LEGAL · BETA DRAFT
Operational Data & Verification Policy
Last updated: 12 September 2026
1. Information classes
Reported means submitted by one identified or confidential source. Corroborated means consistent with at least one independent source or subsequent operational event. Verified means reviewed against the available evidence by an authorised reviewer. Under review means credible information differs on a relevant detail—such as the recorded UTC time—and the discrepancy is being checked. It does not mean that a contributor acted dishonestly.
2. Confidence score
The score reflects source proximity, corroboration, recency, event consistency and reviewer status. It expresses evidential confidence, not navigational accuracy or a guarantee that an event occurred exactly as displayed.
3. Contributor protection
Public timelines do not display contributor identity. Access to identifying information is restricted for verification, abuse prevention and legal obligations. VHF14 cannot promise absolute anonymity where disclosure is legally required or technically unavoidable.
4. Prohibited content
Do not submit crew lists, health information, private communications, credentials, security-sensitive facility details, allegations about identifiable people, or information obtained unlawfully. Reports should contain the minimum operational detail needed to identify the vessel, port, event and UTC time.
5. Corrections and challenges
Ship operators, ports and other affected professionals may request review of an event. VHF14 records corrections without silently rewriting the audit history and may lower confidence, mark an event as under review or remove content while assessing evidence.
6. Source hierarchy
Direct professional observation and authoritative port or vessel records normally carry more weight than indirect reports. Multiple reports are not treated as independent if they appear to derive from the same original source.
7. VTS and organisational reporting
A VTS operator or other professional may report in a personal professional capacity or on behalf of an organisation. Organisational attribution is displayed only after authority to represent that organisation has been confirmed. Contributors must respect operational security, confidentiality and their employer’s information policies.
8. Consensus time and duplicate control
Reports of the same vessel, port and operational event are consolidated when their UTC times fall within the applicable tolerance: normally five minutes for manoeuvring and mooring milestones, and ten minutes for cargo, readiness and gangway events. Repeated submissions from the same contributor count as one source. The displayed consensus time is the median of independent observations, with source count and time spread retained for traceability. Reports outside the tolerance remain separate for review.
9. Contribution Credits
One unique operational event accepted after verification earns one VHF14 Contribution Credit for its contributor. Credits have no monetary value, are non-transferable and are not awarded for duplicates, circular sourcing or reports that cannot be verified. A good-faith rejected report carries no credit penalty. Credits may be reversed if verification is withdrawn because of fraud, material error or unauthorised disclosure.
During the Free Beta, all available operational information remains open and credits accumulate without expiring or being spent. Only after the network reaches meaningful coverage may VHF14 test a free consultation allowance, with earned credits extending access to third-party port calls. Contributors will keep their balance and receive advance notice before any limits or material rule changes are introduced.
10. Actual and estimated times
Actual identifies a directly observed operational time. Estimated identifies a professional expectation and remains visibly marked as EST until replaced by an actual report. VHF14 does not fabricate missing forecasts: automatic predictions will only be introduced when sufficient verified historical coverage supports a reliable model for the relevant port and operation.
11. Emergency information
VHF14 is not an emergency channel. Urgent safety, security, pollution or navigational matters must be reported through the competent maritime, port, coastal or emergency authority.