Our Policy Navigator makes complex regulations accessible
Policy information is often complex, scattered across various sources, and written in legal jargon. Finding relevant regulations costs policy staff, companies, and citizens unnecessary time.
With the Policy Navigator, Nolemmings developed an AI-driven search tool that makes policy accessible and searchable — for policy staff, companies, and citizens.
Challenge
Policy professionals work with policy information and regulations every day. For example, provinces assess municipal zoning plans or large projects against the provincial environmental ordinance. Even seemingly simple questions like “What rules apply at this location?” often require significant expertise and combing through dozens of pages. Without a legal background, such a question is far from easy to answer.
There was a clear need for an accessible tool that intelligently combines natural language and location — to quickly and reliably provide insight into relevant regulations for an initiative.
Our approach
Nolemmings developed the Policy Navigator: an AI-driven search tool that lets users ask policy-related questions in plain language — such as “What are the rules for solar parks here?” or “What regulations apply at this location for cutting down a tree?” The tool:
uses semantic search technology to find relevant articles
links regulations to geographic areas and displays them on an interactive map
makes legal language accessible through automatic summaries
is connected to the Dutch Digital System for the Environment Act (DSO)
has a modular design and can work with various data sources and language models
The tool was developed on behalf of Geonovum, in collaboration with several provinces, and was successfully demonstrated during the Open Geo Day and the Province of Utrech theme day .
Result
Quick access to regulations based on location
Natural language input, independent of legal phrasing
Accessibility and competency for non-lawyers without compromising completeness
Proven Proof of Concept, now extended with new sources from the DSO
The Policy Navigator helps policy staff work more efficiently and accurately and marks an important step toward understandable digital government policy.
Watch the demo
See the Policy Navigator in action and discover how this tool can support your organization. [Watch the full demo here]
Want to learn more?
Curious how smart software and AI can accelerate your innovation project? Contact us at info@nolemmings.nl or schedule a meeting with one of our advisors.
