Safety stop: Do not climb, dismantle equipment, enter restricted areas, touch damaged electrical components, operate visibly damaged systems or observe during severe weather, wildfire, flooding, lightning or dangerous heat. Stop whenever access, stability, electricity, fire or falling-object safety is uncertain.
Protocol scope
This protocol supports permissioned, non-destructive documentation of visible conditions only. It is not a structural inspection, code determination, fire test, accessibility certification or product rating. A completed row does not prove compliance, safety, durability, rain resistance or professional review.
Six-step method
- Create a stable non-identifying record ID and record the protocol version.
- Confirm permission from the site owner or authorized controller.
- Classify visible attributes only; use unknown rather than guessing.
- Separate observation from interpretation and record what was not visible or checked.
- Reference permissioned photos and documents without embedding personal, confidential or copyrighted material.
- Record limitations, safety stops and the authority, manufacturer or professional follow-up needed.
Privacy minimization
Do not record names, contact details, street addresses, faces, license plates, access codes or identifying image metadata. Generalize residential location to country and broad region. The site currently has no data-upload form; the blank CSV remains local to the downloader.
Download blank materials
Field dictionary
| Field | Type | Requirement | Definition and allowed values |
|---|---|---|---|
record_id | text | required | Stable, non-identifying record identifier. No names, addresses or contact details. |
record_version | text | required | Protocol version used for the record. Use 1.5 for this release. |
observation_date_local | date | required | Local calendar date of the observation. YYYY-MM-DD. |
observation_time_band | enum | required | Broad local time band. morning|midday|afternoon|evening|unknown |
observer_role | enum | required | Observer's relationship to the site without personal identity. owner|occupant|installer|designer|inspector|researcher|other |
consent_status | enum | required | Whether the site owner or authorized controller permitted documentation. confirmed|not_confirmed |
country_code | text | required | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code. Example format: NZ, US, AU. |
region_generalized | text | optional | State, province or broad region without a street address. Avoid exact residential location. |
site_context | enum | required | Broad use context. residential|commercial|hospitality|public|other |
system_class | enum | required | Visible overhead system class. open_frame|operable_louver|fixed_roof|retractable_cover|mixed|unknown |
roof_state_observed | enum | required | Roof or cover state during observation. open|part_open|closed|fixed|not_applicable|unknown |
attachment_type | enum | required | Relationship to another building. freestanding|attached|mixed|unknown |
primary_material_family | enum | required | Visible primary frame material family only. aluminum|steel|timber|masonry|mixed|unknown |
approximate_age_band | enum | optional | Age band based on documents or an explicitly identified estimate. under_1y|1_to_5y|6_to_10y|over_10y|unknown |
weather_context_source | text | optional | Public weather-station or official alert reference. Do not observe during hazardous weather. |
precipitation_context | enum | optional | Broad rain context for a safe post-event observation. none|light_recent|moderate_recent|heavy_recent|unknown |
shade_time_reference | text | optional | Timestamp or time band for a shade observation. Record orientation separately in notes. |
occupied_area_shaded_band | enum | optional | Visual band, not an instrumented performance rating. none|under_25pct|25_to_50pct|51_to_75pct|over_75pct|unknown |
drainage_outlet_condition | enum | optional | Visible outlet condition from a safe accessible position. clear|partly_obstructed|obstructed|not_visible|not_applicable |
ponding_observed | enum | optional | Visible standing water after safe access is available. yes|no|unknown|not_applicable |
overflow_or_unintended_discharge | enum | optional | Visible overflow or discharge outside the intended path. yes|no|unknown|not_applicable |
visible_movement_or_damage | enum | required | Visible deformation, looseness, cracking or damage; not a diagnosis. none_seen|possible_issue|clear_issue|unknown |
controls_operational_state | enum | optional | Observed control state without dismantling equipment. normal|fault_indicated|not_operated|not_applicable|unknown |
safety_stop_triggered | enum | required | Whether observation stopped because a hazard or unsafe access was identified. yes|no |
photo_reference | text | optional | Local or repository reference, not an embedded image. Remove faces, addresses and identifying metadata. |
document_reference | text | optional | Reference to a permissioned drawing, manual, authority record or report. Do not upload copyrighted or confidential documents. |
observation_notes | text | required | Plain-language observations separated from interpretation. State what was visible and what was not checked. |
limitations | text | required | Access, visibility, weather, documentation and competence limits. Never leave this blank. |
follow_up_required | enum | required | Whether authority, manufacturer or qualified professional follow-up is needed. yes|no|unknown |
follow_up_route | text | optional | Named type of follow-up, without inventing a responsible person. authority|manufacturer|engineer|fire_professional|accessibility_specialist|maintenance|other |
Source tier 3Source-register entry
Scientific Data — The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardshipPeer-reviewed primary paper defining findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability principles for research data and metadata.
No results claim
Version 1.6 publishes only the method, data dictionary and blank template; the current observation-record count is zero. Only permissioned records that pass privacy, provenance and quality review may be published separately in a future version.