Method

Every line cites its source

A screening report is only as useful as your ability to check it. Each line in a Ravn report carries four things.

Dataset

The named dataset the fact was read from, with a link to it.

Custodian

The agency or council that publishes and maintains it.

Retrieval date

When the data was fetched, so you can judge whether it may have changed since.

Licence

The terms the custodian publishes it under.

A line that cannot carry all four does not belong in the report.

Four states, never three

Screening tools often report a constraint as present or absent. That leaves out two answers that matter, so every check in a Ravn report ends in one of four states.

Affected

The source covers the site and shows the control or constraint applies.

Not affected

The source covers the site and shows it does not apply.

Unknown

No source we use covers this site for this question, or the source is not precise enough to say.

Check failed

A source exists, but we could not get an answer from it this time. For example, the service did not respond.

We would rather say we could not check than imply it is fine.

Facts, not advice

A Ravn report is a screening snapshot drawn from public records on the date shown. It is not a planning certificate, such as a NSW section 10.7 certificate,^{Footnote 1} and it is not planning advice.

It tells you what the public record says and where to look. It does not tell you what to do about it. Decisions about a site still rest with the relevant authority and with qualified professionals.

Data posture

Publicly accessible is not a licence.

Being able to view a dataset or document online does not mean anyone may copy and redistribute it. We check the terms of each source we use.^{Footnote 2}

We record facts about places, such as whether a lot falls within a mapped area, together with a link to the source. We do not republish other people's documents, such as council reports, plans or submissions.

What we do not do

• We do not use insider or non-public information. Everything in a report can be traced to a publicly accessible source.
• We do not lobby, or try to influence planning decisions, for ourselves or for anyone else.
• AI never edits stored data without human approval. Software may suggest a change; a person approves each one before it is made.