RSD 15 - Data in relation
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
Transformation
The Elastic Present
A five-layer temporal ontology for systemic design
Henrique Nascimento
Transformative Times
KEYWORD
#temporal ontology #systemic design #change resilience
#leverage points #anticipatory futures
This paper introduces a five-layer temporal ontology for systemic design that addresses temporal brittleness in systems maps. By embedding deep-history analysis and anticipatory work as structural components — not supplementary inputs — the framework produces change resilience: the capacity of systemic models to remain coherent and actionable across turbulent conditions. Developed and tested over three years in the Feeding Healthy Futures initiative across Portugal, Spain, Peru, China, and Turkey, with insect protein as the primary case example illustrating all layers.
CREATIVE PROCESS
Three-year iterative development within Feeding Healthy Futures initiative across Portugal, Spain, Peru, China, and Turkey. Combined theoretical positioning (Meadows, Three Horizons, CLA, Big History) with practical food systems mapping, using the insect protein case to reveal the need for temporal layering, resulting in the five-layer ontology and a software platform.
IMPLICATIONS & NEXT STEPS
The framework enables this software that visualizes temporal layers in 3D, making time-speed gradients visible. Next steps: implement rate-of-change visualization in the interface, expand to new domains beyond food systems, develop automated layer classification, and refine divergence tracing. The app will help practitioners identify stable leverage points across turbulent conditions.
References
The Three Horizons framework (Sharpe, 2013; Hodgson & Sharpe, 2007)
Contextmapping (Sleeswijk Visser et al., 2005)
Causal Layered Analysis (Inayatullah, 1998)