Version: 0.9 (Draft) Status: Proposed
This specification defines the disclosure and transparency requirements for a GEOS-certified Data Pipeline.
It specifies what information about a Data Pipeline must be publicly disclosed, what may be disclosed conditionally, and what must remain confidential, in order to support funder trust, auditability, and ecosystem interoperability without exposing sensitive data or operational details.
This document governs visibility, not data content, data formats, or outcome semantics.
This specification applies to:
All Data Pipelines seeking GEOS certification
All certified Data Pipelines maintained under GEOS standards
It applies only to metadata, declarations, and certification artifacts, not to the learning data processed by the pipeline itself.
A GEOS-certified Data Pipeline MUST adhere to the following principles:
**Transparency for Trust ** Sufficient information MUST be publicly available to allow independent parties to understand what has been certified and why it is finance-grade.
**Confidentiality by Design ** No disclosure requirement may compel the release of student-level data, personally identifiable information, proprietary algorithms, or sensitive security details.
**Artifact-Level Disclosure ** Disclosure applies to pipeline artifacts and certifications, not to operational runtime data.
**Technology Neutrality ** Disclosure requirements MUST not depend on implementation technology, vendor, or deployment architecture.
Each GEOS-certified Data Pipeline MUST make the following information publicly available:
Pipeline identifier (globally unique)
Certification status (e.g., Certified, Suspended, Withdrawn)
Certification version and date
Applicable GEOS Data Pipeline specification versions
Declared purpose of the pipeline (high-level, non-technical)
Declared dependencies on:
GEOS Outcome Signal Portfolio standards
GEOS subject-area standards (if applicable)
Entry and Exit boundary descriptions (conceptual, non-technical)
Audit scope summary (what was assessed, not how it was implemented)
Validity period of certification
This information MUST be sufficient for a third party to determine whether a pipeline is certified and what class of outcomes it supports, without requiring privileged access.
The following information MAY be disclosed under controlled conditions (e.g., to auditors, funders, or authorized partners):
Detailed process descriptions
Internal control summaries
Transformation logic at a conceptual level
Aggregation and validation rules
Non-public metadata schemas
Conditional disclosure MUST be governed by contractual, legal, or policy controls outside the scope of this specification.
A GEOS-certified Data Pipeline MUST NOT be required to disclose:
Student-level or personalized data
Raw assessment items or item banks
Source code or proprietary algorithms
Security controls that would materially increase attack risk
Operational performance metrics unrelated to auditability
Downstream usage or dependent artifacts
This prohibition enforces the Canon rule: artifacts declare dependencies, never dependents.
Each certified Data Pipeline MUST be associated with a Public Transparency Record, consisting of:
A stable reference identifier
A machine-readable summary of mandatory disclosures
A human-readable certification summary
A pointer to the relevant GEOS certification artifacts
The structure of this record is defined in GEOS-DP-012
This specification:
Relies on definitions established in GEOS-DP-001
Discloses certification outcomes defined in GEOS-DP-002
Reflects assessments conducted under GEOS-DP-003
Does not modify Entry, Exit, Traceability, or Integrity requirements
If a disclosure requirement appears to imply changes to other specifications, this document MUST defer to the controlling specification.
This specification does NOT:
Define registry governance
Define data publication mechanisms
Mandate public dashboards or reporting tools
Impose disclosure obligations on Ministries or Data Sources
END of "GEOS-DP-009 — Data Pipeline Disclosure & Transparenc Profile"