Build a trade-coverage tool, then test a business question

What you can make

A working offline explorer with source data, a demand-validation worksheet and an editable first business hypothesis.

A builder curious about local services, a prospective business owner or someone who can make public information easier to use.

Start here

1. Choose a falsifiable question

   Use the explorer to choose a trade and record what the source does and does not establish.

   Keep evidence: One explicit question and the source observation behind it.

2. Make the tool useful to someone

   Edit the working explorer or its notes for a specific user task, then save your first version.

   Keep evidence: A working artifact you have actually opened and used.

3. Test demand before calling it a business

   With consent, learn about a real service delay, an alternative and willingness to pay. Prepare outreach only; do not send automatically.

   Keep evidence: Actual user feedback, recorded with permission; no inferred demand.

Who can take part

• Anyone can prototype with the published public-domain aggregates. Running a trade business requires separate licensing, insurance and other checks.

Before you commit

• License counts do not establish capacity, service quality, available workers or unmet demand.
• Only category/status aggregates are included; no applicant names or phones.
• This is a Buffalo Projects build invitation, not a request from the city or a contractor.

What still needs testing

These are possibilities to investigate, not verified findings.

• A difference between license categories may suggest a question worth testing. It does not establish an underserved trade or a willing buyer.

Evidence you can inspect

Last checked 11/7/2026, 5:29:27 PM Eastern. Source changes can make a starting point unavailable.