Observatory

Project method and boundary

Entity-resolution methodology

Organization identities are joined only through exact normalized names or reviewed aliases.

Conservative resolution

Normalization is deterministic and limited to spacing, case, punctuation, and reviewed legal suffix handling. Similarity creates private proposals only and never creates an identity.

Source roles remain

A notifying entity, public-sector agency, covered entity, business associate, and respondent are distinct roles even when they resolve to one organization profile.

Reviewed decisions

Approved or rejected alias decisions retain a stable ID, source set, evidence, date, and review note. Chains and cycles are rejected.

What is not inferred

Parent and subsidiary relationships, brands, renamed companies, and near-matching names remain separate without reviewed evidence.