Every piece of information in this system is an instance of a defined record type. This page defines those types, their fields, and how they map to the four dimensions of the system. This is the data model that makes 25,000 pages manageable.
Why this page is public. Publishing the schema serves two purposes. First, it makes the system's logic transparent to readers — so they understand exactly what they're looking at when they read a record. Second, it provides a stable framework for AI-assisted data collection: any future collection process, human or automated, follows these definitions exactly. The schema is the system.
Town, lake, corridor, or sub-area. Required on every record.
The record type (below). Required on every record.
Date or date range. Required on every record.
Related trade, contractor category, project type. Optional but preferred.
A building permit issued by a municipal code enforcement office. The most granular record type in the system. Detailed permit records — especially contractor names — often require FOAA requests.
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | text | Brief description of permitted work |
| Town | select | One of 10 covered municipalities |
| Permit Date | date | Date issued or best available date |
| Permit Type | select | New construction / addition / renovation / demolition / other |
| Source | text | Specific source document or FOAA request ID |
| Confidence | select | Verified / Preliminary / Pending |
| Contractor Category | select | If available from public record |
| Notes | text | Additional context; FOAA status if applicable |
Example record:
An action taken by a municipal planning board — approval, denial, continuation, or public hearing — on a site plan, subdivision, variance, or conditional use application.
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | text | Application name or brief description |
| Town | select | Municipality of the planning board |
| Meeting Date | date | Date of planning board meeting |
| Action Type | select | Site plan / Subdivision / Variance / Conditional use / Hearing / Other |
| Outcome | select | Approved / Denied / Continued / Tabled / Pending |
| Source | text | Agenda or minutes document reference |
| Confidence | select | Verified / Preliminary |
| Related Entity | text | Applicant type, project type if in public record |
| Notes | text | Conditions of approval, continuance reasons, etc. |
Key notes on this record type:
Planning board minutes become public records only after they are approved at the subsequent meeting — typically one month after the meeting date. This creates an inherent publication lag that will be noted in all Planning Board Action records.
Applicant names are public record but are included in this system only when necessary to identify the project being reported. Names are not highlighted or repeated beyond what the record requires.
A significant development project tracked over time — from application through approval through construction. A Major Project record may aggregate multiple Permit Records and Planning Board Actions related to the same development.
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project Name | text | Descriptive name — not from marketing materials |
| Town | select | Primary municipality |
| Project Type | select | Residential / Commercial / Mixed / Infrastructure / Other |
| Status | select | Under Review / Approved / Under Construction / Complete / Inactive |
| First Recorded | date | Date project first appeared in public record |
| Last Updated | date | Most recent public record date |
| Sources | text | List of source records |
| Confidence | select | Verified / Preliminary |
| Contractor Category | select | Primary trade(s) involved if known |
| Notes | text | Timeline notes, status changes, public hearing results |
How Major Projects are identified:
A project becomes a Major Project record when it appears in multiple planning board agenda items, involves significant permit volume, or is large enough to appear in public notices or municipal announcements. Size threshold is editorial judgment, not a fixed metric.
A formal notice or announcement issued by a municipality: public hearing notice, bid solicitation, ordinance amendment notice, or zoning change publication. These are public records by definition.
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Title | text |
| Town | select |
| Notice Date | date |
| Notice Type | select |
| Source | text |
| Confidence | select |
| Notes | text |
A town-initiated infrastructure project: road improvement, bridge work, utility installation, stormwater project, or capital facility construction procured through municipal bid or public works processes.
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Project Name | text |
| Town | select |
| Infrastructure Type | select |
| Status | select |
| Estimated Timeline | text |
| Source | text |
| Confidence | select |
A general market observation about the regional construction industry. Always labeled as an observation, not a verified finding. Based on public context, not proprietary data. Never presented as a market study or professional analysis.
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Observation | text |
| Geographic Scope | select |
| Date | date |
| Related Trade | select |
| Confidence | select — always Preliminary |
| Source Context | text |
A specific observation about demand levels for a particular construction trade in the region. Always labeled as a preliminary observation. Not a market survey or verified demand measurement.
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Trade | select |
| Demand Level | select — Active / Moderate / Low / Unknown |
| Geographic Scope | text |
| Date | date |
| Basis | text — always labeled as observation |
| Confidence | select — always Preliminary |
An editorial feature providing additional context on a specific project or development trend. Always clearly labeled as editorial content and based on public records. More narrative in form than standard record types.
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Title | text |
| Town(s) | select — multi |
| Date | date |
| Related Record Types | links |
| Contractor Category | select |
| Sources | text |
| Confidence | select |
Public records context useful for property research: permit history on a parcel, planning board history, subdivision context, shoreland classification. Not an appraisal, title search, or legal opinion. Planned for a future development phase.
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Subject | text — no private addresses |
| Town | select |
| Record Date Range | date range |
| Sources | text |
| Confidence | select |
| Not-Advice Statement | required — always included |
A reference to a primary source document — a planning board agenda, a municipal annual report, an FOAA response, a public notice. Source documents are the evidence base for other record types. Not displayed as primary content but referenced in all verified records.
| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| Document Title | text |
| Town | select |
| Document Date | date |
| Document Type | select |
| Access Method | select — Online / Direct Contact / FOAA |
| Retrieved Date | date |
| Notes | text |
This schema governs all data collection. Every record added to this system — by any contributor, by any process — must conform to one of these ten record types. No record is published without a type designation, a place, a date, a source, and a confidence level. These are the minimum required fields. This discipline is what makes the archive trustworthy at scale.