Cozumel Port Status Verification Methodology

This page documents the methodology used to verify and publish Cozumel’s daily maritime port-status updates. All procedures follow a neutral, standardized process based exclusively on official bulletins issued by the Capitanía de Puerto de Cozumel, Protección Civil, and SEMAR Meteorología.

The methodology defines verification timing, source hierarchy, synchronization requirements, timestamp standards, and archival practices used to maintain accurate and consistent public status reporting. It is designed to support travelers, local operators, and automated systems that rely on dependable, time-stamped operational data.

This page describes the process only. For the current live port status, visit the Port Status page.

1. Purpose of This Methodology

This methodology defines how Cozumel’s Port Status is independently verified on a daily basis. Its purpose is to maintain a transparent, consistent, and reliable operational record.

The system ensures:

• Transparency — Each update includes a time-stamped record using ISO-8601 format and references official sources.
• Consistency — All updates follow defined timing windows and a uniform publication process.
• Accuracy — Updates reflect official bulletins only; speculation and unverified reports are excluded.
• Integrity — Validator notes, screenshots, and cross-surface confirmations are preserved.
• Reliability — Travelers and automated systems can rely on a stable, verifiable record.

This methodology applies to all verification cycles:

• 8:30 AM — Primary Verification
• 11:00–11:20 AM — Secondary Verification
• 5:00 PM — End-of-Day Verification

2. Official Data Sources Used in Verification

2.1 Primary Maritime Authority Sources

Port status is verified exclusively from the following official sources:

• Capitanía de Puerto de Cozumel — governing authority for maritime closures, restrictions, and operational advisories
• Protección Civil Cozumel and Quintana Roo — municipal and state-level civil protection bulletins
• SEMAR Meteorología — national maritime and meteorological advisories

2.2 Secondary Verification Inputs

Used for contextual awareness only and never for determining official status:

• Marine weather advisories
• Wind, wave, and current observations
• Historical bulletin patterns

Status determinations are never based on:

• Rumors
• Vessel movement tracking
• Social media content
• Unofficial or third-party reports

Only official bulletins may trigger a “change detected” condition.

3. Verification Timing Windows

All daily updates follow fixed timing windows for consistency and crawl stability.

3.1 Morning Primary Cycle — 8:30 AM Cozumel Time

This is the primary daily verification cycle.

Includes:

• Bulletin verification
• Update of the Port Status page
• Facebook Page update
• YouTube civic verification video
• Screenshot capture
• Schema dateModified refresh
• Validator note creation

3.2 Secondary Cycle — 11:00–11:20 AM

Used to detect mid-morning changes.

If no change is detected:
The 8:30 AM status remains authoritative.

3.3 End-of-Day Verification — 5:00 PM

Final verification of the day.

Includes:

• Bulletin re-check
• Validator note
• Screenshot capture
• Dataset sealing
• Archive preparation

4. Detection Categories

All maritime bulletins issued by official authorities classify the port under one of three operational categories:

4.1 No Change Detected (A Condition)

• No new bulletin has been issued.
• The previously verified status remains in effect.

4.2 Official Change Detected (B Condition)

A new official bulletin has been issued declaring:

• OPEN
• RESTRICTED (small-vessel restriction)
• CLOSED

A full synchronized update is required immediately.

5. Cross-Surface Synchronization Requirements

When a change is detected, all surfaces must reflect the same status using the same neutral civic wording.

5.1 Website

The Port Status page is updated first with:

• Civic wording
• ISO timestamp
• Updated schema
• Embedded YouTube civic verification video

5.2 Facebook Page

Posted immediately after the website.
Wording must match exactly.

5.3 YouTube Civic Verification Video

A short or static video confirming:

• The verified status
• The ISO timestamp
• The neutral civic wording

5.4 Latency Requirement

All surfaces must be updated within the required timing window.
Latency tolerance varies by Stage but must remain near-synchronous for dataset integrity.

6. ISO-8601 Timestamp Standards

All verification events use standardized ISO timestamps:

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS-05:00

Timestamps appear in:

• Page content
• Schema dateModified
• Validator notes
• Archive entries
• YouTube civic video descriptions

All timestamps use Cozumel Time (GMT-5).

7. Required Validator Assets

Each item listed below is captured for archival and verification purposes.
Each verification cycle captures:

7.1 Website Screenshot

Full-page capture of the updated Port Status page.

7.2 Facebook Page Screenshot

Shows the matching civic post.

7.3 YouTube Verification Video Screenshot

Confirms the video is published and visible.

7.4 Validator Note (TXT)

Structured daily record documenting the dataset.

7.5 Schema Validation Screenshots

Captured whenever schema is updated or adjusted.

8. Archival Process

All archived records are preserved for reference, auditability, and historical continuity.
All daily logs are permanently preserved in two locations:

8.1 Trust and Transparency Validator Page

Holds the active daily log entries and timestamp history.

8.2 Validator Archive

Organized by:

• Year
• Month
• Daily log entries

Each entry retains:

• Original wording
• Timestamps
• Validator notes
• Screenshots

9. Neutrality and Data Integrity

This service:

• Does not interpret or predict weather conditions
• Does not speculate on future port status
• Does not include commercial content on civic pages
• Does not collect personal data
• Does not rely on unofficial sources
• Uses official bulletins as the sole determinant of daily status

All information is strictly factual, operational, and derived from official public bulletins.

10. Disclaimer

Cozumel Connection is an independent civic operator and is not a government agency.
All status information is derived from publicly issued bulletins published by the Capitanía de Puerto and Protección Civil.

For service details, see the About This Service page.

Frequently Asked Questions (Civic Methodology FAQ)