The Kernel protects truth before evidence is interpreted, communicated or relied upon.
It is the small, formal and non-derogable core inherited by every Terra Vita system and deployment. It defines what counts as evidence, who may touch it, how provenance and uncertainty are preserved, how distortion is stopped, and how institutions configure Terra Vita without weakening its governance spine.
The Kernel sits above products and modules. Lower layers may add controls for a programme or institution, but they cannot contradict or remove a Kernel article.
1 · Governance KernelNon-derogable truth, evidence and authority rules.
2 · System controlsHub, FieldTrace, IAS, MRV, readiness and export logic.
3 · Programme profileMandate, actors, sites, criteria and reliance purpose.
4 · Evidence recordSource object, provenance, custody, findings and exceptions.
5 · Institutional outcomeReceiving institution acts under its own authority.
Truth boundary
Five objects that may never be collapsed into one another.
Evidence
A source-bound object with identifiable origin, time, context, custody and limitations that can be independently reconstructed.
Assertion
A statement that has not yet met the requirements for evidence. It may trigger an evidence request but cannot substitute for proof.
Interpretation
A bounded human or machine-assisted reading of evidence. It must cite its basis and may not alter the source object.
Decision
An exercise of authority by the person or institution holding the relevant mandate. Terra Vita infrastructure supports but does not inherit that authority.
Controlled output
A purpose-bound derivative that cites its evidence, version, limitations, reviewer and release authority.
Eight constitutional articles
The unbreakable core.
A deployment is Kernel-conformant only when all eight articles remain operational and auditable.
01
Truth boundary
Evidence, assertion, interpretation and decision remain separately identifiable.
MustLabel the object type and preserve the basis for every interpretation.
May neverPresent an assertion or model output as observed evidence.
02
Evidence qualification
An object qualifies as evidence only when its origin, time, context, custody and limitations are attributable and reconstructible.
MustCarry a source reference, programme code, capture context and limitation state.
May neverUse completeness, polish or confidence language to replace missing provenance.
03
Custody and touch rights
Every create, receive, annotate, correct, lock, release and withdraw action is role-bound and auditable.
MustRecord the actor, authority, time, action and reason.
May neverAllow silent edits to source evidence or protected findings.
04
Provenance and attribution
Original evidence and all transformations preserve source identity, programme code, version and actor attribution.
MustKeep the chain from field or source through reviewer and output.
May neverDetach a derivative claim from the evidence and actor chain that supports it.
MustDeclare conflicts, dual roles and delegated authority.
May neverAllow a role to self-approve its own evidence without a disclosed independent check.
06
Distortion prevention
No communication or output may omit material limitations, convert uncertainty into certainty or overwrite adverse evidence.
MustCarry forward exceptions, limitations and contrary findings.
May neverLet communication language contaminate or rewrite the evidence record.
07
Authority and inheritance
Institutions configure criteria and act under their own mandate; Terra Vita retains the Kernel controls.
MustSeparate platform operation, review authority and external decision authority.
May neverTransfer, imply or manufacture authority through a system status.
08
Release, reliance and reconstruction
Every controlled release is purpose-bound, version-bound, revocable and reconstructible.
MustRecord audience, purpose, scope, evidence references, limitations and release authority.
May neverTreat a Terra Vita release as automatic institutional approval or funding clearance.
Touch-rights matrix
Who may touch what.
Permissions are purpose-bound. “Correct” means create a controlled correction record; it never means overwrite the original object.
Role
Create source
Annotate
Correct
Lock
Release
Decide
Evidence originator
Yes
Own context
Propose
No
No
No
Evidence custodian
Receive
Yes
Controlled record
Delegated
No
No
Domain reviewer
No
Findings
Request
Review gate
No
No
Assurance reviewer
No
Assurance finding
No
Assurance lock
Within mandate
No external decision
Communication reviewer
No
Claim mapping
No evidence correction
No
Approved claim only
No
Receiving institution
Own evidence
Institutional finding
Own record
Institutional control
Own release
Under its mandate
Evidence sanctity
The governed lifecycle.
No downstream object replaces its source. Every step adds a traceable layer while preserving what came before.
CaptureSource object and context created.
ReceiveIntegrity and custody recorded.
ClassifyEvidence, assertion or other object type.
ReviewFindings, gaps and exceptions added.
LockVersion and reliance boundary fixed.
ReleasePurpose-bound output issued.
ReconstructFull chain recoverable for audit.
Institutional inheritance
Configurable around the Kernel, never through it.
An institution may add criteria, reviewers, thresholds, protocols, data-residency requirements and release conditions. It may not remove the controls that make the resulting evidence defensible.
Institution may configure
Acceptance criteria and materiality thresholds
Named reviewers and committee routes
Evidence requirements and protocol overlays
Purpose, audience and reliance conditions
Institution may not weaken
Original evidence preservation
Provenance and actor attribution
Reviewer separation and conflict disclosure
Exception, limitation and adverse-finding retention
Institution retains
Legal, fiduciary and statutory authority
Approval, rejection and funding decisions
Its own reliance determination
Responsibility for its external communication
Conformity and change control
Kernel-conformant means provable, not claimed.
Conformity
Minimum declaration
A system may declare Kernel conformity only when all eight articles are operational, evidence actions are auditable, exceptions persist until closure, and institutional authority is not transferred.
Version control
No silent constitutional change
Material amendments require a new Kernel version, a classified change record, affected-system review and an impact assessment for active assurance or reliance outputs.
Controlled public rendering of TV-GK-1.0. Machine-readable version: /assets/governance-kernel-v1.json
