Methodology

Data pipeline

The atlas is built from the EJM research dataset and prepared as an analysis-ready layer for interactive browsing, filtering, and visualization.

The public-facing interface relies on a structured derivative of the research dataset that supports:

  • record-level browsing
  • multi-value jurisprudence and actor-type analysis
  • summary statistics used across the atlas

Cleaning decisions

The current transformation makes a few deliberate simplifications so the Quarto front end can filter and chart the data reliably.

  • Country values such as US|USA are split into a display country and a preserved raw value.
  • Pipe-delimited multi-value fields are retained for reference and also expanded for charting.
  • Status fields are condensed into a current-status field and a status-history string.
  • Repeated theme and actor indicators are kept as numeric 0/1 flags for filtering.
  • Numeric caretaking and representation codes are preserved, but not yet heavily featured in the UI because they still need clearer documentation.

Current limitations

Several fields in the source data deserve more explicit decoding before they become first-class interface elements.

  • Caretaking System
  • Caretaking Actor
  • Representation
  • The distinction between Indigenous and Indigenous.1

Until those codes are fully documented, the atlas emphasizes better-understood fields such as legal provision type, jurisprudence framing, actor type, status, region, and year.