flowchart TB
sa_s1["Record the site"]
sa_s2["Score the criteria and file the determination"]
sa_s3["Safeguard review"]
sa_s4["Close the assessment"]
sa_s1 --> sa_s2
sa_s2 --> sa_s3
sa_s3 --> sa_s4
NCGS Site Assessment Workflow
From first visit to a reviewed determination: the assessor records the site, scores the eight criteria and files the derived determination (or a supervisor overrides it with a reason); a withheld determination goes to a safeguard review by an ecology-qualified reviewer who is not the assessor; the workflow ends in planting plan may proceed or withheld, verified. Both are successful terminal states.
1. Record the site
Prerequisite checks
The site exists on the platform with a urn:uuid identity
Smart function check.
Completion checks
GreeningSiteShape
SHACL shape.
- A site boundary, when given, is a single GeoSPARQL WKT literal.
- A site carries at most one current agreement status, from the agreement-status scheme; none when it has none (ADR-0019).
- A site carries at most one designation, the stratum of its latest site designation record, written by the stratum operation (ADR-0029).
- A site carries at most one programme allocation.
- A site carries at most one site agreement, as an evidence item.
- A site must be coded to exactly one census place in the NCGS geography scheme.
- A site must carry exactly one WGS84 latitude for its current point at the gate or centroid: its registration’s, or its latest site location record’s (ADR-0021).
- A site must carry exactly one WGS84 longitude for its current point at the gate or centroid: its registration’s, or its latest site location record’s (ADR-0021).
- A site must carry exactly one human-readable name (a school or farm name), which is a label and never the identity.
- A site must carry exactly one site type from the NCGS site-types scheme.
- A site’s point accuracy, when given, is one positive number of metres: its registration’s, or its latest site location record’s (ADR-0021).
- Every agent at a site is an agent role: an IRI and a role, nothing more (ADR-0007).
- The signatory of a site agreement is an agent role: an IRI and a role, nothing more (ADR-0007).
- A site agreement evidence item is a photographed site agreement, an on-screen signature or a recorded consent, and carries a date signed (ADR-0030).
- A site whose agreement is in force, signed or uncooperative, must carry the signed agreement as an evidence item, a photographed site agreement, an on-screen signature or a recorded consent, with the date signed and the signatory as an agent in a role.
- A site whose agreement is not in force carries no site agreement; the document stays on the act that put it in force (ADR-0019).
- Instance data must not use the standard’s namespace https://nova.org.za/ncgs/ (ADR-0002: instances are urn:uuid: IRIs).
- The census place must be a concept in the NCGS geography scheme.
- The signatory of a site agreement is the landowner, the site manager or the owner, as an agent in a role; one signature is enough (ADR-0007, ADR-0030).
SiteRecordShape
SHACL shape.
- A site record claims exactly one site state (ADR-0005).
- A site record is about exactly one registered site, named by IRI; the site itself is validated by its own shape at registration (ADR-0022).
- A site record must carry at least one evidence item.
- A site record must carry exactly one observed-at timestamp.
- A site record must carry exactly one observer role.
- A site record must carry its device latitude, separate from the site’s point: the capture device’s, or on a desk observation the site’s position as picked on a map.
- A site record must carry its device longitude, separate from the site’s point: the capture device’s, or on a desk observation the site’s position as picked on a map.
- A site record must name exactly one observer by IRI (ADR-0004).
- A site record must state how it was captured.
- A site record says at most once how the site was observed: on site, at the desk or remotely. Without one it was observed on site.
- A site record must carry at least one geotagged site photograph.
- A site record’s state carries the mapped vegetation type at the site’s point, or records that the map has no unit there; the vegetation type operation writes both (ADR-0026).
- Instance data must not use the standard’s namespace https://nova.org.za/ncgs/ (ADR-0002: instances are urn:uuid: IRIs).
- The site a record is about must be the site its state is the state of.
SiteStateShape
SHACL shape.
- A site state is the state of exactly one site.
- A site state records at most one intactness value (intact, degraded or transformed).
- A site state records at most one land cover from the NCGS land-cover scheme: set at registration and corrected at a visit, so a visit may leave it out (#130).
- A site state records at most one mapped vegetation type from the NCGS vegetation-types scheme.
- A site state carries a mapped vegetation type or records that the map has none at its point, never both (ADR-0026).
- Land cover and intactness are recorded together, or neither (#130).
- The vegetation type must be a concept in the NCGS vegetation-types scheme.
Step detail
Questions asked: NCGS site-record questions
2. Score the criteria and file the determination
The form shows the derived determination; filing a different one requires observer role supervisor and a written reason.
Prerequisite checks
Completion checks
SiteAssessmentRecordShape
SHACL shape.
- A site assessment record files exactly one suitability determination.
