Assess partition defensibility without forcing a verdict — assess

In addition to analyst-defined thresholds, the assessment checks that every source partition and the consensus retain the requested k, and that all requested cross-model fits succeeded. Missing audit evidence produces an uncertain result rather than being treated as a pass.

Usage

assess_defensibility(
  audit,
  partitions = NULL,
  k = NULL,
  gate = NULL,
  consensus = NULL,
  cross_model = NULL
)

Arguments

audit: A som_audit object.
partitions: Optional som_partitions object. At least one partition- derived evidence object is required for a "supported" decision.
k: Candidate number of clusters when partition stability is assessed.
gate: Optional analyst-defined som_gate. Without one the status is "not_assessed".
consensus: Optional som_consensus object for the same k.
cross_model: Optional som_cross_comparison object.

Value

A som_defensibility object containing evidence and reasons.

Details

A "supported" status means only that the analyst-specified evidence requirements and structural completeness checks were met for the stated data, analysis design, preprocessing, model budget and candidate k. It does not demonstrate that discrete ecological types exist, identify a causal mechanism, or establish ecological truth.

A representation audit alone cannot support a hard partition. A supported decision also requires traceable comparative partition evidence and at least one prespecified partition-quality requirement. Missing evidence or a representation-only gate produces an "uncertain" result.