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Nova Scotia Data Explorer: AI-Powered Nova Scotia Data Search

Search, explore, and analyze hundreds of datasets from the Nova Scotia government's datasets using AI. Ask questions in plain English and get instant answers with real data tables, charts, and insights.

Seva Skvortsov

Seva Skvortsov

February 27, 2026Interactive

Nova Scotia Data Explorer

AI-powered Nova Scotia Data search

Explore Nova Scotia Data

Ask any question about Nova Scotia data. Search datasets, and query real government data with AI.

Free preview - 1 question. Queries Nova Scotia Data in real-time.

Connect Your Chatbot via MCP

Want unlimited access? The Nova Scotia Data Explorer is powered by a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows any compatible AI chatbot, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor, VS Code, and more, to search, explore, and analyze Nova Scotia data directly through conversation.

You can simply ask your AI assistant questions like "Who are the top vendors winning government tenders?" or "Show me government pay scales by classification" and get instant answers with real data.

Public MCP Endpoint

A public instance is available for everyone for free. To connect your favorite chatbot, use the endpoint below and follow the setup instructions for your client.

https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp

Setup Instructions by Client

Available Tools

The MCP server provides four tools to interact with Nova Scotia data. These are the same tools that power the chat interface above.

list_categories

Returns all dataset categories and popular tags available on the Nova Scotia data portal. Use this first to discover what data is available before searching.

search_datasets

Search the catalog by keyword, category, or tag. Returns dataset names, IDs, descriptions, column names, and portal links.

Parameters: query, category, tag, limit (1-50), offset

get_dataset_metadata

Get full schema and metadata for a specific dataset. Returns column field names, data types, and descriptions — essential before querying.

Parameters: dataset_id (required)

query_dataset

Run a SoQL query against a dataset. SoQL is SQL-like and supports $select, $where, $order, $group, aggregates like count(*), sum(), avg(), and more.

Parameters: dataset_id (required), soql, limit (1-1000)

What Can You Ask?

The Nova Scotia Data Explorer can answer questions across datasets in Nova Scotia. Here are some examples:

  • Procurement: "Who are the top vendors winning government tenders and how much are they being awarded?"
  • Demographics: "What is the population trend for Halifax over the last 10 years?"
  • Compensation: "Show me government pay scales and current compensation rates by classification."
  • Labour: "What are the latest labour agreements and which industries do they cover?"
  • Industry: "What industries are concentrated in each region of Nova Scotia?"
  • Environment: "Show me air quality monitoring data for Nova Scotia."

How It Works

When you ask a question, the AI follows this workflow:

  1. Search the Nova Scotia data catalog to find relevant datasets.
  2. Inspect the dataset schema to learn the exact column names and data types.
  3. Query the data using SoQL to retrieve the specific rows and aggregates needed to answer your question.
  4. Analyze and present the results in clear markdown with tables, context, and insights.

Transport & Technical Details

The MCP server uses Streamable HTTP transport (the current MCP standard) and also supports legacy HTTP+SSE for older clients. The endpoint is read-only. No API key is required. The server exposes a health check at GET /mcp and accepts JSON-RPC messages at POST /mcp.

Frequently Asked Questions