Kristal — Integrations
Kristals are not a product feature. They are shared substrate: a portable, verifiable knowledge package that other parts of the ecosystem can rely on.
This page explains where Kristals show up, and what they enable (not the internal mechanics).
The integration rule of thumb
A system should use a Kristal when it needs a stable reference:
- a shared base of facts/definitions,
- a verifiable record of “what was known at the time,”
- an offline-capable knowledge bundle,
- or a durable anchor for accountability.
Kristals turn debates from “what is real?” into “what should we do about it?”
Integration patterns
1) Kristal as a reference (linkable, citeable)
Use when you want any action, decision, or document to point to a stable source of truth.
Typical outputs:
- civic dossiers
- research packets
- curricula
- policy bundles
- case files (with structured context)
2) Kristal as an offline pack
Use when you need the same knowledge without always-on infrastructure: fieldwork, crisis response, constrained institutions, low connectivity.
3) Kristal as institutional memory
Use when the key requirement is auditability over time:
- “What did we rely on?”
- “What changed?”
- “Which version of the knowledge artifact was used?”
Where Kristals integrate in kOA
Konnaxion (public knowledge & legitimacy)
Kristals appear as:
- published knowledge objects (shared reality),
- civic dossiers that deliberation can reference,
- structured learning content and public documentation.
Outcome: deliberation becomes more grounded and contestable because everyone can point to the same packaged reference.
Orgo (execution & continuity)
Kristals appear as:
- the “context bundle” attached to a case/workflow (requirements, constraints, definitions, evidence),
- repeatable operational playbooks that must remain stable across time,
- accountability anchors for post-mortems.
Outcome: tasks are executed with the same shared context, and later reviews can reconstruct what was known.
Ariane (semantic navigation & assistance)
Kristals appear as:
- stable meaning layers (definitions, entities, structured descriptions),
- domain packets that let guided navigation remain consistent.
Outcome: assistance becomes explainable and reproducible because it depends on stable, verifiable knowledge artifacts.
Deterministic decision workflows (voting / adjudication / allocation)
Kristals appear as:
- the reference packet for a decision (inputs, definitions, constraints),
- the “versioned reality” behind a result,
- the object that keeps outcomes contestable over time.
Outcome: decisions can be audited and challenged without collapsing into semantic chaos.
Typical lifecycle (non-technical)
- Publish a Kristal (from sources and a declared scope)
- Distribute it (people/orgs share it, cache it, carry it)
- Consume it (platforms reference it; cases and decisions cite it)
- Update it (new version, same scope; old versions remain available)
- Compare versions (what changed, why, and who authorized it)
What a good integration looks like
When someone opens a dossier / case / decision, they should be able to see:
- which Kristal(s) it references,
- who published them (authority),
- what scope they cover,
- which version was used,
- and how to contest or replace the reference if needed.
If users cannot see or contest the knowledge base, the integration is incomplete.
Examples
Example A — civic project dossier
A city project page references:
- “project facts” Kristal
- “community feedback” Kristal
- “constraints & budget” Kristal
so discussions remain grounded and auditable.
Example B — operational incident response
A team uses an offline pack Kristal during an outage:
- procedures and definitions remain accessible,
- decisions and actions remain traceable after recovery.
Example C — education module packet
A curriculum is shipped as Kristals:
- same concepts and evaluation criteria across locations,
- updates are explicit and versioned,
- learning outcomes remain comparable.
Next pages
- Trust & provenance: how authority, validation, and contestability work.
- Distribution & versioning: how Kristals evolve without breaking trust.
- Portability & offline: what “offline-capable” means in practice.
