Refresh Policy

A refresh in this repository is not just a download step. It is a change in the evidence environment, and that can change what the public product is allowed to say.

That point matters because readers often see a newer map, a revised country bundle, or different counts and assume the change was cosmetic. Sometimes it is not. A refresh can widen coverage, expose weaker rows, change chronology posture, or force a previously broad claim to become narrower.

Why Refresh Is Public

The repository does not treat upstream updates as silent maintenance. If the evidence changes, the public language must be willing to change with it.

That is why refresh policy belongs on the public surface. Readers should be able to understand why a published output changed and why some updates make the repository more cautious rather than more expansive.

What A Refresh Can Change

• counts and coverage across a source family
• locality quality for recovered animal samples
• chronology posture for previously thin rows
• whether a map layer stays visible, becomes qualified, or needs to narrow

What The Repository Refuses To Do

The repository does not silently absorb upstream change and keep repeating old claims as if nothing moved.

If a refresh improves the evidence, outputs can improve with it. If a refresh reveals weaker support than previously thought, the correct response is to narrow the public claim, not to preserve old wording for convenience.

Where Readers Can Inspect It

The checked-in public summary lives at:

• data/collection_summary.json

That file shows what the latest refresh changed and keeps source movement visible as part of the public evidence story.

When This Page Matters Most

This page matters when a reader wants to know why a published report changed after a source update, why refresh work is coupled to review and release checks, or why the repository treats source movement as a governed evidence event instead of invisible background maintenance.