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Case study

Common Ground

A civic-data explorer that makes local decisions understandable.

Public data, without the detective work

Local budgets were technically public but scattered across PDFs, spreadsheets, and meeting notes. Common Ground turns them into a searchable story residents can verify.

SELECT department, SUM(amount) AS committed
FROM budget_items
WHERE fiscal_year = 2026
GROUP BY department
ORDER BY committed DESC;

Every chart links back to the source record. Plain-language notes explain what changed, who approved it, and what happens next. Accessibility testing with screen-reader users shaped the information hierarchy from the first prototype.