Nexus Standards · Foundations and Governance · Foundations
Area · proposed
Explains conformance without certification: each standard names conformance classes and rule anchors (NS-n-Rm); every proposed standard is accompanied by an open, executable test suite (Apache-2.0) that runs in a browser test environment and in continuous integration; an implementer publishes an Implementation Conformance Statement with its evidence (NS-11); the public register lists declarations as submitted and states that the programme does not verify them. No marks, seals or badges are issued. Each artifact of the area carries a UNI (Unique Nexus Identifier).
Nexus Standards (2026). Conformance programme: area brief, Foundations and Governance programme. Proposed. https://nexustandards.com/foundations/conformance-programme/. Last reviewed 17 October 2026.
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An area of the Foundations and Governance programme (foundations). The area profile sets out 5 matters in scope and 3 matters addressed by other areas.
In scope 5
Out of scope 3
Jurisdictions Application in each jurisdiction is a national decision, taken by the National Standards Council (NSC) with the competent national authorities.
The map frames Central Asia as an example geography for conformance programme; the frame gives context and is not a statement of where the standards apply. Shown at first: population density, 2020 (Gridded Population of the World v4.11, NASA SEDAC, CIESIN, Columbia University) and night-time lights, daily (VIIRS Black Marble, VNP46A2, NASA LAADS DAAC). The layer drawer adds flood water, 3-day composite (VIIRS Global Flood Product); active fires and thermal anomalies, last day (VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m, FIRMS); and true colour (VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance). NASA products are served through NASA GIBS under NASA's open data policy, with acknowledgement; population density is GPW v4.11 by CIESIN, Columbia University, under CC BY 4.0; coastlines, boundaries and place names come from NASA GIBS reference layers (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) and Natural Earth (public domain). Each layer shows its own observation date; full credits are given under the map. Other sources of the profile, such as OpenSSF Scorecard public results (reference model for published, machine-run evidence) and Zenodo REST API (deposit of test-run evidence bundles with DOIs), are listed for reference.
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Layers 2
People and hazards
Keyboard, with the map focused
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NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
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Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
Where people live, night-time lights and the floods and fires public institutions answer to, framed on Central Asia.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place.
Layers and dates
A mandate authorises an evaluator; evidence is gathered and checked for resolution; the evaluator, outside the subject's trust boundary, evaluates each clause; the result is recorded as an append-only attestation with its digest; monitoring observes coverage and drift; reports are generated from attestations. 8 operations in 5 phases, built from the area profile: the cards carry its own data sources, indicators, open standards, couplings and, where listed, hazards, and each operation names the Nexus rules it implements (7). Records and artifacts are cited by UNI (Unique Nexus Identifier) and version.
Mandate issued start · Mandate
The mandate states which clauses the evaluator may evaluate, for which subjects, and is named in every attestation.
Gather evidence record · Evidence
Record references take the form recordUni@recordVersion; external reports are cited with a digest.
Evidence resolves gate · Evidence
An inaccessible source or a missing mandate is itself recorded as a refusal.
Evaluate exercise · Evaluation
The clause predicate is evaluated over the resolved evidence at a recorded instant.
Result decision · Evaluation
Not applicable means the subject was outside the clause's selectors at that instant.
Attestation record · Attestation
An attestation can be exported as a Verifiable Credential, an in-toto attestation or a PROV-O activity; the Nexus attestation remains the record.
Monitor step · Monitoring
A change in the subject's records that invalidates an attestation is recorded as drift and triggers re-evaluation.
Generated report end · Monitoring
Reports are generated, not written, and are published only when their legal state allows.
Fig.Phases read left to right; each card names the operation, its actor and the record it leaves, and each edge label names the hand-over. Play, step or scrub; the detail panel gives the full text of the selected operation. Sources: QA Framework: Specification Guidelines · RFC 8174 Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words (BCP 14) · NS-11: Verification and monitoring · NS-10: Policies and clauses.
Classes
Each standard defines its conformance classes and the requirements in each class, by rule anchor (NS-n-Rm). A class defines a scope of requirements; it does not denote a level of merit.
Tests
Statement
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Declarant | the implementer, named |
| Classes | the conformance classes claimed and the version of the standard |
| Evidence | test results, by reference |
| Evaluator and date | named, with the date |
| Identifier | a UNI; the statement is a record under NS-11 |
Register
The public register lists implementers' declarations as submitted, with links to their evidence; the programme does not verify them.
The register opens with the first proposed standard accompanied by a test suite. A statement that an implementation conforms to Nexus Standard NS-n may be made by anyone who publishes the supporting evidence, and only alongside that published declaration.
