Jyotisha/references/validation/pdf-chart-reading-validation-methodology.md

PDF Chart Reading Validation Methodology

Version: v6.1.9-public-methodology Purpose: Convert private PDF-chart validation experience into a reusable, privacy-safe quality gate. Privacy boundary: This document intentionally excludes personal birth data, exact chart degrees, life events, raw PDF text, and private full-reading JSON.

1. When to use this protocol

Use this protocol when the input is a PDF, screenshot, or text export from astrology software rather than raw birth data.

Typical sources:

• Jagannatha Hora / Parashara's Light PDF export
• Screenshot or OCR of a Vedic chart
• User-provided text listing D1/D9/Dasha tables
• Mixed PDF containing chart pages, strength tables, and divisional charts

2. Validation principle

A PDF chart is not automatically trustworthy as machine-readable data. Treat it as a source document that must pass layered checks before interpretation.

Validation layers:

1. Source extraction: obtain all visible text and page structure.
2. Identity lock: confirm date, time, timezone, place, ayanamsa, node mode, and chart style.
3. Core chart lock: confirm D1 ascendant, Moon sign/nakshatra, Rahu/Ketu axis, and visible house layout.
4. Dasha lock: confirm Mahadasha/Antardasha sequence and current period.
5. Strength lock: confirm Ashtakavarga/Shadbala/Vimsopaka tables if present.
6. Engine recomputation: run full-reading from extracted birth data.
7. Difference arbitration: explicitly separate PDF-origin facts, engine-recomputed facts, and unresolved differences.
8. Interpretation boundary: only use A/B confidence for claims that passed the relevant gate.

3. Minimum quality gate

A PDF input may proceed to interpretation only if these fields are available and internally consistent:

Gate	Required fields	Pass condition
Birth data	Date, local time, timezone, place	No contradiction between PDF pages
D1 core	Ascendant, Moon sign, Rahu/Ketu axis	PDF and recomputed engine agree or difference is explained
D9 core	Navamsa ascendant or full D9 table	Available from PDF or recomputation
Dasha	Current Mahadasha and Antardasha	Period sequence matches Vimshottari calculation within expected boundary tolerance
Node mode	Mean/True node	Explicitly stated or inferred and documented
Ayanamsa	Lahiri/other	Explicitly stated or inferred and documented

If any gate fails, downgrade the reading and state the uncertainty.

4. Recommended extraction workflow

1. Extract text from every page.
2. Record page-level coverage: which pages contain D1, D9, Dasha, strength tables, transit tables, or divisional charts.
3. Normalize names: map software-specific labels to engine fields.
4. Recompute with scripts/jyotish_engine.py full-reading.
5. Compare the following high-impact fields first:
   • Ascendant sign
   • Moon sign and nakshatra
   • Rahu/Ketu signs and node mode
   • Current Vimshottari Mahadasha/Antardasha
   • D9 ascendant and key dignity states
   • SAV total and house scores if Ashtakavarga is present
   • Shadbala ranking if a strength table is present
6. Create a discrepancy table before interpreting.

5. Confidence levels

Level	Meaning	Allowed usage
A	PDF and engine agree, or discrepancy has authoritative explanation	Can support direct interpretation
B	One strong source plus secondary partial confirmation	Can support cautious interpretation
C	Single source, OCR uncertain, or chart-image page not fully parsed	Use only as a hypothesis
D	Contradicted or missing	Do not use for prediction

6. Common downgrade triggers

• PDF text extraction cannot reconstruct chart grid positions.
• Divisional chart pages appear as images or broken table text.
• Dasha period boundary differs due to timezone or ayanamsa assumptions.
• Rahu/Ketu mismatch is caused by Mean Node vs True Node.
• Shadbala values are from a different software formula or ayanamsa.
• OCR confuses signs, degrees, or retrograde markers.

7. Discrepancy table template

Field	PDF value	Engine value	Status	Action
Birth date/time/place			A/B/C/D
Ayanamsa			A/B/C/D
Node mode			A/B/C/D
D1 ascendant			A/B/C/D
Moon sign/nakshatra			A/B/C/D
Rahu/Ketu axis			A/B/C/D
Current MD/AD			A/B/C/D
D9 ascendant			A/B/C/D
SAV total			A/B/C/D
Shadbala ranking			A/B/C/D

8. Privacy rule

Never commit private PDF extracts, exact private birth data, private life-event validation, or raw full-reading JSON generated from a user chart to the public repository. If a workflow lesson is useful, extract only the generic method and remove identifying details.

9. Output requirement

When using a PDF chart in a reading, the final report must include:

1. Source type: PDF/OCR/text export.
2. Quality gate summary.
3. Which fields are A/B/C/D.
4. Which claims rely on PDF facts vs engine recomputation.
5. Explicit caveats for any chart-image or OCR-only sections.