Purpose
Useful public information is often spread across large datasets, agency tools, and records designed for compliance rather than commercial research. PublicSift creates focused views for specific questions, such as identifying relevant inspection activity or locating records that may deserve further review.
These products are research aids. They are not substitutes for official records, professional advice, or direct verification.
Method
Each PublicSift product defines a narrow subject, identifies its public source, and presents selected fields in a form intended to be easier to review. Product pages should state their geography, category, source, and known limitations.
- Start with a public source.
- Use explicit, reproducible filters where practical.
- Preserve links or citations that help users verify the official record.
- Separate observed data from interpretation.
Limits
Public records can be incomplete, delayed, corrected, duplicated, or interpreted differently. A record appearing in a PublicSift product does not establish that a business needs a service, that a contract will be recompeted, that an opening will occur, or that outreach is appropriate.
Independence
PublicSift is an independent research service. It is not affiliated with OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labor, USAC, the FCC, GSA, the U.S. Treasury, USAspending, the City of Chicago, or other public agencies referenced by its products unless a product page explicitly states otherwise.