the Allen relations can be improved, and the proposed text does that. But the text even says that the Allen relations are theoretical, and the more common business relationships are defined in the next section.
Specific issues should be raised for sections that are important to business persons and hard to follow.