> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shovels.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # What Makes Shovels Different From Other Permit Data Providers? > Shovels differentiates with: 1) USPS-standardized addresses, 2) contractor grouping linking related businesses, 3) 98% AI accuracy, 4) sophisticated deduplication. **Shovels stands out from other permit data providers through four key differentiators: (1) USPS-standardized, geocoded addresses, (2) comprehensive contractor data with parent-company grouping, (3) 98% classification accuracy using AI validated by industry experts, and (4) sophisticated deduplication that maintains consistent IDs across updates.** We source directly from jurisdictions—never from third-party resellers. ## Key Differentiators ### 1. Very Clean Data Our addresses are standardized to USPS format and geotagged with coordinates. We cross-reference against multiple authoritative datasets: * National Address Dataset from the US Census * Open Address dataset * Simple Maps * ESRI ### 2. Comprehensive Contractor Data Our contractor data is derived directly from permit metadata, including **contractor grouping** that links contractors under the same parent organization. This helps you understand relationships between: * Local branches and regional offices * DBA names and parent companies * Related business entities ### 3. Modern Data Infrastructure We use AI and machine learning with a documented **98% accuracy** rate validated by construction industry experts. Our rigorous data labeling process involves: * Multiple independent annotators * Manual review for divergent responses * Golden datasets for benchmarking ### 4. Sophisticated Deduplication Our system maintains a unique identifier for each permit and updates records as permit statuses change, rather than creating duplicate entries. This means: * Consistent permit IDs throughout the lifecycle * No duplicate records from status updates * Reliable tracking across data refreshes Learn more about our data quality approach in our [data labeling process](/docs/knowledge-base/data/quality/labeling-process) article. ## Data Sources We source data directly from jurisdictions through: * Direct relationships with local governments * Integration with online permitting portals * Public records requests where needed We don't purchase data from other sources—we get it straight from the source.