Extended Matrix Development Projects

Description

Formalization of the per-US ParadataNodeGroup as a first-class group node in the EM language. The pattern aggregates the paradata that previously hung as scattered nodes around each Stratigraphic Unit (PropertyNode + ExtractorNode + CombinerNode + Document chain) into a single visual container linked to its US through the canonical paradata edges. The group inherits the US’s is_in_activity edge so it lands inside the right Activity yEd group at save time, and its children are linked via XML parent OR is_in_paradata_nodegroup. Sits on the orthogonal axis of paradata aggregation alongside ActivityNodeGroup (intention) and LocationNodeGroup (space), and parallels the swimlane-scope Swimlane Paradata Node Group (DP-19). The pattern is what powers the per-US _PD wrapper produced by the Proxy Box Creator (DP-46), the Heriverse exporter’s per-source ParaData bundling, and the Paradata Manager. Backward-compatible: scattered-style paradata graphs from 1.4 continue to round-trip through 1.5 tooling and render correctly; new graphs benefit from the cleaner aggregation by default. Originally introduced in s3Dgraphy alongside the 1.5 cut (visible in the node_type_map and the datamodel JSON, and cited in the s3Dgraphy 0.1.41 CHANGELOG entry). Carved out of DP-43 (Group Nodes) as its own DP because the visual-decluttering impact on real-world projects warranted a dedicated entry in the tracker.

Status

Target EM Version

1.5

Incorporated in

EM v1.5

Impacts

Components

• ParadataNodeGroup s3Dgraphy class (done)
• node_type_map registration (done)
• Datamodel JSON entry (done)
• yEd palette node (done, shared with DP-43)
• GraphML round-trip preservation (done)
• Per-US <US>_PD wrapper used by Proxy Box Creator (done, DP-46)
• is_in_activity inheritance from US to PD group (done)
• is_in_paradata_nodegroup child membership edge (done)
• Heriverse exporter ParaData per-source bundling (done)
• Paradata Manager integration (done)
• Backward-compatible parser for 1.4 scattered paradata (done)

Key Study

Sarmizegetusa

Notes

Strong visual decluttering of the EM graph in real-world projects — paradata that previously sprawled around each US now collapses into a single per-US group, drastically reducing visual complexity without loss of expressivity. Originally introduced in s3Dgraphy alongside the 1.5 cut. Sibling of DP-43 (Group Nodes — the broader palette-formalization effort) and consumed by DP-19 (Swimlane Paradata Node Group), DP-46 (Proxy Box Creator) and the Heriverse exporter (DP-11).