GCRI · Nexus Ecosystem
Methods and standards
Countries can compare and combine their work only if they share methods. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) stewards the programme’s conventions: how evidence is labelled, how models are documented, how data moves between systems and how capacity is measured. They are working conventions. They are not certification, accreditation or conformity with any external standard. Part of Nexus ecosystem.
01Contents
Methods and standards in seven parts.
In this dossier7 parts
- 01Evidence methodologyEvery result carries one of nine labels
- 02The NS seriesThe proposed Nexus Standards, and what each would govern
- 03Taking partHow a specialist can shape a standard
- 04InteroperabilityConventions that let work move between countries
- 05No implied certificationWhat these conventions are not
- 06CollaborateWork with standards bodies and societies
- 07SourcesWhere this page’s references lead
02Evidence methodology
Every result carries one of nine labels.
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Observed | Measured directly |
| Published statistics | Reported by a competent authority; a source type, not an endorsement |
| Institution-reported | Reported by a participating institution |
| Estimated | Derived from partial data with a stated method |
| Modelled | Produced by a documented model |
| Forecast | A model projection for a future period |
| Scenario | A plausible what-if, not a prediction |
| Expert judgement | Structured opinion with its basis |
| Unknown | Not known; never shown as zero |
03The NS series
The proposed Nexus Standards, and what each would govern.
| Standard | Subject | What it would do for a reader |
|---|---|---|
| NS-0 | Constitution and principles | Sets what a Nexus Standard is for and what it must never claim |
| NS-1 and NS-2 | The Unique Nexus Identifier (UNI), the artefact catalogue and citation format | Lets any report, dataset or model be named and cited without ambiguity |
| NS-3 and NS-3b | The Global Risks Index (NXS-GRX) record identifiers; dataset and product metadata (STAC, DCAT, PROV-O) | Lets a figure in a report be traced to the record and dataset it came from |
| NS-4 and NS-5 | Document template; figures, maps and visualisations | Keeps documents and figures self-describing |
| NS-9 | Contextual identifiers for deployments and programme instances | Distinguishes a national instance from the global programme |
| NS-10 and NS-11 | Machine-readable policies and clauses; verification and monitoring | Records obligations and the evidence that they were met |
| NS-12 | Software, model and AI/ML artefacts | Requires bills of materials, model cards and dataset sheets |
| NS-13 and NS-14 | Standards development process; crosswalks to external standards | Opens proposals to debate, and maps each standard to ISO, OGC, W3C and other references |
All are proposals published at nexustandards.com, with their status shown on each page. A UNI identifies and resolves a record; it never confers a status on the thing it names. Crosswalks under NS-14 state where a Nexus Standard relates to an external one, and claim no conformity.
04Taking part
How a specialist can shape a standard.
Under the proposed NS-13 process, anyone can open a proposal, comment on a draft or document a conflict with an external standard; decisions are recorded with their reasons. Standards bodies and professional societies can propose a crosswalk. The standards feed every series of Reports, starting with the Methods and Technical series.
05Interoperability
Conventions that let work move between countries.
Methods
Canonical method pages
Each of the fifty-four methods has one canonical page in the STEM Commons.
Models
Model and data cards
Data, model and software cards record purpose, inputs, validation, limits and version.
Exchange
Source interfaces
Versioned source agreements, schema mappings and refresh and correction protocols with source agencies.
06No implied certification
What these conventions are not.
Conventions make work comparable. They do not tell anyone that a product, person or institution meets a requirement.
- Test completion is never presented as accredited certification.
- External standards are named as references where relevant, never as claims of alignment or conformity.
- GCRI does not certify, license or approve products, people or institutions.
- A methods profile is reusable where licensed; it confers no status on those who use it.
07Collaborate
Work with standards bodies and societies.
Standards bodies, metrology organisations and professional societies can propose a methods or interoperability collaboration. The first outcome is a scoped profile, an interoperability protocol and reusable artefacts where licensed. Write to the research collaboration form. See Methods and technical papers and the evidence and data standards of The Global Risks Alliance (GRA).
08Sources
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
- Nexus Standards, the proposed NS series (nexustandards.com)
- NS-0, Constitution and principles, a proposed standard
- NS-3, NXS-GRX record UNIs, a proposed standard
- NS-3b, Dataset and product metadata profile (STAC, DCAT, PROV-O), a proposed standard
- NS-11, Verification and monitoring, a proposed standard
- NS-12, Software, model and AI/ML artefacts, a proposed standard
- NS-13, Standards development process, a proposed standard
- NS-14, Conformance and crosswalk to external standards, a proposed standard
09Questions
Questions and answers.
Can my organisation claim it follows Nexus standards?
You may describe the methods you use. Please do not present them as a certification or an endorsement by GCRI.
Does GCRI align with ISO or other standards?
External standards are cited as references where useful. No alignment or conformity is claimed without an assessment record.
Why not use a single risk index?
A single score hides the dependencies, uncertainty and evidence types that decision-makers need to see. The methods compare systems domain by domain and keep every kind of evidence labelled.
How are methods changed?
Through review on the canonical method page; each change creates a new version with its reasons.
The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation
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