autopilot/_docs/00_problem/input_data

Input Data

Runtime inputs the autopilot consumes when flying, plus reference fixtures + expected-output assertions for tests. All fixtures live inside this workspace (fixtures/) — never reach into sibling repos at ../ for inputs. The autopilot repo is self-sufficient.

Layout

Path	Owns
data_parameters.md	Description of runtime input shapes (camera, telemetry, gRPC, mission JSON, operator commands, VLM IPC) + the categories of reference data tests need + Tier-1/Tier-2 class catalogue.
services.md	Per-external-service test-mock requirements: what shape of mock/fixture each of the 7 external systems needs and the acquisition status of each.
fixtures/README.md	File-by-file manifest of every fixture in this directory: SHA-256, size, upstream provenance, which expected_results/results_report.md rows consume it.
fixtures/images/	Real aerial frames (5 images, ~9 MB total) — Tier-1 inputs for detection-quality assertions (L1, D2, D6).
fixtures/videos/	Real reconnaissance video (1 clip, 12 MB) for frame-rate floor + sequence tests (T3).
fixtures/movement/	Wide-area movement-detection visual reference clips (4 clips, ~23 MB total). No paired gimbal.csv / telemetry.csv — ego-motion compensation (M1–M4) cannot run against these alone.
fixtures/semantic/	Concealed-position semantic reference frames (4 PNGs, ~11 MB total) + data_parameters.md describing the new YOLO primitive classes the examples motivate. Starter set only, not a graded eval set.
fixtures/schemas/	Detection-result contract schemas (JSON + JSON-schema) for D6.
fixtures/sql/	Database init script — reference only; not directly asserted by an autopilot AC.
expected_results/results_report.md	The input → quantifiable-expected-output mapping consumed by /test-spec Phase 1. Every row keys off an AC in ../acceptance_criteria.md; deferred rows carry a structured <DEFERRED: <shape>; ref <pointer>> tag.

Why fixtures are local

The autopilot repo MUST be self-sufficient — a developer with only the autopilot clone (no parent suite checked out) MUST be able to run the test specifications. Cross-repo ../ paths are forbidden in results_report.md and in any test runner script. When a sibling repo (../detections/, ../e2e/, ../missions/, etc.) is the upstream source of a fixture, we copy it in and SHA-pin it in fixtures/README.md so upstream drift is detectable.

Suite-level coupling that still matters

Even though fixtures are local, the underlying contracts the fixtures embody come from suite-level decisions. When those decisions change, the fixtures here go stale:

• Tier-1 detection model / classes — when ../detections ships a new model the expected_detections.json baseline goes stale; D1, D2, D6 rows in results_report.md must be re-recorded.
• mission-schema — shared between autopilot and the missions repo. Schema changes break the mission JSON contract; the mock fixtures for Mp1–Mp5 (when authored) must re-pin.
• Detection classes catalogue — class IDs 0..18 are governed at the suite level. Autopilot's normalised-box output uses the same IDs. The 5 new Tier-1 classes documented in data_parameters.md → "Class catalogue" must land in the suite catalogue before D1 can be measured.

Today these couplings are tracked manually. The monorepo-e2e skill at the suite root will eventually own the drift detection.

Fixture gaps and the project policy on /test-spec Phase 3

/test-spec Phase 3 has a hard 75% coverage gate on rows with real input fixtures + real expected results. Today's coverage is well below that gate (see expected_results/results_report.md → "Coverage Status"). Project policy as of 2026-05-19: rather than block the autodev flow at the gate, each deferred row is registered with a structured <DEFERRED: <shape>; ref <pointer>> tag in results_report.md, pointing at the per-service acquisition path in services.md or at an open architecture question (Q-tag). Deferred rows become release-gate items, not development-gate items. The acceptance_criteria.md → "Acceptance Gates (project-level)" hardware/replay benchmark requirement remains a hard release blocker.

Summary of open gaps (authoritative list lives in services.md and fixtures/README.md):

1. Paired gimbal.csv + telemetry.csv for the 4 movement clips — highest priority (blocks M1–M4 + tightens L6/L7). User-confirmed unavailable today (2026-05-19).
2. Annotated multi-season eval set (concealed positions + footpaths).
3. Mock missions API exchanges + mock /mapobjects round-trip.
4. Mock Ground Station session traces.
5. ArduPilot SITL traces.
6. Operator-command envelopes (blocked on Q9).
7. VLM I/O pairs.
8. GPS / NTP drift scripts.

Closing each gap is its own workstream tracked in Jira; the autodev flow does not block on them.

Adding new fixtures

1. Drop the file under fixtures/<images|videos|movement|semantic|schemas|sql|gimbal|telemetry|mavlink|vlm|operator|mapobjects>/<descriptive-name>.<ext> — create the subdirectory if it does not exist.
2. Compute SHA-256 (shasum -a 256 <file>).
3. Add a row to the matching subsection in fixtures/README.md (file path, size, SHA, upstream provenance, which results_report.md rows consume it).
4. Replace the matching <DEFERRED: ...> placeholder(s) in expected_results/results_report.md with the local path fixtures/<...>.
5. If the fixture replaces a service mock, also update services.md → "Coverage summary by service" to reflect the new acquisition status.
6. If the fixture is binary and large (> 50 MB) consider gitignoring it + adding an acquisition script per the e2e pattern; for everything in the current set, direct commit is fine.