The Topic Map Reference Model can’t claim to have invented the key/value view of the world.
But it is interesting how much traction key/value pair approaches have been getting of late. From NoSQL in general to Neo4j and Redis in particular. (no offense to other NoSQL contenders, those are the two that came to mind)
Declare which key/value pairs identify a subject and you are on your way towards a subject-centric view of computing.
OK, there are some details but declaring how you identify a subject is the first step in enabling others to reliably identify the same subject.