proof-chain consultation
The catalogue carries a chained-hash construction over its canonical record ordering, described in the methodology. Each accessioned record bears a proof-hash computed as sha256(prev-hash ‖ canonical(record)). The chain is anchored at a fixed registry-wide genesis constant.
This page lets you (a) verify a proof-hash you hold against the canonical chain, or (b) retrieve the current proof-hash for an accession identifier. No data leaves the registry as a result of a query; the consultation is performed against the live canonical chain.
chain anchors · advisory
| genesis | 942634f3a3a6f6605db62340b975a4050ec7ef827112b929a87b5a82e9cc4d06 |
| head | dcc2c4b875c8e0ad910148bf999afd584a2169b91f5f5d42adfedba6e9c22785 |
about the construction
The chain is recomputed on demand from the live catalogue contents. New approved submissions advance the head; corrections that touch the canonical fields advance the head as well. Cosmetic changes (e.g. a re-classified anomaly) do not change the chain.
Subscribers retaining a snapshot of the catalogue at any past instant can obtain the head-hash for that instant by post and compare it to the value computed from their snapshot. The head-hash is also published in the annual gazette under the annual head-hash declaration (see bulletins).
Forensic interest in earlier-but-recent head-hashes is met through the printed accession books rather than the public mirror; the public mirror reflects the present state only.