# Historical Investigation Documents

This folder contains documentation from the initial "haphazard" exploration phase. These files document what was tried and observed, but **conclusions are not confirmed**.

**Purpose**: Reference for understanding prior work and cues for pipeline design.

**Status**: Historical - do not treat as validated methodology.

---

## Contents

### Phase Investigation Documents

| File | Description | Status |
|------|-------------|--------|
| `20251223-1641_data_exploration.md` | Phase 1: XKCD data exploration | Reference only |
| `20251223-1938_spelling_variants.md` | Phase 2.1: Spelling variant detection | Reference only |
| `20251223-1946_typo_detection.md` | Phase 2.2: Typo detection attempts | Reference only |
| `20251223-1949_compound_normalization.md` | Phase 2.3: Compound name handling | Reference only |
| `20251223-1951_coordinate_analysis.md` | Phase 3: Coordinate analysis | Reference only |
| `20251223-1953_calibration_analysis.md` | Phase 4: Centore calibration | Reference only |
| `20251223-1957_consolidation_strategy.md` | Phase 5: Consolidation strategy | Reference only |
| `20251223-1958_synthesis_report.md` | Phase 6: Synthesis report | Reference only |
| `20251223-2200_research_summary.md` | Overall research summary | Reference only |

### Model Analysis

| File | Description | Status |
|------|-------------|--------|
| `20251224-1520_appendix_model_selection.md` | Fourier model selection rationale | Unconfirmed |

---

## Key Caveats

1. **Fourier 4 model**: Jury still out - conclusions not confirmed
2. **Bias detection**: Observations need rigorous validation
3. **Thresholds**: All threshold choices (0.35 similarity, 40/60 degree hue variance) are empirical and may need revision

---

## How to Use

These documents provide:
- Historical context for what was tried
- Cues for designing the validated pipeline
- Reference for understanding the data

**Do not**:
- Treat findings as validated
- Copy methodology without verification
- Use thresholds without re-evaluation

---

**Created**: 2025-12-25
