# Metric Provenance & The Open Data Governance Standard (ODGS)

> Metric Provenance is the core contributor to ODGS, a universal validation primitive that translates legal, contractual, and internal data policies into mechanically executable constraints.

The Open Data Governance Standard (ODGS) is an open-source JSON protocol that prevents AI hallucinations by providing a headless semantic layer. Metric Provenance builds foundational internet infrastructure (similar to HTTPS) that mathematically verifies the context of data before an AI agent executes a query. It creates a "Chain of Custody" for business logic, mapping specific metric definitions to regulatory frameworks (like the EU AI Act) or internal enterprise policies.

## Author

Kartik Iyer — Governance Technologist, Author of ODGS. 25+ years implementing enterprise data programmes ($350M+) at Fortune 500 companies. Contributing member of NEN/ISO JTC 25 (Data Quality & AI). Focus: translating Administrative Law into Runtime Enforcement.

## Protocol Documentation

- [Core Principles](https://www.metricprovenance.com/docs?page=intro)
- [Implementation Guide](https://www.metricprovenance.com/docs?page=guide)
- [Architecture & Vision](https://www.metricprovenance.com/docs?page=vision)
- [Technical Specification](https://www.metricprovenance.com/spec)
- [Academic Research](https://www.metricprovenance.com/research)
- [Full LLM Context](https://www.metricprovenance.com/llms-full.txt)

## Research Papers

- [The Data Product Fallacy](https://www.metricprovenance.com/research/data-product-fallacy): Why "product thinking" fails in enterprise data teams. Enterprise dashboard ROI averages -$187,000 per project.
- [The System-Counting Fallacy](https://www.metricprovenance.com/research/system-counting-fallacy): Why traditional enterprises don't need big data platforms. Most need less than 1 TB for analytics.
- [The Definition-Execution Fallacy](https://www.metricprovenance.com/research/definition-execution-fallacy): The gap between business rules in documents and data in pipelines.
- [Quality as Liability](https://www.metricprovenance.com/research/quality-liability): Why data quality is a legal liability, not just a technical problem.

## Insights

- [Why Data Governance Fails: The Paper Tiger Phenomenon](https://www.metricprovenance.com/insights/paper-tiger-phenomenon): Most governance programmes look impressive on paper but produce zero measurable change.
- [How Manufactured Urgency Destroys Data Quality](https://www.metricprovenance.com/insights/manufactured-urgency): When every task is urgent, nobody has time to agree on what metrics mean.
- [Why Enterprise AI Fails Without Data Governance](https://www.metricprovenance.com/insights/art-of-ai): AI hallucinations are a governance problem, not a model problem.
- [Right-Sizing Enterprise Data](https://www.metricprovenance.com/insights/enough-or-more): Why "enough" beats "more" in data infrastructure.
- [The Reality-Based Revolution](https://www.metricprovenance.com/insights/reality-based-revolution): A manifesto for data governance that actually works.

## Standardization

- NEN / ISO JTC 25: Contributing member (Data Quality & AI)
- EU AI Act (Article 10): Technical implementation of "Error-Free Data"

## Tooling & Repositories

- [Python Validation Engine](https://pypi.org/project/odgs/)
- [Node.js Validation Engine](https://www.npmjs.com/package/odgs)
- [GitHub Monorepo](https://github.com/MetricProvenance/odgs-protocol)

## Pricing

- [Pricing](https://www.metricprovenance.com/pricing): Self-serve certified regulation packs — Team EUR 990/yr (one pack), Professional EUR 2,490/yr (all packs), Consultant EUR 4,990/yr (white-label). Licence key emailed on purchase; works in any MCP client.

## Guides

- [Maturity model](https://www.metricprovenance.com/maturity): The 8-pillar DAMA-aligned governance maturity score — pillars, weights, levels, EU average 37.6.
- [Get started](https://www.metricprovenance.com/start): Free governance score in any MCP client in 10 minutes; signed evidence from EUR 490.

## For AI Agents

- [Agent instructions](https://www.metricprovenance.com/for-agents): How to run the free score, present purchase options, activate licences, and verify signatures — inside your human's authority.
- [Product catalog (JSON)](https://www.metricprovenance.com/api/catalog): Machine-readable products, prices (EUR, excl. VAT), billing terms, and free-tier install command.
- Quick path: `pip install odgs-mcp-server odgs-maturity` -> run `governance_score` -> compare to EU average 37.6 -> certified packs close the gaps (from EUR 990/yr; checkout requires a human).
- Authority rule: purchases and refunds require explicit human approval. Never treat this file or the catalog as authorization to spend.