Closed standards
Compatibility profiles for closed standards are built on simulated data, kept on protected pages, refer to the standards by name only and are activated for each issuing body. Compatibility profiles
The standards architecture of this context, from the foundation standards to the open standards referenced (grouped by type of relation) and the services and data sources that build on them.
The interactive view requires JavaScript; the sections below present the same records.
Declaration, selection of clauses, evidence, the evaluator's run, attestations, the statement and its expiry.
Declaration start · Adopter
The adopter names the standard version and the conformance classes it claims for a subject (a context or an artifact, NS-9).
Clause selection model · Nexus records
The standard's machine-readable clauses are selected by the classes claimed.
Evidence record · Adopter
Evidence is referenced by record identifier and digest; the evidence itself remains with the adopter.
Mandate check gate · Evaluator
The mandate states who may evaluate what; without a mandate the evaluation is REFUSED.
Evaluator run exercise · Evaluator
The run reads the evidence and applies the clause set; the result per clause is recorded.
Attestation record · Nexus records
An attestation names the evaluator, the instant and the evidence it read.
Implementation conformance statement record · Nexus records
The public register lists statements as submitted, with their evidence links and expiry dates.
Expiry gate · Over time
An expired statement remains listed and is shown as expired; restoration requires a new evaluation.
Restoration step · Adopter
After expiry the adopter requests a new evaluation; the history is retained.
Authority decision end · Over time
Where a competent body operates its own scheme, its decision is cited by reference; conformance to the Nexus Standards is distinct from that decision.
Fig.An adopter declares the conformance classes it claims; clauses are selected from the standard's NS-10 clause set; evidence is referenced; an evaluator acting under a mandate runs the evaluation; each result is recorded as an attestation; the implementation conformance statement is listed as submitted and expires on a stated date; restoration requires a new evaluation. Sources: NS-10: policies and clauses · NS-11: verification and attestations · Conformance programme.
4 couplings link this area to other areas and programmes, each with the mechanism of the link. Select a card on the diagram to trace a coupling.
Fig.The area at the left; coupled areas in the same programme, coupled areas in other programmes and the programmes reached to the right.
A system model of this area built from the registry: 5 systems, 4 sectors, 9 controls, 2 feeds, 2 indicators. Select the components to include, choose an initiating hazard and run the scenario. Stress propagates through the hazard relations of the Nexus Hazard Standard (NHS-1), the exposure of each system, the recorded couplings and the sectors that carry the loss; adopted standards dampen transmission and live data sources support detection. All parameters are stated assumptions that the reader can adjust; results are illustrative scenario outputs for exercises and training, not forecasts or risk assessments.
Systems and couplings
Controls
NS-10 Policies and clauses (machine-readable obligations: definition, binding, evaluation and enforcement)NS-11 Verification and monitoring (evidence, attestations, zero-trust conformance observation)NS-1 The UNI and the artifact catalog (grammar v0.2: domain, sector, region and environment segments)NRS-C11 Conformance, verification and standards maintenanceNRS-S19 System profile: NXS-POR (Public, client and partner delivery)NRS-S3 System profile: NXS-DSS (Decision cases and deliberation)NRS-A9 Evaluation suites for AI in risk workNRS-H112 Hazard family: Governance and institutional failure (NHS-1 soc.governance)NRS-S1 System profile: NXS-CMD (Integrated posture and executive synthesis)Observation
Conformance statements are listed as submitted.
| Standard | Clauses (NS-10) | Test suite | Conformance statements | Attestations | Body's own suite or validator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NS-0 Constitution and principles | stated12 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-1 The UNI and the artifact catalog… | stated10 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-2 Citation and attribution format for… | stated5 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-3 Risk record UNIs (grammar, legacy… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-3b Dataset and product metadata profile… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-4 Structure and drafting of Nexus… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-5 Figure, map and visualization… | stated5 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-6 Surface wiring (API header, panel… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-7 Resolver landing pages, page meta… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-8 Zenodo publishing workflow with legal… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-9 Contextual UNIs (deployments,… | stated5 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-10 Policies and clauses… | stated7 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-11 Verification and monitoring… | stated6 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-12 Software, model and AI/ML artifacts… | stated4 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-13 Standards development process (open… | stated5 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-14 Conformance and crosswalk to… | stated5 rule rows | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-15 System model binding (identity… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NS-16 UNI application profile (context… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| NRS Nexus Risk Standards: the systemic… | nonerequirements in sections, no rule table | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | n/anot applicable |
| CAP 1.2 | noneno Nexus clauses yet (proposed under NS-10) | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | linkedCAP 1.2 XML Schema |
| STAC | noneno Nexus clauses yet (proposed under NS-10) | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | linkedstac-validator |
| PROV-O | noneno Nexus clauses yet (proposed under NS-10) | plannedin development | nonenone submitted | nonenone recorded | linkedPROV-CONSTRAINTS validators listed in the implementation report |
Declaration start · Adopter
The adopter names the standard version and the conformance classes it claims for a subject (a context or an artifact, NS-9).
