Happy Spring OpenNWTers!
We've been keeping busy adding more data and information to our tools and thought it was time to send an update. Last week, to celebrate Global Open Government Week we got to work on finalizing a project that's been on the to do list for a while – expanding our collection of historical Hansards.
Today, we are announcing the launch of a greatly expanded OpenNWT Assembly Search. With this update, we have added an additional 16 years of Hansard - all the way back to the beginning of the 12th Assembly (1991). This is the first time much of this content has been available online.
This collection of historical Hansards was compiled based on materials provided by the NWT Legislative Assembly's Library and getting them online took quite an effort from a few dedicated volunteers.
This isn't all we've been up to, we've also added basic information on all MLAs including election results going back to the 8th Assembly (1975), voting records for current MLAs, history of Cabinet appointments and more.
By the Numbers
Some quick data stats we've been tracking. This expansion takes us from 493 sitting days (from 2007 to 2018) to nearly 1,300 days. If you add up all of the speaking in those transcripts we've grown from having just under 170,000 statements searchable to over 490,000 statements - that's a 280% increase.
Advanced Search
If you're searching the website for something specific, you might want to use our Advanced Search feature. The advanced search lets you break down the terms of your search or filter on additional fields.
Alert Subscriptions
Many of us read Hansard looking for specific topics being discussed, whether it's tourism, education, small business or something else. To make this easier, just do any search (either basic or advanced) and click the "Create an alert" button. Each day the House sits, you'll get an e-mail with any mention of your search terms.
Questions? Suggestions? Interested in helping?
If you have questions, issues, ideas, or want to help out getting in touch with us is easy - just send an e-mail to [email protected].
One Last Note
Our searchable database is available freely and openly to all. However, we aren't the official source for Hansard so if you need something official check with the Assembly's Legislative Library.