How the Atlas is built

01 What the Atlas Maps

The Atlas is a curated reference, not a register. We map the standards we judge to matter, and we decide what those are: nothing applies for inclusion, and nothing is entitled to it. The bar is deliberately high. A standard we map has a named governing or owning body, published criteria that anyone can read, and real standing in its field, whether through the force of law, formal accreditation, or significant and verifiable adoption.

Marketing badges, self-awarded labels, single-business seals and directory listings with no audit are not standards, and they do not appear. Inclusion cannot be bought, lobbied for or requested; it is our editorial judgement alone. Where the absence of any credible standard is itself worth recording, we say so plainly rather than fill the gap with something weaker.

02 How Each Standard Is Classified

Every entry carries one of four administrative classifications, applied by the same test in every case:

• Law. Statutory and enforceable through the courts.
• Accredited. Independently audited by a body that is itself held to account by a national accreditation authority.
• Published standard. A documented standard, openly available, that a party can be certified against.
• Voluntary. A code an operator chooses to follow, set by a profession or trade body.

03 How Each Entry Is Profiled

Each standard is profiled to the same template, so that one can be compared with another without distortion. A record panel sets out the governing body and its nature, the domain, the jurisdiction, the classification, how compliance is assessed, what oversight exists, and the primary source. The body of each entry answers four questions in the same order: what it is, what it covers, how it is checked, and why it matters to a real dog.

04 Sourcing

Claims are tied to primary sources: legislation, official scheme manuals, regulators and the standard-setting bodies themselves, not secondary summaries. Every entry links to the primary text it draws from. Where a specific figure or date cannot be traced to a primary source, it is left out rather than estimated. Accuracy is the whole value of a reference; a single wrong fact undermines every other entry.

05 Review and Revision

Standards change: laws are amended, schemes are reformed or retired, new ones appear. Each entry records the date it was last reviewed, and entries are revised as their sources change. Where the current status of a standard is uncertain, the entry says so rather than assert a position it cannot support.

06 Even-handedness

The same method is applied to every standard, without exception. No entry is sponsored, none can buy a higher classification or a better position, and where a judgement is finely balanced the entry errs toward what the primary source will support.