About Soilshift
Observational data on foundation-related construction activity
What is Soilshift?
Soilshift is a map-first web application that visualizes foundation-related construction activity across Austin, Texas. By analyzing public building permit data from the City of Austin, Soilshift helps residents, real estate professionals, and researchers understand spatial and temporal patterns in foundation work.
Why "Soilshift"?
The name reflects the slow, inevitable movement of ground beneath our homes—a natural process influenced by Austin's expansive clay soils, rainfall patterns, and drought cycles. Soilshift takes a calm, observational approach, presenting information without alarm or diagnosis.
Core Principles
Informational, not diagnostic
We surface patterns in public data. This is not a tool for diagnosing structural problems or property defects.
Transparent methodology
Classification rules are documented and matched keywords are visible for each permit. Users can make informed judgments about data quality.
Calm, design-forward
The interface emphasizes clarity and exploration. No alarming colors, no hype—just clean data visualization.
Public data, public good
Built on Austin Open Data. Designed to serve residents, professionals, and researchers seeking neighborhood context.
Who uses Soilshift?
- →Homebuyers and homeowners researching neighborhood foundation history
- →Real estate agents providing context to clients
- →Structural engineers and inspectors understanding area trends
- →Foundation contractors analyzing market activity
- →Researchers studying correlations with weather, soil types, or urban development
Future Development
Soilshift is under active development. Planned enhancements include:
- Improved classification using natural language processing
- Time-slider playback for temporal analysis
- Neighborhood boundary overlays (council districts, zip codes)
- Period comparison tools (e.g., drought years vs. wet years)
- Data export for filtered permit sets
Questions or Feedback?
Soilshift is built with care for data quality and user trust. If you have questions about methodology, find data issues, or want to suggest improvements, we'd love to hear from you.