How our signals are built

• Community observations — Recorded by residents or participants — coastal, wildlife or waste sightings. Not automatically confirmed science.
• Public reports — Via Report & Connect. PLC coordinates where possible; it is not an emergency service.
• Third-party open data — Such as iNaturalist, DMCR, GISTDA. Source and last-updated date are always shown.
• Participant reflections — Published only in aggregated / anonymous form to protect participants, especially minors.

A type says where information comes from; it is not a quality score. These categories must not be visually conflated.

■Official source

A direct or linked record from the source owner. Showing it is not an endorsement by or of PLC.

▲PLC calculation

A transparent calculation PLC made from a cited source. The method is shown.

●PLC field evidence

Observations or data collected through a PLC method, with scope, date and method shown.

○Community signal

Submitted by people and not verified. A signal, not a fact.

◇PLC interpretation

A question or synthesis by PLC. Not a source fact.

Observation is not automatically fact. Activity is not automatically outcome.

PLC does not use ‘verified impact’ unless an independent review actually occurred and the reviewer, method, scope and limitations are shown.

Public records use precise evidence stages instead of one broad "verified" label. Each stage says what actually supports a record; it is not a quality score.

1. 1Submitted — Someone submitted it; not yet checked.
2. 2Screened — PLC reviewed it before listing; not a confirmation of fact or by an agency.
3. 3Source-backed — Linked to a named source.
4. 4Community-confirmed — Confirmed by more than one local contributor; not an official fact.
5. 5Specialist-reviewed — Reviewed by an identified specialist.
6. 6Agency-confirmed — The responsible agency confirmed in writing.
7. 7Action in progress — A recorded action is underway; not yet an outcome.
8. 8Outcome measured — An outcome was measured with a stated method, not just activity.

Reviews are performed by the founder and authorised reviewers — this is not formal scientific certification.

Every data item should show its source owner, link, dataset date, PLC check date, geography and limitations. Government remains the source of record, and no figures are shown until a validated retrieval succeeds.

Activity is not outcome. Attendance, items collected or forums held are outputs. An outcome needs a baseline, a method and evidence before it can be shown as "Outcome measured".

• Community-confirmed: several independent local confirmations; not an official fact.
• Specialist-reviewed: reviewed by an identifiable specialist using a stated method.
• Agency-confirmed: requires a direct official source; forum discussion is not a government commitment.

We label uncertainty and missing data rather than inventing precision. Stale, community-reported or modelled information is never shown as current official fact.

Provenance recorded: source owner, link or reference, source date, observed date, PLC review date, method, reviewer type, confidence (high / medium / low / unclear — a label, not a score) and limitations.

Only reviewed items chosen for publication are public. Client project evidence and unreviewed items are private by default. Sensitive locations are shown at area level only.

A correction creates a new item that supersedes the old one; history is kept. To request a correction or challenge an item, use the Rights & Corrections page.

AI may help translate or summarise, but is never the final verifier. People decide evidence stage and publication.

Evidence readiness is an internal completeness view — not a certification, assurance, compliance finding or GSTC/TNFD score.

PLC complements official city-data and specialist systems. It connects source-aware local evidence, participation and follow-up; it does not replace government data platforms or operational agency systems.

PLC is a place evidence and participation layer — not another biodiversity database.

PLC complements public-agency databases, weather and water services, geospatial systems, city-data platforms, research databases and emergency-warning channels. It does not replace their ownership, mandate or official channels. Referencing a source does not imply partnership or endorsement.

Authorised agency staff can send an update or correction with an official source. Submissions are private and never change an evidence stage automatically. Agency update

• Metadata first: owner, dates, method and limitations before any figure.
• Stable IDs, timestamps and source lineage; material corrections keep history.
• Machine-readable export comes before any public API.
• Designed to be compatible in future with DCAT-like dataset metadata, STAC for geospatial/time assets and GeoJSON/OGC exchange — not yet tested, and no compliance is claimed.

• PLC is not a government agency or emergency service.
• Not a Nature Positive claim or ESG certification.
• Participation counts are not the same as ecological outcomes.
• All numbers carry source, updated date and confidence level.