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Ground Truth

 

The map is not the territory. 

Perhaps ironically, this gloss is not the quote. The original, due to Alfred Korzybski, can be found in Science and Sanity, page 58, and is more subtle:

A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.

The map is not the territory. 

Mark Bessoudo, in his fun short essay on the topic agrees and, while a cartographical cheerleader, is likewise keen to circumscribe the map, or model's, utility:

Engineers are trained to use tools that seek to change the world using 'first principles' [but] Models do not replace skill or knowledge ... Knowing their limitations and the context within which they operate is essential.

The map is not the territory. 

Unlike Korzybski and Bessoudo I'm no philosopher. But I've learned that, in testing, models are unavoidable, that they can be extremely valuable, and that it's beneficial to externalise them and seek to understand the ways in which they explain the scenario I'm looking at and the ways they do not.

The map is not the territory.

I like models. I would go so far as to say I love models. But I also like to cross-reference my models with the territory on a very regular basis. Why? Because ...

The territory is where we find the ground truth.

Image: https://flic.kr/p/Gkezm5

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