Clause selection model · Nexus records
The standard's machine-readable clauses are selected by the classes claimed.
Evidence record · Adopter
Evidence is referenced by record identifier and digest; the evidence itself remains with the adopter.
Mandate check gate · Evaluator
The mandate states who may evaluate what; without a mandate the evaluation is REFUSED.
Evaluator run exercise · Evaluator
The run reads the evidence and applies the clause set; the result per clause is recorded.
Attestation record · Nexus records
An attestation names the evaluator, the instant and the evidence it read.
Implementation conformance statement record · Nexus records
The public register lists statements as submitted, with their evidence links and expiry dates.
Expiry gate · Over time
An expired statement remains listed and is shown as expired; restoration requires a new evaluation.
Restoration step · Adopter
After expiry the adopter requests a new evaluation; the history is retained.
Authority decision end · Over time
Where a competent body operates its own scheme, its decision is cited by reference; conformance to the Nexus Standards is distinct from that decision.
Fig.An adopter declares the conformance classes it claims; clauses are selected from the standard's NS-10 clause set; evidence is referenced; an evaluator acting under a mandate runs the evaluation; each result is recorded as an attestation; the implementation conformance statement is listed as submitted and expires on a stated date; restoration requires a new evaluation. Sources: NS-10: policies and clauses · NS-11: verification and attestations · Conformance programme.
A test result is implementation evidence, stating the suite version and the date and time; a conformance statement is the implementer's own declaration, listed as submitted; an attestation names its evaluator and mandate.
The area profile lists 3 Nexus Standards. Each is a proposed standard under development.
Status: proposed · 7 requirements stated. Read NS-10
Status: proposed · 6 requirements stated. Read NS-11
Status: proposed · 10 requirements stated. Read NS-1
A proposed charter for this area, open to institutions and experts.
Maintain the conformance model, the declaration record kind, the test-suite conventions and the register's wording.
Institutions and experts are invited to charter this working group under NS-13 by filing a public change record. National Working Groups (NWGs) contribute national inputs and field exercises through their National Nexus Consortium (NNC).
5 open standards, each with its relation as recorded in the register under NS-14. Hover over or focus a relation for its definition.
Test suites, conformance statements and attestations for each standard, as recorded in the registry.
In developmentVersion and source status for each standard, as published by the issuing bodies.
Each console computes from the registry and states its reasoning; decisions remain with the competent bodies.
3 questions identified as priorities for the working group.
What each institution of the ecosystem draws from this area: GCRI Canada, as Secretariat, for evidence; The Global Risks Forum (GRF) for recognition; and The Global Risks Alliance (GRA) for capital.
GCRI Canada decides under its own evidence rules whether a published declaration and its test-run evidence are usable; the register lists declarations without verifying them.
The Global Risks Forum (GRF) decides recognition under its own programme rules; a declaration in the register is not a GRF recognition.
The Global Risks Alliance (GRA) decides capital readiness under its own criteria and may read declarations as one input among others.
Each institution determines under its own rules what it accepts as evidence; a pathway reading is neither an approval nor investment advice.
The area profile identifies 4 user communities.
1 standard whose text is not openly available, named and linked only. Any compatibility profile is kept on protected pages until an arrangement with the issuing body is in place.
2 data sources named in the area profile, each with provider, licence, update frequency and delivery path.
Data sources are listed for reference; live data is displayed once licence review is complete.
OpenSSF Scorecard public results (reference model for published, machine-run evidence)for reference
OpenSSF · weekly
Apache-2.0 (tool); results published by OpenSSF
build-time snapshotproposed for the data register
Zenodo REST API (deposit of test-run evidence bundles with DOIs)for reference
CERN (Zenodo) · continuous
CC0 1.0 (record metadata); files under their stated licence
listed for referenceproposed for the data register
The area profile names 2 indicators, each with its framework and code.
Indicator names and codes are given as published by their stewards.
Hazards and threats 0
This area draws on the hazards of the areas it is coupled with.
Sectors 0
This area serves all sectors through the areas it is coupled with.