- The derived determination is one of the five suitability determinations.
- A determination cannot be filed while any criterion is unknown; resolve it or file deferred, pending agreement.
- A determination other than deferred must be accompanied by the derived determination it is filed against.
- A filed determination that differs from the derived one is an override: it requires an override reason and observer role supervisor.
- A water source is a concept or, for an Other answer, the respondent’s words (ncgs:waterSourceOther), never both.
- Deferred, pending agreement may be filed only while the agreement in force at the assessment is none, refused or withdrawn (ADR-0019).
- Derivation: a safe-space criterion not met gives suitable with conditions when a condition is named, otherwise unsuitable remediable.
- Derivation: all criteria met gives suitable.
- Derivation: an ecological criterion not met gives withheld on ecological grounds.
- Each suitability criterion is scored at most once per assessment.
- Every one of the eight suitability criteria must be scored before a determination other than deferred is filed.
- Ground with no hazard seen (ground-none) names no hazard besides.
- Suitable with conditions requires at least one named condition.
- The site’s land cover and intactness are not known: neither its registration nor another site record recorded them, so this assessment records them (#130).
- Withheld on ecological grounds requires intact indigenous land cover (indigenous grassland, wetland or riparian), the mapped vegetation type (or a point the map has no unit for), at least two geotagged ground-cover photographs and a determination reason.
M006QuantitativeApplicabilityShape
SHACL shape.
- NCGS-M006: every safe-space criterion must be scored exactly once (six scores), unless the determination is deferred.
M006SemanticApplicabilityShape
SHACL shape.
- NCGS-M006: a safe-space assessment applies only where a landowner agreement, in force at the assessment, has been requested, agreed verbally or signed; otherwise file deferred, pending agreement (ADR-0019, ADR-0030).
M007QuantitativeApplicabilityShape
SHACL shape.
- NCGS-M007: both ecological criteria must be scored, unless the determination is deferred.
M007SemanticApplicabilityShape
SHACL shape.
- NCGS-M007: the pinned map has no vegetation unit at this site’s point, so the assessment is held for a supervisor: it counts once a supervisor or office analyst restates it with a reason confirming the site (ncgs:unmappedSiteConfirmation, ADR-0026).
- NCGS-M007: the site’s land cover and intactness must be known (from this assessment, the registration or another site record) and the assessment must carry the mapped vegetation type before ecological appropriateness can be judged.
Step detail
Questions asked: NCGS site-assessment questions
3. Safeguard review
Runs only when the filed determination is withheld on ecological grounds. Seat: any reviewer meeting the KSR threshold in grassland and wetland ecology who is not the assessor (ADR-0013).
Prerequisite checks
The filed determination of the latest assessment is withheld on ecological grounds
Smart function check.
No safeguard review of the latest assessment is by its assessor (the reputation threshold is the platform’s to enforce)
Smart function check.
Completion checks
The latest safeguard review of the latest assessment is approved
Smart function check.
Step detail
No form is filled in at this step.
4. Close the assessment
Terminal: planting plan may proceed (suitable, or suitable with conditions) or withheld, verified (withheld with an approved safeguard review). Unsuitable remediable and deferred leave the site in the register for re-assessment.
Prerequisite checks
Completion checks
The assessment has reached a terminal state: planting plan may proceed, or withheld, verified
Smart function check.
Step detail
No form is filled in at this step.
Review requirements
Safeguard review of a withheld determination
Every determination of withheld on ecological grounds must be reviewed before the workflow reaches withheld, verified. The reviewer examines the ground-cover photographs, the vegetation type, the intactness judgement and the assessor’s reason. Required domains are derived from the applied methodology (NCGS-M007: grassland and wetland ecology, field survey and data capture), each governed by its KSR rule; the ecology rule carries the higher threshold. Seat open to any qualified reviewer who is not the assessor (ADR-0013).
| review mandate | Safeguard review |
| reviewed artifact type | site-assessment-record |
| seat policy | Open to any KSR-qualified reviewer |
| minimum reviewers | 1 |
| reviewer must not be observer | yes |
| knowledge domains from applied methodology | yes |
| governed by KSR rule | Take a safeguard review seat (grassland and wetland ecology); Take a validation review seat (field survey and data capture) |
Validation of a site assessment
Site assessments that clear a site for planting are sampled by the validation review of the project design rather than reviewed one by one. The reviewer judges criterion coverage, evidence and consistency with the derived determination.
| review mandate | Validation |
| reviewed artifact type | site-assessment-record |
| seat policy | Open to any KSR-qualified reviewer |
| minimum reviewers | 1 |
| reviewer must not be observer | yes |
| knowledge domains from applied methodology | yes |
| governed by KSR rule | Take a validation review seat (field survey and data capture); Take a validation review seat (site suitability assessment) |