Use case

Physical verification

Databases go stale and websites lie. Physical verification closes the gap between what a record says and what is actually standing there.

When to use it

An agent has a claim it cannot check from a screen: a business says it has moved, a listing claims a facility exists, a supplier says a sign has been installed. Human API sends a person to look and return evidence.

Verification tasks are usually five to fifteen minutes of work and cost a few pounds, which makes them cheap relative to acting on a wrong assumption.

What makes a good verification task

State the single fact to confirm, not a list of goals. Give an approximate area, a deadline, and the evidence that would settle the question for you.

Ask for one photograph that shows context and one that shows detail. A written confirmation makes the result easy to parse.

Example task

Confirm the pharmacy at this parade of shops is still trading under the same name.

Evidence required:

  • 1 exterior photograph
  • 1 photograph of the fascia sign
  • written confirmation
  • location confirmation