How ReconNest works

Where the data comes from

Every signal in a report comes from a named federal, state, or local public dataset. We pull it, normalize it, and store the source and the date with each record so you can see where a finding came from. These are the families of sources we read.

How we measure what is near an address

When you run an address, we place it on the map and look outward. For each kind of hazard or amenity we find the nearest matching features, measure the straight-line distance, and report it. Some signals, like a flood zone, are areas rather than points, so what matters is whether the address falls inside one. We pull the geometry from the source, so the distance you see is measured, not estimated by hand.

A finding's severity reflects two things: how close it is, and what the record itself says about its status. A cleanup site marked closed or a Superfund site removed from the priorities list ranks below an active one at the same distance. We read the status field rather than treating every record as equally alarming. The result is a description of what is on the public record near a home. It is never a score of whether an area is good, bad, or safe.

What the data vintage means

Two dates matter, and they are often years apart. The data vintage is the period the data describes, like FBI crime figures for 2020 through 2024 or a FEMA map's effective year. That is what you actually rely on. The refreshed date is when we last pulled the source. We show both on each card's detail view, because pulling a dataset in 2026 does not make the 2024 figures inside it newer than they are.

What ReconNest is not

ReconNest doesn't own any of this data. We pull it from public federal, state, and local sources and translate it into plain English. We can't promise it's complete or current, and we don't independently verify it. Treat this report as a starting point for your own due diligence, not the last word. Anything that affects your decision, confirm it with the original source or a qualified professional before you rely on it.

Coverage varies by location and by signal. A quiet rural address may have far fewer records than a dense city block, and a gap in a report is not a guarantee that nothing is there. A report is a strong starting point for your own due diligence. It is not a home inspection, an appraisal, a title search, or legal advice, and it does not replace any of them.