DKP-1-IMPACT-001
Impact Measurement Protocol
1. Purpose
The Impact Measurement Protocol defines how changes in the Physical State Vector S(t) are transformed into time-indexed, bounded, and auditable impact metrics.
This protocol performs measurement only. It does not interpret value, intent, utility, justice, responsibility, or policy.
2. System Position and Anchoring
This protocol operates:
- above DKP-0-ORACLE-001 (Physical Truth Layer),
- below DKP-1-IDENTITY-001 (Identity & Subject Protocol),
- below DKP-1-JUSTICE-001 (Justice Function Protocol),
- below all governance, economic, and enforcement protocols.
All inputs to this protocol MUST originate exclusively from Physical Truth Layer outputs.
All reference bounds Bᵢ MUST be explicitly imported from:
- DKP-1-AXIOMS-001, or
- normatively defined Physical Truth Layer indices
(e.g., biosphere survival thresholds anchored in Genesis Block constants).
This protocol is bound to Genesis Block #0 (2025-12-10).
3. Scope
This protocol governs:
- measurement of state change between two physical states,
- time-indexed impact evaluation over an externally supplied horizon Δt,
- detection of boundary approach and boundary crossing,
- classification of reversibility and externality,
- production of structured, channel-separated impact outputs.
This protocol explicitly excludes:
- optimization, scoring, or weighting,
- aggregation across channels,
- decision-making or enforcement,
- attribution of responsibility,
- compensation logic,
- any form of utility or justice calculation.
4. Core Definitions
Physical State Vector S(t)
An immutable, time-indexed vector of measured physical variables produced by DKP-0-ORACLE-001.
Baseline State S(t₀)
The reference physical state prior to an evaluated change.
Observed State S(t₁)
The measured physical state after the evaluated change.
Impact Horizon Δt
A time interval supplied as an external parameter defining the evaluation window.
Impact Channel
A logically independent dimension of physical or informational impact.
Normatively declared impact channels include, but are not limited to:
- Biosphere Integrity
- Atmospheric Composition
- Human Health Proxies
- Resource Depletion
- Energy Balance
- Cognitive Integrity Proxies
- Cultural Continuity Indicators
Impact Vector Iᵢ(t₀ → t₁, Δt)
A channel-specific, bounded impact metric defined as normalized physical change.
Reference Bounds Bᵢ
Invariant physical limits imported from DKP-1-AXIOMS-001 or Physical Truth Layer indices.
Reversibility Flag Rᵢ
A boolean indicator of physical or informational irreversibility.
Externality Flag Xᵢ
A boolean indicator of boundary-crossing impact.
Uncertainty Envelope Uᵢ
A bounded confidence interval propagated from Physical Truth Layer uncertainty.
5. Measurement Principle
Impact is defined strictly as the difference between two physical states:
S(t₀) → S(t₁) over Δt
For each impact channel i, let Sᵢ(t) denote the projection of S(t) onto channel i.
The protocol computes:
Iᵢ = ( Sᵢ(t₁) − Sᵢ(t₀) ) / Bᵢ
The resulting value is:
- unaggregated,
- dimensionless,
- auditable.
If |Iᵢ| ≥ 1, a boundary crossing SHALL be flagged.
No aggregation across channels is permitted.
6. Reference Bounds and Boundary Detection
Each impact channel SHALL declare its applicable reference bounds Bᵢ.
Bounds MUST be:
- physically or informationally defined,
- immutable within this protocol,
- traceable to DKP-1-AXIOMS-001 or Physical Truth Layer indices.
The protocol SHALL detect:
- boundary approach,
- boundary crossing.
Bounds SHALL NOT be modified, normalized, or reinterpreted.
7. Reversibility Classification
For each impact channel, the protocol SHALL evaluate reversibility using formal criteria.
Criteria MUST be:
- explicit,
- physically or informationally grounded,
- binary in output.
Illustrative criteria MAY include:
- entropy increase beyond reversible regimes,
- irrecoverable loss of biospheric structures,
- irreversible phase transitions,
- permanent loss of cognitive or cultural capacity
as verified via Physical Truth Layer data.
Subjective or intent-based assessments are forbidden.
8. Externality Detection
The protocol SHALL distinguish between internal and external impact.
System boundary SHALL default to planetary scale unless explicitly narrowed by higher-layer protocols.
Any detected boundary crossing SHALL set Xᵢ = True.
Absence of an explicit boundary definition SHALL be treated as full externality exposure.
9. Uncertainty Propagation
Measurement uncertainty from Physical Truth Layer inputs SHALL be propagated into each impact channel.
Propagation SHALL be deterministic.
Illustrative methods MAY include:
- Bayesian ensembles,
- posterior confidence bands (e.g., ±3σ).
Uncertainty SHALL NOT be used to suppress, downgrade, or invalidate detected impact.
10. Outputs
For each impact channel i, the protocol outputs:
- Iᵢ — impact vector,
- Bᵢ — reference bound,
- Rᵢ — reversibility flag,
- Xᵢ — externality flag,
- Uᵢ — uncertainty envelope.
No aggregated impact score SHALL be produced.
11. Cross-Layer Isolation Invariant
No higher-layer protocol may:
- alter reference bounds,
- suppress impact channels,
- override reversibility or externality flags,
- inject valuation, weighting, responsibility, or optimization logic.
Violation constitutes a critical architectural breach.
12. Protocol Finality
Once finalized, this protocol is immutable.
Any modification requires:
- a new protocol identifier,
- explicit declaration of incompatibility,
- full-system revalidation under DKP-8-SIMULATION.
Protocol Hash (SHA-256): [to be inserted at freeze]
13. Illustrative Example (Non-Normative)
Input
- Channel: Atmospheric Composition
- S(t₀): CO₂ = 426.91 ppm
- S(t₁): CO₂ = 427.00 ppm
- Δt: 1 hour
- Bᵢ: 450 ppm
Output
- Iᵢ ≈ 0.004
- Rᵢ = False
- Xᵢ = False
- Uᵢ = ±0.01 ppm
This example is illustrative only and not normative.