Provenance: Knowing Where Guidance Comes From

The Problem with Black Boxes

AI systems often present answers without context:

• Where did this come from?
• Is it current?
• Who published it?
• Can I verify it?

For operational decisions, this is unacceptable. Responders need to trust—and verify—the guidance they receive.

Provenance in UPAS

Every UPAS response includes provenance metadata:

interface Provenance {
  publisher: string;      // "SPHERE Association"
  documentId: string;     // "handbook-2024-water"
  documentTitle: string;  // "Minimum Standards in WASH"
  section: string;        // "4.2 Water Supply"
  version: string;        // "2024.1"
  effectiveDate: string;  // "2024-01-15"
  hash: string;           // "sha256-abc123..."
}

This metadata is:

• Displayed by default: Visible with every response
• Expandable: Click to see full details
• Verifiable: Hash confirms content integrity
• Linkable: Direct access to source document

Why Provenance Matters

Accountability

Operational decisions can be reviewed:

• What guidance was followed?
• What version was in use?
• Who published the source?

Currency

Responders can verify guidance is current:

• Check effective date
• Compare to known updates
• Identify outdated content

Authority

Source attribution shows:

• Publishing organisation
• Document series
• Review status

Auditability

After-action reviews can trace:

• Specific guidance referenced
• Version at time of decision
• Any discrepancies

Implementation

UPAS builds provenance into the procedure pack structure:

{
  "id": "emergency-response-v3.2.1",
  "publisher": "Example Organisation",
  "documents": [
    {
      "id": "triage-protocol",
      "title": "Mass Casualty Triage",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-06-01",
      "hash": "sha256-def456..."
    }
  ]
}

When guidance is retrieved, the response includes both:

• The actionable steps
• The full provenance chain

User Interface

The UPAS interface shows provenance clearly:

1. Compact view: Source name and version
2. Expanded view: Full metadata
3. Document link: Direct access to original

Responders can quickly verify without disrupting their workflow.

Beyond Attribution

Provenance enables:

• Version comparison: See what changed
• Rollback: Return to previous versions
• Audit trails: Track decision basis
• Quality assurance: Identify gaps

Learn More

• Interfaces Reference
• Security Model