Editorial Methodology & Discovery Principles
This document details the editorial criteria, verification standards, and algorithmic rules governing ORBOREUM.
1. Principles of Destination Selection
ORBOREUM does not operate as an automated aggregator or an undifferentiated directory of thousands of cities. Each monograph in our catalog must satisfy four strict editorial criteria:
- Geological & Cultural Distinctiveness: The location must represent a distinct, remarkable landscape, biome, or human cultural achievement with strong historical or ecological identity.
- Public Verifiability: Coordinates, trail statuses, entry regulations, and conservation rules must be supported by accessible official records from sovereign park agencies, UNESCO, or governmental bodies.
- Balanced Continental Representation: To avoid Eurocentric or North America-dominant bias, the catalog is architected symmetrically across all six inhabited continents.
- Honest Field Realities: Sites are documented with both their extraordinary advantages and their genuine physical limitations, logistical hurdles, and environmental constraints.
2. Discovery Scoring Architecture
Our discovery engine is entirely deterministic and calculated locally within your web browser. No external API calls, artificial intelligence hallucinations, or randomized ranking weights are used. The 100-point index is structured as follows:
3. Sources & Fact Verification Policy
We deliberately avoid citing dynamic flight and hotel pricing engines that fluctuate minute by minute. Instead, we rely on established historical climate tables, official national meteorological agencies (such as NOAA, Yr.no, IPMA, and JMA), and official conservation authorities.
4. Errata & Correction Protocol
Geography, trail accessibility, and park permits change over time. Readers and researchers who observe any outdated trail guidance, modified access requirements, or factual inaccuracies are invited to submit corrections directly via our designated editorial desk.