48 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
48 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
# Scope and method
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## Research question
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Who coordinates, standardizes, operates, measures, interconnects, and protects the global Internet, and where can authoritative information about those actors be found?
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## Round 1 boundary
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This round establishes an ecosystem-level address book. It does **not** claim to catalog:
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- every autonomous system, ISP, carrier, cloud, CDN, IXP, cable, landing station, or data center;
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- every national regulator or ministry;
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- private individuals or non-public incident contacts;
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- commercial rankings or market share.
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## Method
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1. Define a functional taxonomy rather than a single organizational hierarchy.
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2. Select globally or regionally significant coordinating bodies and public directories.
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3. Prefer official homepages, registries, and operator-maintained datasets.
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4. Check that listed URLs resolve on the verification date.
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5. Capture scope, category, region, relevance, and provenance in `data/entities.csv`.
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6. Mark limitations and queue deeper enumeration as explicit future work.
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## Evidence levels
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| Status | Meaning |
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|---|---|
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| `verified` | Official source was reachable and the entity/category relationship is established by its public role. |
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| `partial` | Core identity is established, but contacts, coverage, or details need more work. |
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| `lead` | Candidate for investigation; not yet suitable for the canonical address book. |
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| `stale` | Previously valid entry whose source or role can no longer be confirmed. |
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Round 1 canonical entries are `verified`; this does not mean their datasets are complete or independently audited.
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## Contact policy
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This address book stores institutional links and public, role-based directories. It avoids personal phone numbers, personal email addresses, credentials, member-only data, and inferred contacts.
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## Update policy
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Every material change should include:
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- a primary source URL;
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- a UTC verification date;
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- a concise explanation in the commit message;
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- a move to `partial` or `stale` if the claim can no longer be verified.
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