A deterministic reference framework for visual evidence verification.
Aperture is a formally specified analytical framework concerned with the verification of visual and image-derived evidence under conditions where interpretive latitude introduces unacceptable uncertainty. The framework is not positioned as an application, service, or implementation. It defines a constrained methodological architecture within which visual evidence may be examined, bounded, and evaluated without reliance on probabilistic inference, stylistic attribution, or authority-based validation.
Conceptual Position
The framework proceeds from the premise that visual evidence is routinely over-interpreted due to insufficient analytical constraint rather than insufficient expertise. Aperture therefore treats visual material as a structured informational system, subject to deterministic examination across independent analytical domains. Inference is restricted to demonstrable properties of the evidence, and conclusions are admitted only where cross-domain consistency is observed.
Structural Scope
Aperture is defined independently of any specific industry, asset class, or operational environment. Its structure permits application across heterogeneous contexts without modification to its core logic. The framework does not prescribe tooling, workflows, or delivery mechanisms. It specifies analytical constraints capable of governing downstream implementations without requiring direct execution.
Methodological Architecture
Independent Verification Layers
Aperture is composed of discrete verification layers, each operating as an independent analytical domain. These layers are applied sequentially and without presumption of outcome.
- Pixel-level and micro-textural analysis
- Photometric and illumination consistency evaluation
- Geometric proportion and spatial coherence testing
- Material behavior and physical plausibility assessment
- Contextual and cross-referential consistency analysis
No single domain is sufficient to support inference in isolation. Analytical conclusions arise only at points of intersection across multiple independent layers.
Deterministic Constraint Model
The framework adopts a deterministic epistemology. It does not assign confidence scores, probabilities, stylistic likelihoods, or market-weighted assessments. Findings are expressed as constrained determinations bounded by observable features and the limits of the applied analytical layers. Where evidentiary sufficiency is not met, indeterminacy is explicitly recorded rather than resolved through extrapolation.
Intellectual Property Positioning
Control-layer definition
Aperture is specified as a control-layer analytical framework rather than an application-layer solution. Its value resides in the formal definition of constraints, verification logic, and analytical architecture capable of governing or bounding implementation-layer systems without being reducible to any single instantiation. This structure permits the framework to function as a reference architecture across domains while remaining independent of operational deployment.
Archival Status
Permanent DOI record
The Aperture framework is permanently archived under a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). All versions are preserved as immutable records. The concept-level DOI resolves to the most recent stable specification.
Attribution
Authorship
Paul Hattingh
paulhattingh@gmail.com
This attribution identifies authorship of the framework specification only.