Safe Degradation: When Things Go Wrong

The Reality of Field Conditions

In humanitarian operations, things go wrong:

• Devices run out of storage
• Models fail to load
• Browsers lack WebGPU support
• Cache becomes corrupted

UPAS is designed to handle these gracefully.

Degradation Hierarchy

UPAS follows a clear degradation path:

Level 1: Full Capability

• WebGPU runtime active
• AI model loaded
• Procedure packs cached
• Full query functionality

Level 2: Fallback Runtime

• WASM runtime active
• Smaller model loaded
• Procedure packs cached
• Slower but functional queries

Level 3: Manual Mode

• No AI model available
• Procedure packs cached
• Manual browsing and search
• Clear notice displayed

Level 4: Minimal Mode

• Cache partially available
• Limited content accessible
• Sync recommended
• Functionality clearly indicated

User Communication

At every level, UPAS communicates clearly:

function showDegradedNotice(level: DegradationLevel) {
  switch (level) {
    case 'wasm':
      notify('Using CPU inference. Responses may be slower.');
      break;
    case 'manual':
      notify('AI unavailable. Browse procedures manually.');
      break;
    case 'minimal':
      notify('Limited content cached. Connect to sync.');
      break;
  }
}

Never Block

UPAS never blocks the user:

• Show what's available
• Indicate limitations
• Suggest remediation
• Allow continued work

Recovery Paths

Each degradation level has a recovery path:

Design Philosophy

Degradation is a feature, not a failure:

1. Anticipate problems: Things will break
2. Preserve function: Some capability is better than none
3. Communicate clearly: Users understand the situation
4. Enable recovery: Path back to full capability

Learn More

• Configuration
• Deployment