While other permit data companies stop at the internet's edge, we picked up the phone and started calling. Project Storm represents our commitment to comprehensive nationwide coverage through building relationships with thousands of offline jurisdictions to bring their permit data into the modern era.
The Challenge
When we launched our AI-powered web scraping operation (Project Wolverine) in late 2023, we achieved something remarkable: self-healing scrapers that automatically collect permit data from online jurisdictions across America. But there was a problem.
Approximately 10,000 jurisdictions don't publish their permits online. These aren't small towns you've never heard of—they include large metropolitan areas like Brazoria County, Texas, and critical coverage gaps throughout California and other key states. For these jurisdictions, the only way to access permit data is the old-fashioned way: phone calls, public records requests, and relationship building.
This coverage gap posed several challenges:
Customer demand for complete coverage. Enterprise clients need comprehensive data across their entire service areas, not just the jurisdictions that happen to have digital permitting systems. Coverage gaps in major metropolitan areas mean missing out on millions of potential construction projects. In fact, there’s more and more data showing that many very high value construction projects are getting kicked off in more rural areas (think: data centers. More to come on this!)
Complex legal requirements. Each jurisdiction has different requirements for public records requests, response timelines, data formats, and delivery methods. Navigating this patchwork of regulations while maintaining legal compliance requires careful attention and knowledge of each jurisdiction's specific requirements.
Scaling human-driven processes. Building relationships with thousands of jurisdictions requires significant human capacity and expertise. Each jurisdiction has unique communication preferences, decision-makers, and workflows. Successfully navigating these relationships at scale demands knowledge of government organizational structure, persistence, and the ability to use technology to adapt approaches based on jurisdiction-specific needs and constraints.
The Solution
Named after the X-Men character who "goes broad, controlling large swaths of territory that Wolverine can't touch," Project Storm complements our online operation with systematic offline outreach. The approach combines old-school relationship building with modern automation:
Structured outreach process: We've developed a systematic approach for engaging with each jurisdiction, focusing on building relationships and establishing ongoing data partnerships through a combination of initial contact, formal requests, and strategic follow-up.
Smart prioritization. Rather than approaching jurisdictions randomly, we use data-driven prioritization for Storm coverage by considering customer demand and strategic importance. When planning to add new jurisdictions, we focus on high-demand, high-volume coverage areas first, ensuring resources are directed where they'll deliver the most value.
Automation where possible. We leverage technology to streamline data collection and communication, allowing the team to focus on building relationships and solving complex cases. Our automated systems track jurisdiction interactions and progress, ensuring consistent follow-up and reliable data delivery.
Rigorous data validation and quality control. Ensuring data accuracy and usability is what creates real value for customers. We leverage robust quality control processes to address the challenges inherent in offline data collection. This attention to data quality transforms raw government records into reliable, actionable intelligence that customers can trust.
The Results
In just under three months since launching Project Storm, we've achieved substantial progress in expanding our coverage beyond what's available online:
More than 350 jurisdictions connected: We've systematically reached out to hundreds of offline jurisdictions across the country, successfully establishing data delivery partnerships with many of them. Through this relationship building, we've turned coverage gaps into reliable data channels.
First offline jurisdictions now online. In September 2025, we delivered our most productive month ever, adding 10 million new permits to our database. This milestone included our first fully-onboarded offline jurisdictions, which now flow into our system just like any jurisdiction collected through Wolverine.
Thousands of jurisdictions in the pipeline. Now that we’ve gone through the full cycle with our first tranche of jurisdictions, our plan is to continue building out the repeatable processes and systems to scale our offline operation.
Competitive moat deepening. As our CEO Ryan noted: "Even with agentic support, there will be many humans involved in this effort." We will continue to build on the relationships, institutional knowledge, and systematic processes that we have developed as we grow.
Looking Forward
Project Storm isn't just about filling coverage gaps—it represents a fundamental strategic advantage. While AI-powered scraping gets the attention, the combination of Storm and Wolverine creates something unique in the market: AI-native, self-healing data collection, fine-tuned for local government websites, backed by systematic human relationship-building for offline sources.
We're continuing to expand with ambitious goals:
Accelerated expansion targets. We’ve set aggressive goals for jurisdiction activation in the coming year, leveraging lessons learned and continued automation improvements to amplify growth.
Scaling to support company growth. As Shovels continues to expand, Storm will play a critical role in delivering comprehensive coverage that sets us apart from competitors. We recognize that scaling requires dedicated resources for data validation and quality control.
Long-term jurisdiction partnerships. Rather than one-time data requests, we are building lasting relationships that position jurisdictions as ongoing partners, creating mutual value as we increase visibility of their building activity, potentially attracting development interest and investment to their communities.
Expanding to other data types. Strengthening jurisdictional relationships opens the door to collect government data types beyond building permits, unlocking even earlier indicators of development activity.
Want to ensure your coverage areas are included?
Project Storm prioritizes jurisdictions based on customer demand. If you need coverage in specific offline jurisdictions, let us know.
Contact us to discuss your coverage needs.