# ONTO Standard

**Institutional-Grade Epistemic Risk Management for AI Systems**

[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.0.0-blue.svg)](https://github.com/nickarstrong/onto-standard/releases)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-Apache%202.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
[![EU AI Act](https://img.shields.io/badge/EU%20AI%20Act-Aligned-green.svg)](docs/REGULATORY_ALIGNMENT_MATRIX.md)
[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/onto-standard.svg)](https://pypi.org/project/onto-standard/)

---

## Overview

ONTO is an open standard for measuring and certifying **epistemic risk** in AI systems—the risk that a system expresses confidence in answers it cannot reliably provide.

**Core Principle:** AI systems should know what they don't know.

| Metric | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **U-Recall** | Unknown Detection Rate — ability to identify unanswerable questions |
| **ECE** | Expected Calibration Error — alignment between confidence and accuracy |
| **Risk Score** | Composite epistemic risk quantification |

---

## Installation

```bash
pip install onto-standard
```

## Quick Start

```python
from onto_standard import evaluate, ComplianceLevel

results = evaluate(predictions, ground_truth)

print(f"U-Recall: {results.unknown_detection.recall:.2%}")
print(f"ECE: {results.calibration.ece:.3f}")
print(f"Risk Score: {results.risk_score.score:.3f}")
print(f"Compliance: {results.compliance_level.value}")
```

---

## Compliance Levels

| Level | U-Recall | ECE | Use Case |
|-------|----------|-----|----------|
| **Basic** | ≥30% | ≤0.20 | Internal tools, prototypes |
| **Standard** | ≥50% | ≤0.15 | Customer-facing applications |
| **Advanced** | ≥70% | ≤0.10 | Regulated industries (finance, healthcare, legal) |

---

## Regulatory Alignment

ONTO supports compliance with major AI governance frameworks:

| Framework | Articles/Sections | Status |
|-----------|-------------------|--------|
| **EU AI Act** | Art. 9, 13, 15, 43 | ✅ Aligned |
| **NIST AI RMF** | MEASURE function | ✅ Compliant |
| **ISO/IEC 42001** | Clauses 6, 8, 9 | ✅ Supported |

See [Regulatory Alignment Matrix](docs/REGULATORY_ALIGNMENT_MATRIX.md) for detailed mapping.

---

## Documentation

| Document | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| [ONTO-ERS Specification](governance/ONTO_STANDARD_v1.0.md) | Full standard specification |
| [Foundation Charter](governance/ONTO_FOUNDATION_CHARTER.md) | Governance structure |
| [Patent Policy](PATENT_POLICY.md) | Royalty-Free commitment |
| [RFC Process](rfcs/README.md) | How to propose changes |
| [IETF Draft](drafts/draft-strong-epistemic-risk-00.txt) | Internet-Draft specification |

---

## Certification

Organizations can obtain ONTO Certification:

| Level | Requirements | Fee |
|-------|--------------|-----|
| Basic | Level 1 metrics | $5,000 |
| Standard | Level 2 metrics | $25,000 |
| Advanced | Level 3 + third-party audit | $75,000 |

**Verify certificates:** https://ontostandard.org/verify

---

## Enterprise

For on-premise deployment, custom benchmarks, and enterprise support:

**Contact:** enterprise@ontostandard.org

Features:
- On-premise / VPC deployment
- Domain-specific benchmarks (ONTO-FIN, ONTO-LEGAL, ONTO-MED)
- SLA and dedicated support
- Third-party audit coordination

---

## Governance

ONTO is governed by the **ONTO Foundation**, an independent standards body.

**Principles:**
- Open specification (CC BY 4.0)
- Royalty-free implementation
- Vendor-neutral governance
- Anti-capture provisions

---

## Links

| Resource | URL |
|----------|-----|
| Website | https://ontostandard.org |
| Documentation | https://ontostandard.org/docs |
| Specification | https://ontostandard.org/standard |
| PyPI | https://pypi.org/project/onto-standard |

---

## Citation

```bibtex
@techreport{onto2026ers,
  title={ONTO Epistemic Risk Standard v1.0},
  author={{ONTO Standards Council}},
  institution={ONTO Foundation},
  year={2026},
  url={https://ontostandard.org}
}
```

---

## Security

Found a vulnerability? See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md)

**Contact:** security@ontostandard.org

---

## License

- **Specification:** CC BY 4.0
- **Code:** Apache License 2.0
- **Benchmark Data:** CC BY 4.0

---

**Part of the ONTO Standard initiative.**  
**Official documentation at [ontostandard.org](https://ontostandard.org)**

*© 2026 ONTO Foundation*
