** Version: 0.1\ Status:** Draft (Proposed)
1. Purpose ————--
This specification defines the Exit boundary of a GEOS-certifiable Data Pipeline.
It specifies what a Data Pipeline must emit at its Exit point in order for its outputs to be considered GEOS-compliant artifacts suitable for downstream use, including but not limited to Outcome Signal construction.
This document ensures that Data Pipeline outputs are audit-ready, comparable, and reusable, without requiring the Data Pipeline to know how its outputs are used downstream.
2. Scope ————
This specification applies only to the Exit boundary of a GEOS Data Pipeline.
It defines:
The nature of pipeline outputs
Required properties of Exit artifacts
Constraints on what may cross the Exit boundary
It does not define:
Outcome Signal Portfolios
Funding rules or thresholds
How Exit artifacts are combined or interpreted downstream
3. Exit Boundary Definition ——————————-
A Data Pipeline Exit is the controlled boundary at which processed artifacts leave a GEOS Data Pipeline.
Only artifacts that satisfy the requirements in this specification may cross the Exit boundary.
The Exit boundary is:
Explicit
Delimited
Versioned
Auditable
The Data Pipeline MUST make no assumptions about systems, processes, or decisions downstream of the Exit boundary.
4. Exit Artifacts ———————
An Exit Artifact is any discrete, identifiable artifact emitted by a Data Pipeline at its Exit boundary.
An Exit Artifact represents the authoritative output of the Data Pipeline for the processing interval or scope to which it applies.
5. Required Properties of Exit Artifacts ——————————————--
Every Exit Artifact MUST declare, at minimum:
**Artifact Identifier ** A globally unique identifier for the Exit Artifact.
**Pipeline Identifier ** A reference to the certified Data Pipeline that produced the artifact.
**Pipeline Version Identifier ** The version of the Data Pipeline under which the artifact was produced.
**Processing Interval or Scope ** The temporal or logical scope covered by the artifact.
**Declared Semantic Domain ** The educational domain to which the artifact pertains, expressed using a GEOS-recognized domain identifier.
**Declared Measurement Definitions ** References to the GEOS outcome definitions, taxonomies, or constructs used in producing the artifact.
**Transformation Summary ** A declarative description of the transformations applied within the Data Pipeline, sufficient to support audit and lineage reconstruction.
**Integrity Evidence ** Evidence supporting the integrity of the artifact, such as hashes or signatures, without prescribing implementation mechanisms.
6. Prohibited Properties —————————-
An Exit Artifact MUST NOT declare:
Any dependency on specific downstream systems
Any knowledge of Outcome Signal Portfolios that may consume it
Any funding status, eligibility claim, or financial interpretation
Any attribution of causality or impact
7. Stability Requirements —————————--
The structure and semantics of Exit Artifacts MUST remain stable within a given Data Pipeline version.
Any change to Exit Artifact structure or semantics MUST be treated as a Data Pipeline version change and governed by GEOS-DP-008.
8. Technology Independence ——————————
This specification is technology-agnostic.
No requirements are imposed on:
File formats
Transmission protocols
Storage mechanisms
Execution environments
Only the declared properties and guarantees of Exit Artifacts are normative.
9. Relationship to Other Specifications ——————————————-
This specification:
Relies on the conceptual definitions in GEOS-DP-001
Must be assessed using GEOS-DP-003
Supports audit requirements defined in GEOS-DP-006
Enables downstream use as described in GEOS-DP-010
No additional relationships are implied.
END of GEOS-DP-005 — Data Pipeline Exit Specification