How It Works
Navigate the Evidence Atlas: from discovering sites and documenting evidence to creating claims and joining structured debate with provenance and clarity.
Platform Workflow — At a Glance
The Evidence Atlas is built around a simple loop: discover, document, claim, and connect. Each step reinforces provenance and clarity.
Discover Sites on the Map
Browse the global map to locate sites, view patterns, and zoom into areas of interest. Filters and layers help reveal evidence density and debate hotspots.
Document Evidence
Upload photos, measurements, notes, and citations — every piece carries provenance (who/when/where/source).
Create & Explore Claims
Build structured claims that link cleanly to evidence and counterpoints. Debate isn’t about noise — it’s about what evidence supports or challenges each interpretation.
How to Document a Site
Proper documentation helps elevate evidence from anecdote to analyzable data. Here’s what to focus on:
Photographs
Capture wide, close, and detail shots. Include a scale reference (ruler, object of known size), and ensure good lighting. Context matters as much as content.
Citations
Reference field notes, published papers, or personal observations with clear metadata (author, date, location).
Claims & Counterpoints
Link each claim to specific evidence. Add counterpoints where interpretations differ — clarity wins over arguments.
Claims & Structured Debate
Claims link evidence, counterpoints, and context in one place so teams can agree on what is known and what still needs proving.
Evidence-first claims
Each claim must cite the documents, photos, or measurements that support it. Counterpoints live alongside the claim for transparent debate.
Peer-ready context
Frame the claim with location, measurements, and provenance so everyone working with it can trace the argument back to its origins.
Global visibility
Claims appear alongside the sites and map layers they describe, helping moderators, contributors, and skeptics see patterns quickly.
Moderation & Heritage Care
Moderators protect people, evidence, and heritage by flagging risky uploads, encouraging respectful debate, and keeping provenance intact.
Evidence integrity
Contributions are reviewed for provenance, citations, and respectful language before they go live in a claim or thread.
Debate stewardship
Moderators help resolve disputes, clarify opposing views, and redirect speculation into evidence-backed threads.
Site protection
Sensitive coordinates and details are redacted automatically unless contributors have explicit permissions.
FAQ
Quick answers for contributors, researchers, and curious visitors.