extra-docs/about.md

@@ -1,5 +1,65 @@
+
+## Design
+
+The system uses a layered approach to orchestrate different metadata providing
+and consuming processes, such that they all contribute to and are informed by
+an integrated and curated knowledge base.
+
+Human and machine users interact directly with individual UIs and APIs that
+are purpose-built for specific applications and capabilities. Each of them
+uses their own data models. Each system allows for submission of additional
+or edited records to a staging area where submissions can be subjected to
+verification and curation, before they are accepted.
+
+Metadata records from each system can be transformed to be compliant with a
+generic use case agnostic data model. This generic data model faciliates the
+integration of information across applications and workflows. Transformed
+metadata records are, again, submitted for curation and integration into
+a central knowledge base.
+
+This central knowledge base can be queried to produce integrated reports.
+Knowledge base records can also be exported to the data models of individual
+metadata systems to inform particular applications.
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    USER1[User 1]
+    USER2[User 2]
+    USER3[User 3]
+    MACH1[Machine 1]
+    KG[Knowledge graph<br>*generic data model*]
+    KGSUBMIT[Submission<br>*generic data model*]
+    subgraph Metadata system 1
+    SYS1[System 1 records<br>*custom data model 1*]
+    SYS1SUBMIT[Submission<br>*custom data model 1*]
+    SYS1-->|inform|SYS1SUBMIT
+    SYS1SUBMIT-->|curation|SYS1
+    end
+    subgraph Metadata system 2
+    SYS2[System 2 records <br>*custom data model 2*]
+    SYS2SUBMIT[Submission<br>*custom data model 2*]
+    SYS2-->|inform|SYS2SUBMIT
+    SYS2SUBMIT-->|curation|SYS2
+    end
+    subgraph Integrated Knowledge
+    KGSUBMIT-->|curation|KG
+    end
+    USER1-->|add/edit|SYS1SUBMIT
+    SYS1-->|retrieve|USER1
+    USER3 -->|add/edit|SYS2SUBMIT
+    MACH1 -->|add|SYS2SUBMIT
+    SYS2-->|retrieve|USER3
+    USER2-->|add/edit|SYS1SUBMIT & SYS2SUBMIT
+
+    SYS1 & SYS2 -->|transform|KGSUBMIT
+    KG -->|filter/transform|SYS1 & SYS2
+
+    SYS1 ~~~ SYS2
+    SYS1 & SYS2 ~~~ KGSUBMIT
+    USER1 ~~~ USER2 ~~~ USER3
+```
+
 ## Acknowledgements
 
 This work was funded by
 
-- [MKW-NRW: Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen](https://www.mkw.nrw) under the Kooperationsplattformen 2022 program, grant number: KP22-106A