What an observation is

An observation is the documented record of a verifiable civic fact that occurs in the operating territory of Alerta. The observation captures the fact, its context, its approximate location and the metadata sufficient for third parties to verify it independently.

An observation documents what was witnessed. Opinion about the fact, analysis of its causes and proposal of response may follow the observation in subsequent discussions. The observation itself is limited to documentation.

The four categories

Every observation belongs to one of four operational categories:

• Urban infrastructure. Roads, transport, public lighting, waste collection, green spaces, urban furniture, accessibility.
• Environment. Visible contamination, water management, air quality, noise, urban wildlife, intervention on natural areas.
• Public services. Health, education, citizen attention, public registries, security, drinking water, energy.
• Institutional matters. Conduct of officials in public exercise, execution of works, compliance with local regulation, transparency.

The category is automatically assigned by Agent 08 (territorial classification) and confirmed or adjusted by the editorial team during triage. The Vigía's initial choice is informative rather than determinative.

The composition of an observation

A well-composed observation contains five elements:

1 · Description

Three to five sentences that describe the fact with precision and without adjectivation. The description answers the basic questions: what occurs, where it occurs approximately, when it was documented, under what conditions. It is drafted in present or past tense, without literary pretension.

Acceptable example: "The traffic light at the intersection of Pardo and Petit Thouars has remained non-functional since May fourteenth. The intersection records high pedestrian and vehicular traffic. No alternative temporary signage is observed."

Unacceptable example: "The negligence of the authorities is once again evident at a key intersection in Miraflores, where the chaos of traffic threatens the integrity of pedestrians."

2 · Approximate location

Geographic coordinates with precision sufficient for verification but not so precise that it compromises the safety of the Vigía in accordance with Article V. The system captures location at the block or intersection level, not at the specific address. When the observation occurs on private property, the location approximates to the nearest public space.

3 · Visual evidence when appropriate

Photographs or videos that document the fact. Visual evidence is uploaded through the system and remains associated with the file. When an image may compromise the identity of persons unrelated to the fact, those persons are blurred before submission.

4 · Temporal context

Indication of when the fact was observed, when it was documented (if different), and any relevant background (frequency, duration, evolution). The timestamp is captured automatically. The background, if any, is drafted by the Vigía.

5 · Suggested category

The operational category the Vigía considers most appropriate from the list of four described above. The suggestion is reviewed and eventually adjusted during triage.

The submission procedure

From activation, the Vigía may submit observations directly through vigia.alerta.earth. The procedure follows five steps:

1. Form opening. Access to the submission screen from the operational interface.
2. Composition. Drafting of the description, capture of visual evidence, assignment of suggested category.
3. Self-review. The system requests the Vigía to pause for ninety seconds before submission to review the composition. This pause is deliberate. Observations submitted in less than ninety seconds produce a significantly higher subsequent correction rate.
4. Submission. The system confirms receipt with a unique identifier and a timestamp of the file.
5. Tracking. The Vigía may consult the status of the observation at any time from their personal panel: in triage, in expert validation, in editorial review, published, archived with observations, or returned for correction.

What the system does not accept

The following forms of submission are automatically returned by the editorial team or by Agent 02:

• Observations that mix documentation with partisan political opinion.
• Observations that identify private persons not directly related to the public fact.
• Observations based on third-party information without direct verification by the Vigía.
• Observations that duplicate an existing file without contributing new information.
• Observations whose documentation was obtained by means that compromise the safety of the Vigía or of third parties.
• Observations drafted in qualifying, exaggerated or emotional language.

A returned observation does not penalize the Vigía. The return includes a detailed explanation of the reason. The Vigía may revise and resubmit the corrected observation as many times as necessary.

The time between submission and publication

The typical time between submission and publication varies according to the category and the complexity of the observation:

• Simple observations without required expert validation. Between two and twenty-four business hours.
• Observations with expert validation. Between three and seven business days.
• Complex observations with extended verification chain. Between one and three weeks.
• Observations that activate the Article V safety protocol. Priority processing with timeframes defined by the protocol.

Reciprocity

A validated and published observation produces two effects on the Vigía's position within the system:

• Trust accumulation. The accumulated trust score increases in accordance with the formula described in Trust Score.
• Seed emission. A quantity of seeds is emitted to the Vigía in accordance with the table described in Treasury.

The Vigía may redeem accumulated seeds at any active Aliado of the network in accordance with the Aliado guide. Redemption is not mandatory. The accumulated seed may remain in circulation, considering the operation of demurrage in accordance with Article IX.