Make public data publicly useful.
We turn messy public records into interactive, evidence-backed instruments people can actually understand.
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County exploration · year filters · trends · methodology · sources
Records, spreadsheets, PDFs, portals, and public files.
Definitions aligned. Provenance retained. Limitations recorded.
An interface built around the question people need to explore.
Useful public pages and views that can be inspected, shared, and cited.
The data already exists. The instrument doesn't.
A Public Instrument is a focused software build for an issue or dataset that deserves a better public interface. It ingests difficult records, makes their structure coherent, and gives people a direct way to explore what the evidence contains.
This is not dashboard development by the hour. It is not political consulting or advocacy software. Each instrument is scoped around a real source, a real question, and a clear public use.
Texas Cannabis Ledger.
Public cannabis-enforcement records turned into a statewide instrument.
Live
Texas cannabis-enforcement records are public, but they are difficult for ordinary people to explore geographically and over time. StackSwap built the Texas Cannabis Ledger to turn authoritative records into a county-level interactive experience.
- Texas county exploration
- Year filtering
- Arrest counts and rates where present
- Trend visualization
- Methodology and sources
- Public custom domain
Built around the evidence.
An instrument can include any of these components. The actual build includes only what the problem needs.
Interactive maps
Explore counties, states, districts, regions, or other meaningful geographies.
Trends
Show how a measure changes over time without losing the underlying definition.
Rankings
Compare highest, lowest, largest, or fastest-changing values with clear methodology.
Filters
Let people narrow the evidence by year, geography, category, or measure.
Source provenance
Tie important numbers back to the authoritative record they came from.
Indexable data pages
Publish useful county, state, entity, annual, or methodology pages when the data supports them.
Downloads
Offer CSV, JSON, or source files when public access and the project scope allow it.
Shareable views
Preserve the state someone is exploring so the evidence can travel intact.
For people sitting on evidence the public cannot use.
Criminal justice, housing, government spending, environmental data, workforce shortages, healthcare access, veteran services, licensing, education, infrastructure, industry economics, and other issues grounded in meaningful public records.
- Advocacy organizations
- Nonprofits
- Trade associations
- Researchers
- Journalists
- Public-affairs teams
- Industry coalitions
- Universities
- Watchdog groups
- Policy organizations
- Law firms
- Founders with public datasets
The sponsor can choose the question. They cannot choose the answer.
A customer can care deeply about an issue. The instrument still has to represent the underlying evidence faithfully.
- No pay-to-change-the-numbers.
- No manipulated rankings.
- No fake research.
- No hidden methodology.
Publish something worth citing.
County pages, annual views, methodology, rankings, and original analysis can become durable search and reference surfaces when the dataset supports them.
That is not a content engine. It is a useful public resource built from real data. Search authority is a consequence of making the evidence genuinely useful.
Have something people should see?
Public records. Research. Industry data. A special interest buried in spreadsheets.
Send me the issue, the source, or the ugly spreadsheet.
Bring me the data