Eterisk

Eterisk is a notational concept used in information science and data governance to indicate that a data element carries uncertain provenance, requires verification, or is flagged for external risk. It is not a data type; rather, an annotation that accompanies a value. In practice, an eterisk marker may be implemented as a symbol, a suffix, or a dedicated metadata tag.

Origin and etymology: The term was coined in 2023 by the Eterisk Research Collective to describe a unified approach to labeling uncertain data across datasets and dashboards. The name blends the idea of an external reference marker with the familiar asterisk, signaling that additional information or review is required.

Usage: In databases and reports, eterisk marks are attached to measurements, records, or relationships that lack complete metadata or have known risks (e.g., low confidence, unverified source). Examples include temperature readings labeled with eterisk when sensor calibration is uncertain, or records in a data lineage graph connected by an eterisk edge. The marker often requires downstream processes to fetch metadata, perform re-validation, or flag for human review.

Standardization and variations: There is no widely adopted standard for eterisk; implementations vary by platform. Some use a trailing symbol after the value, others use a dedicated boolean field or a separate metadata section.

See also: Asterisk, data provenance, data quality, metadata, uncertainty.