Show HN: Made a business license hub search tool

fernway.io

3 points·leyu00··3 comments

Mostly built this as a way to learn how states distribute their data. A few are behind a unified API (Socrata) and many others have their own (daily file exports).

The goal is try to get coverage for all 50 states.

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If this had all fifty states it would be extremely valuable. I know it would be a lot of effort to get the data but it would be really worthwhile. One of the problems is Michigan for example isn't updating their data in Socrata and hasn't for years. The city of Detroit however does an excellent job.

thank you for your reply. It really motivates me when others find something I built useful. Do you know why they haven't and if it exists elsewhere?

I am quite interested in civic coding and ran a hackathon with the state for several years in Michigan.

I have not found anything similar and this type of software I seek out. It is hard to get the word out. You can find startup software for listing in directories, that and SEO involve time but not money.

But if someone finds you and their state isn't included they are likely to just move on. If they find use for it you can also build a strong word of mouth. Some states have API's for this data, but a few years ago the majority did not.

Some you actually need to file a FOIA request for it. Then you need to repeat the request yearly to get updated data. They don't make it easy for you.

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