Citations

Every data point in MapleSpike includes a verified citation chain — SHA-256 hashed, source-linked, and independently verifiable. Trust, but verify.

Collect

Data is fetched directly from official Canadian government sources — APIs, CKAN portals, RSS feeds, and XML dumps.

Verify

Each record is hashed with SHA-256, producing a unique fingerprint. The hash is stored alongside source URL, license, and retrieval timestamp.

Cite

Every API response includes citation hashes and verify commands. Use them in your research, journalism, or AI training data.

Citation Hash Format

sha256:<64-hex-characters>

Every citation uses the SHA-256 hash algorithm with a sha256: prefix. The hash covers the full content of the record at the time of ingestion.

sha256:a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b

You can verify any citation independently by re-downloading the source data and computing the SHA-256 hash. If the hashes match, the data has not been altered.

Verifying a Citation

Shell Verification

Each citation response includes a verify_command field with a shell command to independently verify the data integrity.


curl -s "https://api.maplespike.ca/v1/data/record/123" | sha256sum | cut -d' ' -f1

# Expected: a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b

Trust Scores

How Trust Is Measured

Every record includes a trust score (0–100%) indicating confidence in the data's accuracy and provenance.

90–100% — Verified

Cross-referenced from 2+ independent sources. SHA-256 hash verified.

60–89% — Sourced

Single authoritative source. Hash present but not cross-referenced.

<60% — Low Confidence

Below threshold. Data may be stale or from a non-authoritative source.

The minimum trust threshold for API responses is 60%. Records below this threshold are excluded from search results by default.

Example Citations

Committee Evidence

ourcommons.ca

House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. Evidence, Meeting No. 42, 44th Parliament, 1st Session. March 15, 2026.

sha256:a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b

Lobbying Registry

lobbycanada.gc.ca

Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying. Monthly Communication Report, Registrant #123456. February 2026.

sha256:b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c

Canada Gazette

gazette.gc.ca

Canada Gazette, Part I, Vol. 160, No. 12 — Proposed Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations. March 22, 2026.

sha256:c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d

Court Decision

canlii.org

Smith v. Canada (Attorney General), 2026 FC 456. Federal Court. March 10, 2026.

sha256:d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e

Citation API

REST Endpoint

Look up any citation by its SHA-256 hash using the API endpoint.


GET /v1/citation/{sha256_hash}

Example response:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "citation": {
      "source_name": "House of Commons",
      "source_url": "https://ourcommons.ca/...",
      "hash": "sha256:a1b2c3d4...",
      "license": "Open Government Licence - Canada",
      "retrieved_at": "2026-03-15T14:30:00Z"
    },
    "verify_command": "curl -s "..." | sha256sum | cut -d' ' -f1"
  }
}