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For government & agencies

A Public Records API for Government Agencies

Your agency already publishes public records. The problem residents run into isn't access — it's that the answer to a simple question lives across five disconnected systems. A public records API built on the ALKARTIS Intelligence Engine gives them connected, sourced answers without asking your staff to become the search bar.

The gap between publishing data and answering questions

Most agencies have done the hard work of open government: assessment rolls are online, permits are searchable, payroll is posted, violations are on a map. Yet the phone still rings and the records inbox still fills. The reason is structural. A resident asking “who owns this property, and what's been filed against it?” has to visit the assessor, then the permits system, then code enforcement, then licensing — and stitch the answer together themselves. Each system is correct in isolation and useless in combination.

ALKARTIS calls the fix Information Intelligence: turning fragmented public records into evidence, context, and decisions people can trust. The path is Data → Information → Intelligence → Decisions → Action. An API over that engine lets residents — and your own applications — ask a question once and get a connected answer, with every figure tracing back to the record it came from.

What the Intelligence Engine API offers agencies

Rather than a raw feed of rows, the API returns entity-resolved, explainable results built from the same public records your city already holds. In Philadelphia today that means city payroll going back to 2016, OPA assessments, L&I permits and valuations, code violations, rental licensing, eviction filings, and 311 requests — connected into one coherent picture of a property, an owner, or a department.

Publishing a record answers “where is it?” Connecting records answers “what does it mean?” The second question is the one that generates most of your inbound.

Not a rip-and-replace

Agencies are rightly wary of any vendor that wants to sit in front of their systems of record. The engine is deliberately additive. Your assessment database stays your assessment database; your permit system keeps running. ALKARTIS reads from public records and adds the connective, explainable layer on top — so you can pilot it on one dataset, prove the value, and expand without a migration project or a procurement that touches your core infrastructure.

How access works

There is no self-serve signup, and that's intentional for public-sector data. API access is part of the Enterprise tier and is scoped as a custom engagement: which datasets, what access model, whose branding, and how it fits alongside what you already run. That conversation starts with our team, who can walk through a deployment tailored to your agency.

It's not only for residents

The same connected, explainable layer is useful inside the building. Analysts, constituent-services staff, and program teams routinely need to read across systems the org keeps separate — pairing a payroll record with a department, or a property with its permit and violation history. Because the engine resolves entities and shows its sources, internal users get a defensible answer they can cite in a memo or a hearing, not just a screenshot they have to caveat. An API deployment can serve both audiences from the same foundation, so the investment isn't a single-purpose public widget.

Where coverage stands

ALKARTIS is live in Philadelphia today. The platform is expanding city by city, so agencies in other jurisdictions are on the roadmap rather than available immediately — as new cities come online, the same connected, sourced approach travels with them. If your city isn't live yet, the fastest path is still to talk to our team so we can map your data and timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a self-serve API I can sign up for?

No. API access to the ALKARTIS Intelligence Engine is part of the Enterprise tier and is set up as a custom engagement, not a self-serve signup. Agencies talk to our team so we can scope the datasets, access model, and deployment that fit your systems.

Do we have to replace our existing open-data portal?

No. The API is designed to work alongside your existing portals and systems, not replace them. It adds a connected, explainable intelligence layer over records you already publish, so you keep your current infrastructure and add the answers residents actually ask for.

Which cities and datasets are available today?

ALKARTIS is live in Philadelphia today, where the engine connects real public records such as city payroll, property assessments, permits and valuations, code violations, rental licensing, eviction filings, and 311 requests. We are expanding city by city, so additional coverage becomes available as new cities come online.

Can answers be traced back to the underlying record?

Yes. Every figure the engine returns traces back to a checkable public source. Responses are explainable and sourced by design, so your staff and residents can see where a number came from instead of trusting a black box.

Can the API run under our own branding?

Yes. Custom deployments can run under your agency's branding so residents experience it as part of your services. The specifics are scoped during an Enterprise engagement — talk to our team to walk through options.

Scope an API deployment for your agency

Tell us which records you publish and where residents get stuck. We'll walk through what a connected, sourced, Enterprise-tier deployment would look like alongside your existing systems.

Talk to our team → Explore the Enterprise tier
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An open data platform that answers questions → Cut Right-to-Know & records-request volume → Solutions for government & agencies → The ALKARTIS Enterprise tier →