Evidence-based decision support
Original evidence comes before conclusions
Do ownership, use and permit assertions reconcile with accessible records?
Priority source classes
- deed record
- county assessor record
- zoning board filing
| Named source | Use case | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. SEC EDGAR public filings | deed record | Confirm identity, recency, original status and completeness before reliance. |
| EPA ECHO environmental enforcement records | county assessor record | Confirm identity, recency, original status and completeness before reliance. |
Verification and negative evidence
- Confirm publication timestamp versus underlying record effective date.
- Do not infer no adverse record from an unsuccessful search; document search spelling and access.
- Use independent original records when a single platform aggregates primary material.
- Store source URL, date read, exact excerpt, jurisdiction and access constraints.
- Test at least one plausible contradictory hypothesis.