The Scoping Protocol
The following is a checklist format of tasks to complete within the “Scoping of the workflow” activity
1. Deconstructing the Brief
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1.1 Core Questions: Translate the client’s “Wild Intent” into a grounded geospatial question. Identify your primary and proxy entities.
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1.2 Epistemological Nature: Is this project Heuristic (discovery) or Teleological (goal-oriented)? Decide if you need to reverse-engineer the workflow.
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1.3 Omissions & Bias: Identify the “Invisible City” (harbours, parks, food trucks) that your official data might miss.
2. The Universe of Discourse:
Inventory the concepts identified in the brief’s semantic analysis and in the “Addressing Spatial Omission and Bias” section of the workflow scoping. If the project domain is unfamiliar to the practitioner, validate this universe of discourse against domain experts, prior related projects, or field observations.
3. Mapping the Operational Context
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3.1 Stakeholders: Define the Human Ontology (Client, Gatekeeper, End-User).
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3.2 The Tech Stack: List mandated software and environment constraints.
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3.3 Data Delivery: Document what the client is providing and in what format.
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3.4 Business Rules & Constraints: Explicitly list any “Banned” sources or mandated methodologies required by the client’s legal or IT departments.
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3.5 Governance & Ethics: Define your GDPR and privacy strategy.