Methodology
Where the data comes from — and how we verify it
The primary asset of this site is not the map — it is a trustworthy, independently sourced dataset. Here is exactly how a fact gets from a source document onto a page.
The pipeline
SOURCE → CLAIM → VERIFY → PUBLISH → REVIEW → UPDATE
Nothing is published as a free-floating claim. Every material fact is traced through this pipeline: it starts as a source document, becomes an atomic claim, is verified against that source, and only then becomes a published fact with a confidence label.
Where sources come from
- Primary public records — contracts, procurement documents, city council agendas and meeting minutes, ordinances, and FOIA responses.
- Government records — .gov pages and official agency notices.
- Reputable reporting — named news outlets, used to surface leads and corroborate, but treated as reported until a primary record confirms.
- Community tips — never published as facts on their own; always held for editorial review and corroboration.
Confidence levels
Every published fact carries one of four labels:
- Confirmed
- Supported by official government records, contracts, court filings, FOIA responses, or equivalent primary sources.
- Reported
- Supported by a reputable named news outlet or multiple independent credible sources, but not yet confirmed through primary records.
- Community report
- Submitted by the public and not independently verified. These normally stay out of public search results.
- Insufficient data
- We have no reliable basis to make a claim. This never means "no cameras" — only that we have not confirmed a record.
Freshness
Every fact carries a last verified date and a scheduled review. Facts can become stale, and stale records are flagged rather than silently trusted. When a fact changes, we note the change rather than overwrite history.
Download the dataset
The full dataset of documented cities and facts is available for download — free to use with attribution, and every record links back to its source.
See press resources for summary statistics.
Correcting us
If a fact is wrong or out of date, tell us — via the tip form or the contact details on the about page. Material corrections are published with what changed, when, and why. See the corrections policy.