Hey everyone,
I’m excited to introduce you to my latest project: GovInfoNow. This is a platform I’ve been working on to provide easily accessible public information on topics like food recalls, inflation trends, and other government data that impact our daily lives. Built under the umbrella of Feral Cat, LLC, GovInfoNow is designed to cut through the noise and deliver crucial information when you need it most.
Why GovInfoNow?
In today’s digital age, we have access to an overwhelming amount of information, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we can find what we need when we need it. Government agencies publish important data, but it’s often buried in hard-to-navigate websites or released in formats that aren’t exactly user-friendly. GovInfoNow bridges this gap by pulling relevant public data from sources like the FDA and presenting it in a way that’s easy to understand and access.
The idea behind GovInfoNow came from my own frustration with finding clear and concise updates on food recalls. I realized that most people, especially those managing households or businesses, don’t have the time to sift through dense government reports. By making this information available in an intuitive format, I hope to help people make informed decisions quickly and confidently.
What GovInfoNow Offers
Food Recalls
Food safety is a huge concern, and staying updated on recalls can mean the difference between a routine trip to the kitchen and a serious health hazard. GovInfoNow aggregates real-time data from the FDA and USDA, listing food recalls as they happen. This feature ensures that users can immediately check if a product they’ve purchased is affected. No more digging through government PDFs or waiting for news outlets to pick up the story. You can even search recalls by specific details such as recall number or company name, making it easier to track products that matter to you.
Inflation Trends
Inflation affects everything—from the cost of groceries to rent prices. With fluctuating economic conditions, it’s important to stay updated on inflation data to plan finances accordingly. GovInfoNow tracks inflation trends, providing clear insights into how prices are shifting over time. This feature is particularly useful for individuals managing budgets, business owners adjusting pricing strategies, or anyone looking to understand the broader economic picture.
State and Local Data
Beyond national trends, GovInfoNow also provides localized data at the state and city levels. This ensures that users can access relevant recall and inflation information specific to their region, making it easier to take action based on location-based updates.
How GovInfoNow Works: The Tech Stack Behind the Project
Since many of you are into tech and development, I want to give you a peek under the hood. Building GovInfoNow has been a journey in optimizing data accessibility, real-time updates, and scalable infrastructure. To accomplish this, I’m using a combination of Next.js, Supabase, and Vercel.
Next.js: The Framework Powering GovInfoNow
Next.js is at the core of GovInfoNow, providing the flexibility of server-side rendering (SSR) along with static site generation (SSG) where needed. The framework allows me to ensure that users always get the freshest data possible while keeping performance optimized. Since food recalls and inflation trends require frequent updates, Next.js’s hybrid rendering approach is perfect for dynamically pulling in new data while keeping the site fast.
Beyond performance, Next.js also gives me great SEO benefits. Given that government data isn’t always surfaced well in search results, having an optimized, structured site helps more people find this information when searching for it online.
Supabase: The Database Solution
For storing and managing data, I went with Supabase, which has been a fantastic alternative to Firebase. Since GovInfoNow requires real-time updates on recalls and inflation data, Supabase’s PostgreSQL database allows me to handle structured data efficiently. With features like row-level security and built-in authentication, it makes managing user access and data security much easier.
Supabase also integrates smoothly with Next.js, letting me run API requests without dealing with overly complex backend setups. The direct SQL capabilities make it easier to query data compared to some NoSQL solutions, which is crucial when filtering recall data or displaying economic trends.
Vercel: The Hosting Platform
I’m hosting GovInfoNow on Vercel, which, as you probably know, pairs seamlessly with Next.js. Vercel makes deployments ridiculously simple, and its global CDN ensures that users across the country (or even worldwide) get a fast and reliable experience when accessing recall alerts or inflation data.
Vercel’s edge functions also help in optimizing performance by dynamically rendering pages closer to the user’s location. This setup means GovInfoNow can scale effortlessly as traffic grows without me having to worry about infrastructure headaches.
The Vision for GovInfoNow
This project is just getting started, but I have big plans for its future. Right now, GovInfoNow is focused on food recalls and inflation data, but I aim to expand it to include other critical government-issued data, like:
- Product Safety Alerts: Covering recalls on non-food consumer goods such as electronics and household items.
- Environmental Reports: Tracking air and water quality updates from agencies like the EPA.
- Disaster Alerts: Providing up-to-date information on natural disasters, evacuation notices, and emergency assistance resources.
Additionally, I want to improve user engagement by integrating email and text notifications, so people can get alerts the moment a relevant recall or inflation update is published. No more checking the site manually—GovInfoNow will bring the information directly to you.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
No project is without its hurdles, and GovInfoNow has had its fair share of challenges. Some key lessons I’ve learned along the way include:
- Data Parsing is Hard: Government data is often published in formats that aren’t designed for easy consumption. Structuring this data to be useful and visually clear requires a lot of backend work, and I’ve spent a good amount of time refining data pipelines to keep everything running smoothly.
- Scaling Considerations: Since GovInfoNow will (hopefully) see increasing traffic, ensuring the database and hosting environment can handle growth has been an ongoing focus. So far, Supabase and Vercel have been a solid combo for keeping things scalable.
How You Can Get Involved
If you’re interested in staying updated on food recalls, inflation trends, or future data expansions, check out GovInfoNow. I’d love to hear your feedback—whether it’s about usability, features you’d like to see, or ways to improve data presentation.
If you’re a developer or data enthusiast, I’m also open to collaboration. Feel free to reach out at cvcaban@feralcat.xyz. Whether it’s improving data parsing scripts, adding new government data sources, or optimizing performance, there’s plenty of room to grow this project into something even more impactful.
Final Thoughts
GovInfoNow is built with one simple mission: making public data accessible and actionable. We shouldn’t have to dig through obscure PDFs or government websites to find crucial information about our health, safety, or economy. By leveraging modern web technologies like Next.js, Supabase, and Vercel, I aim to provide a platform that delivers reliable, real-time data in a way that anyone can use.
I’m excited about where this project is headed, and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to check it out. Let me know what you think, and as always, stay informed and stay safe.
Best, Carlos