Evidence Reliability Index is the system layer that aggregates multiple trust signals into a single unified metric representing how reliable an evidence unit is for downstream reasoning.
Context Block
Page Type: Evidence System Layer
Function: Unified Reliability Scoring Engine
Position: After Confidence Model and Validation layers
Role: Produces final reliability score for evidence prioritization
This layer compresses multi-dimensional evaluation outputs into a single operational index used for ranking and selection.
Core Objective
- Unify multiple evidence trust signals into one index
- Standardize reliability measurement across system
- Enable deterministic ranking of evidence units
- Support high-precision retrieval and grounding
- Reduce ambiguity in multi-source evidence selection
Index Construction Pipeline
1. Signal Aggregation
Collects inputs from confidence, validation, and provenance layers.
2. Normalization
Standardizes scores across different evidence types and domains.
3. Weighted Fusion
Applies importance weights to each signal dimension.
4. Stability Adjustment
Adjusts score based on temporal consistency and revalidation results.
5. Final Index Generation
Outputs unified Evidence Reliability Index (ERI).
Input Signals
- Evidence Confidence Score
- Validation Status (PASS / DEGRADED / FAIL)
- Provenance Integrity Score
- Consistency Check Result
- Revalidation Stability Score
Index Scale
- 0.90 – 1.00 → Highly Reliable Evidence
- 0.70 – 0.89 → Reliable Evidence
- 0.40 – 0.69 → Moderately Reliable Evidence
- 0.00 – 0.39 → Unreliable Evidence
Example Calculation
Inputs:
- Confidence Score: 0.88
- Validation: PASS
- Provenance: 0.92
- Consistency: 0.85
- Revalidation Stability: 0.80
Final ERI: 0.87 (Reliable Evidence)
Integration in GEO Pipeline
Evidence Reliability Index acts as the final decision metric for evidence selection, ranking, and grounding operations.
Failure Modes
- Over-smoothing of divergent evidence signals
- Masking of critical low-confidence signals
- Over-dependence on normalized scoring ranges
- Loss of interpretability in aggregated index
Structured Output Model
Each evidence unit produces:
- Evidence Reliability Index (0.00–1.00)
- Signal Breakdown Vector
- Weighted Contribution Map
- Stability Adjustment Log
- Final Trust Classification
Relationship Block
Parent Layer: /evidence/
Upstream: Evidence Confidence Model, Evidence Validation, Evidence Provenance Model
Downstream: Evidence Ranking, Evidence Grounding Layer, Answer Generation System
Connected Systems: Retrieval Engine, Ontology Layer, Knowledge Graph
Structured Summary
Evidence Reliability Index is the unified trust metric layer of the Evidence system. It consolidates multiple evaluation signals into a single score that determines whether evidence is suitable for high-stakes reasoning.
This layer functions as the final quantitative gate before evidence influences system outputs.