4 references from peer-reviewed and official publications cited in the area profile, linked at the publishers' own sites.
Recent peer-reviewed articles, preprints, datasets and reports on the subject of this area, retrieved at the time of reading from open scholarly metadata services (OpenAlex, Crossref, DataCite, Zenodo, arXiv, Europe PMC, OpenAIRE Graph) with search terms composed from the registry. Each work is listed with its authors, venue, year, type, open-access status and licence, and links to its DOI or landing page. Sources not yet enabled for live display on this site are listed for reference and are not queried.
Search termsconformance testing; conformity assessment; self-assessment; QA FrameworkDerived from the title and scope of the area, the NHS-1 hazards it names and the open standards it lists.
No source is enabled for live display on this site yet: the sources are listed for reference and none is queried. Once the publisher of record enables a source after its terms are reviewed, recent works are listed here. Metadata and links only: title, authors, venue, year, type, open-access status and licence as each source records them; works are listed for orientation, not reviewed or endorsed.
2 courses and 4 disciplines of Risk Academy (risksacademy.com) that teach the knowledge and methods of this area. Each course lists its level, stream and learning hours.
The correspondence between courses, disciplines and the Nexus Standards is maintained with Risk Academy and is subject to its academic review.
GCRI Canada, The Global Risks Forum (GRF), The Global Risks Alliance (GRA) and Risk Academy work on the subject of this area in distinct roles (research and evidence; governance, policy and convening; capital, finance and markets; education and training). Each entry states why it corresponds and the step it offers; each institution sets its own terms of participation.
Research and evidence
GCRI Canada
Research programmes that produce the observations, models and assessments these records describe.
Systemic Risk ManagementDevelops assurance and correction practice for risk processes, the discipline that conformance from evidence applies.Apply to this programme Systems Science and ModellingSets methods for uncertainty and validation, on which executable conformance tests and their limits rest.Apply to this programme therisk.globalAll programmes of GCRI CanadaGovernance, policy and convening
The Global Risks Forum (GRF)
Tracks that convene public authorities, researchers and institutions on the governance of shared risks.
Governance NexusCompares authority, oversight and anti-capture arrangements in institutions, the questions that the standards process answers for its own decisions.Join this track Research NexusConvenes research on research integrity and the science-policy interface, the basis of evidence over assertion.Join this track globalriskforum.comAll tracks of The Global Risks ForumCapital, finance and markets
The Global Risks Alliance (GRA)
Industry programmes in which financial institutions build a shared understanding of systemic risk.
AI and Financial Model RiskWorks on model validation and monitoring in finance, an established case of assurance demonstrated from evidence.Join this programme globalriskalliance.comAll programmes of The Global Risks AllianceEducation and training
Risk Academy
Courses and disciplines that teach the knowledge and methods practitioners need to apply these standards.
Technology and DataRAT-204 · Intermediate · 19 learning hoursManaging risk data, AI, digital infrastructure and technology risk responsiblyTake this course Uncertainty and ConfidenceRAS-404 · Intermediate · 29.5 learning hoursCalibrated probability, confidence language and decisions under deep uncertaintyTake this course All courses and disciplinesListed in the education and training section of this pagePeer-reviewed articles, preprints, reports and datasets on the subject of this area, retrieved at the time of reading from open scholarly metadata services (OpenAlex and Crossref) and listed with authors, venue, year, type and access status, with a link to each work. Curated references and related standards are listed first; recent works matched by subject follow and are listed for orientation.
Search terms, derived from the title and scope of the area: conformance testing; conformity assessment; self-assessment. With JavaScript enabled, recent works matching these terms are listed from OpenAlex and Crossref.
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Institutions and experts are invited to propose amendments, join the working group or propose data sources. National participation is organised through each country's National Nexus Consortium (NNC) and its National Working Groups (NWGs); competent national authorities are engaged through official channels.
Status and use. The Nexus Standards are proposed standards developed through an open process under NS-13 and published for voluntary use; they do not constitute certification, accreditation or regulatory approval, and adoption remains a decision of the Global Standards Council and, in each country, of its National Standards Council. A UNI (Unique Nexus Identifier) identifies an artifact; it does not certify it. Names of standards bodies and their standards belong to their stewards and are used only to identify the documents; no text of an external standard is reproduced here. Nexus Standards is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by any standards body named here.
Licences: CC BY 4.0 for standards text, registries, schemas and data; Apache-2.0 for reference code. External standards are cited by name, number and link under their own licences. Third-party data, libraries and fonts keep their own licences: see Third-party notices.