When Classification Outpaces Detection, Which Should Drive Priority?
If we can identify 68 types but only detect 31, should detection tool development follow the taxonomy, or should the taxonomy be revised to match what’s operationally measurable?
The former approach maintains conceptual completeness but produces unfulfillable frameworks. The latter approach maintains operational utility but may miss important phenomena.
A third path: build taxonomies with explicit operationalization requirements, retiring types that cannot be reliably detected within some timeframe. This treats classification as accountable to measurement rather than purely descriptive.