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Shovels - Building permit and contractor intelligence
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Meet Charlie

Your personal AI research assistant for the Shovels data network. No training required, no software to install. Just point Charlie at what you need, and watch her work.

Start Digging
Charlie AI analyzing permit types in Los Angeles County

AI-powered data intelligence

What if finding the right data took minutes, not months?

Construction data is messy—permits scattered across 2,000+ jurisdictions, contractor records in inconsistent formats, city decisions buried in meeting minutes. Charlie changes that. Ask in plain English. Get exactly what you need, instantly. No SQL required, no API calls to learn, no false positives to wade through.

Charlie AI analyzing permit data
Natural language queries.
Ask questions the way you'd ask a colleague. Charlie understands context, synonyms, and what you actually mean—not just exact keyword matches.
Intelligent filtering.
Charlie removes false positives automatically. She knows that "parking stacker" might appear as "automated parking system" or "mechanical parking lift" and searches for all of them.
Iterative refinement.
Not quite right? Tell Charlie to narrow down, expand, or pivot. She sticks with your search until you're satisfied.
Data transparency.
See the SQL behind every query. Charlie shows her work so you understand exactly how she found your results.
Always on.
24/7 access to the Shovels data network. Charlie never sleeps, never takes vacation, and never forgets what you asked for.
Dynamic visualizations.
Charlie dynamically creates charts based on your questions and the data she returns. She knows a compelling visual can tell a great story.

How Charlie works

Three steps to data intelligence

1 Tell Charlie what to find

Just ask. "Show me all HVAC replacements in Phoenix from the last 6 months," "Find the top solar contractors in Texas," or "Which cities approved the most ADU permits last quarter?" Charlie understands what you mean, not just what you type. No SQL. No filters to configure. Just plain English.

2 Watch her dig

Charlie searches across the entire Shovels data network—permits, contractors, city decisions, and more—filtering out noise and false positives along the way. She knows that "HVAC" might show up as "heating and cooling" or "furnace install," and she searches for all of them. She doesn't get tired and doesn't miss patterns.

3 Get exactly what you need

Clean data, ready to use. Not quite right? Tell Charlie to narrow down, expand, or pivot. She sticks with your search until you're satisfied. Chats are saved so you can come back and pick up where you left off.

Charlie vs. traditional search

Charlie retrieves only what matters

Charlie is built to fetch exactly what you need from millions of data points. She's loyal to your query, relentless in her search, and brings back only what matters. No distractions, no guessing—just the data you asked for, delivered fast.

Traditional Database Search Charlie
Requires exact keywords Understands natural language
Returns everything that matches Filters noise and false positives
One shot, take it or leave it Iterative refinement until perfect
Requires SQL or API knowledge Just talk to Charlie
Raw data retrieved Database nuances built in
Gary Stein

"We were shooting an arrow through a hole in the fence and hoping we were hitting a target. Charlie changed that completely."

Gary Stein
Founder, 61HAWK

Who uses Charlie?

Built for teams that need construction intelligence

Construction Technology.
Find specific project types across thousands of jurisdictions. Stop manually searching databases and let Charlie do the heavy lifting.
Real Estate.
Track competitive builds and market activity. Identify emerging development patterns before anyone else sees them.
Home Services.
Identify high-value contractor networks. Find the installers doing the most work in your target markets.
Energy & Infrastructure.
Monitor power, fiber, and data center expansion. Charlie tracks the permits that signal where infrastructure is heading next.
Financial Services & Insurance.
Assess property risk with permit history. Understand renovation patterns, code compliance, and contractor quality.
Research Teams.
Analyze construction trends without data engineering overhead. Get the data you need without learning SQL or waiting on IT.

Ready to put Charlie to work?

Get Started
Charlie ready to help