Our methodology — how we source and verify data

Methodology

Every data point on Harborage is designed to be traceable, current enough to judge, and scoped clearly enough to compare with confidence.

We do not ask users to trust a black box. This page explains the standards we use before a metric appears in the product.

Standards

Three rules govern every published metric

Before a number appears on Harborage, it has to satisfy the same three checks. If it fails one of them, it does not ship as decision-grade data.

Traceable back to a source

Each metric is tied to its original publisher or dataset so users can inspect where it came from instead of relying on platform-level claims.

Fresh enough to evaluate

Recency varies by source, so we surface freshness metadata instead of pretending every metric updates on the same schedule.

Clear geographic scope

We distinguish city-level data from narrower or broader signals so users can understand what a metric actually represents before comparing destinations.

Workflow

How data moves from source to product

Harborage is built for due diligence, not just convenience. The workflow below is how we keep published data decision-useful.

Step 1

Data collection

We aggregate data from government statistics offices, established cost-of-living databases, internet speed testing infrastructure, and international safety indices. Each metric is tagged with its original source, a direct URL when available, and the date it was last verified.

Step 2

Verification process

Data goes through automated consistency checks against historical ranges, cross-referencing between independent sources when possible, and review for anomalies before it is trusted. Data that fails those checks is flagged and excluded until resolved.

Step 3

Update frequency

Cost of living data is refreshed on a slower cadence than internet or environmental feeds, while safety metrics usually follow their source publication schedule. We show the last-updated date on metrics so users can decide whether a number is current enough for their use case.

Source mix

Source types

Different metrics require different source classes. We prefer authoritative systems first, then use narrower feeds where they improve coverage or timeliness.

Official statistics

Government census data, national statistics offices, central bank reports, and similar institutional publications. These usually carry the highest confidence, but often update annually or quarterly.

Operational feeds

Infrastructure-backed feeds from internet testing networks, weather systems, air quality monitors, and other operational services. These improve timeliness for metrics that change more often.

Community signals

Crowd-reported inputs may add context in narrower cases, but they are not treated as interchangeable with authoritative data. They are weighted carefully and only where they improve usefulness without hiding uncertainty.

Next steps

Keep reading the product on its own terms

Methodology matters most when it connects to the rest of the product. These pages explain what Harborage is, what users ask most, and how the coverage is evolving.