# Phantom Signal — System Spec

Date: 2026-03-31
Owner: Dash
Status: Working spec

## Core Product
Phantom Signal is an anomaly-intelligence platform built around EV-detected phantom objects, figures, and interference events at real-world locations.

It is not just a media brand. It is a platform with three user types:
- Scouts
- Operators
- Guests

The business works by collecting verified anomaly locations, licensing access to operators, and monetizing tours while preserving long-tail revenue for the first Scout who verifies each location.

## 1. User Tiers

### A. Scouts
**Who they are**
Drivers who discover, record, and submit anomaly locations.

**What they do**
- create account
- submit GPS-pinned locations
- upload evidence
- classify anomaly intensity/type
- become first verified owner of a location if no verified prior claim exists

**What they get**
- free membership
- dashboard of their submitted locations
- status of each report
- lifetime 5% revenue share on tours that use their verified location

**What they need in product**
- signup/login
- mobile submission flow
- evidence upload
- status tracking
- earnings dashboard

### B. Operators
**Who they are**
Businesses or individuals licensed to run paid Phantom Signal tours in their market.

**What they do**
- pay license fee
- subscribe monthly
- browse/use verified location database
- create and run tours
- report completed tour revenue for payout splitting

**What they get**
- access to anomaly map/database
- territory/city access rights
- booking/tour management tools
- brand/operating framework
- keep 85–90% of bookings after platform/scout economics

**What they need in product**
- operator application
- payment/plan onboarding
- access control
- location database/search
- tour logging / payout reporting
- operator dashboard

### C. Guests
**Who they are**
Consumers booking tours.

**What they do**
- discover tours
- book tour
- attend experience

**What they need in product**
- public landing pages
- tour listings
- booking flow
- confirmation / waiver / reminders

## 2. Core System Flows

### Flow 1 — Scout Submission
1. Scout opens mobile portal
2. Captures or searches GPS location
3. Uploads evidence video
4. Selects event count/intensity bucket
5. Selects anomaly type
6. Adds description
7. Submits
8. System checks for duplicate proximity match
9. Submission enters review queue
10. Reviewer marks: pending / under_review / verified / rejected / archived
11. If verified and first valid claim → Scout becomes location owner

### Flow 2 — Duplicate Detection
Goal: prevent multiple Scouts claiming the same location carelessly.

**Rule set**
- check lat/lng proximity radius
- check same/similar address match
- check similar anomaly profile + evidence time bands if needed later

**Outcomes**
- no nearby verified location → proceed as new candidate
- nearby verified location exists → flag as duplicate candidate
- reviewer decides whether:
  - exact duplicate
  - nearby but distinct anomaly point
  - merge into existing record

### Flow 3 — Operator Access
1. Operator applies
2. Pays initial license tier
3. Gets approved for city/territory access
4. Can browse verified locations
5. Builds tours using available locations
6. Reports completed tours and gross revenue
7. Platform splits commission + scout payout

### Flow 4 — Tour Revenue Split
For every completed paid tour using a verified Scout-owned location:
- Guest pays booking amount
- Operator receives primary share
- Platform takes commission
- Scout receives 5%

System must track:
- location used
- operator id
- gross booking value
- platform take
- scout payout
- payout status

## 3. Membership / Pricing Structure

### Scouts
- Free
- earns only through verified location ownership + tour usage

### Operators
Three working tiers:

#### Tier 1 — Starter Operator
- one-time license: $750
- monthly: $99
- limited city / limited number of active locations
- good for solo guide / test market

#### Tier 2 — Growth Operator
- one-time license: $1,500
- monthly: $199
- broader location access
- more active tours / stronger territory rights

#### Tier 3 — Premium Operator
- one-time license: $3,500
- monthly: $399
- regional access
- highest database privileges
- likely first rights on premium tooling / lead flow / co-branding

These are draft commercial tiers and should later be tied to exact entitlements.

### Guests
- no membership required for MVP
- pay per booking
- optional membership/community later if needed

## 4. Data Model Requirements

### Core Tables

#### scouts
- scout_id
- name/handle
- email/phone
- payout details
- created_at
- status

#### operators
- operator_id
- business name
- contact info
- plan tier
- territory/city access
- subscription status
- created_at

#### locations
- location_id
- gps_lat
- gps_lng
- approximate address
- scout_id
- submitted_at
- activity_rating
- anomaly_type
- description
- verification_status
- verified_at
- owner_scout_id
- tour_count
- total_earnings_paid

#### location_media
- media_id
- location_id
- media_type
- storage_url
- uploaded_at

#### tours
- tour_id
- operator_id
- location_id
- gross_revenue
- occurred_at
- guest_count
- payout_status

#### earnings_ledger
- ledger_id
- location_id
- scout_id
- operator_id
- tour_id
- gross_revenue
- platform_commission
- scout_amount
- operator_net
- paid_at
- status

#### verification_logs
- verification_id
- location_id
- reviewer_id
- old_status
- new_status
- notes
- changed_at

## 5. API Requirements

### Scout APIs
- `POST /api/scout/signup`
- `POST /api/scout/login`
- `POST /api/locations/submit`
- `POST /api/locations/check-duplicate`
- `GET /api/scout/locations`
- `GET /api/scout/earnings`

### Operator APIs
- `POST /api/operators/apply`
- `POST /api/operators/subscribe`
- `GET /api/operators/locations`
- `POST /api/tours/create`
- `POST /api/tours/complete`
- `GET /api/operators/dashboard`

### Public / Guest APIs
- `GET /api/tours/public`
- `POST /api/tours/book`

### Admin APIs
- `GET /api/admin/locations/pending`
- `POST /api/admin/locations/:id/verify`
- `POST /api/admin/locations/:id/reject`
- `GET /api/admin/payouts`

## 6. Verification Logic

Verification is where the business gets credibility.

Reviewer/admin must decide:
- is the evidence real enough?
- is this location distinct?
- is anomaly classification acceptable?
- does Scout become permanent owner?

MVP recommendation:
- manual review only
- no automated trust scoring yet

## 7. Money Flow

### Revenue enters through:
1. operator license fee
2. monthly operator subscription
3. platform commission on tours
4. later: premium data products / sponsorship / enterprise licensing

### Revenue leaves through:
1. scout payout (5%)
2. payment processing
3. optional affiliate/referral later

### Money logic needed in code
For each completed tour:
- calculate gross
- calculate operator net
- calculate platform commission
- calculate scout payout
- write immutable ledger row

## 8. MVP Build Order

### Phase 1 — Foundation
- public Phantom Signal site
- Scout submission portal
- duplicate check endpoint
- admin verification queue
- base database

### Phase 2 — Operator Layer
- operator application form
- tiered access logic
- database browsing
- tour completion logging

### Phase 3 — Earnings Layer
- scout earnings dashboard
- operator net dashboard
- payout ledger

### Phase 4 — Guest Booking Layer
- public tours
- booking flow
- waivers / confirmations

## 9. Immediate Next Build Tasks
1. finalize Scout / Operator / Guest entitlements
2. finish duplicate-check logic spec
3. define verification admin screen behavior
4. draft API contract in full request/response shape
5. add earnings ledger + operator tables to schema
6. align public landing page copy with the 3-tier model

## 10. Positioning Rules
- public-facing copy stays trademark-safe
- no public Tesla / FSD / Cybertruck dependency in core platform pitch
- present as EV anomaly intelligence network
- keep the tagline strong and clean

## Summary
Phantom Signal is not just tours.
It is a location-intelligence network plus operator licensing platform with built-in scout incentives.

That is the build.