Nova Scotia Data Explorer

Returns all dataset categories and popular tags available on the Nova Scotia Open Data portal. Use this first to discover valid category names before calling search_datasets with a category filter.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {}
}

Search the Nova Scotia Open Data catalog (data.novascotia.ca) for datasets by keyword, category, or tag. Returns dataset names, IDs, descriptions, column names, and direct portal links. Use list_categories first to see valid category and tag names. Use the returned dataset ID with query_dataset or get_dataset_metadata for further exploration.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "query": {
      "description": "Free-text search query (e.g. 'population', 'fisheries', 'road network')",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "category": {
      "description": "Filter by exact category name from list_categories (e.g. 'Health and Wellness', 'Lands, Forests and Wildlife', 'Crime and Justice', 'Population and Demographics')",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "tag": {
      "description": "Filter by an exact tag name from list_categories (e.g. 'population', 'fisheries')",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "limit": {
      "description": "Maximum number of results to return (1–50, default 10)",
      "default": 10,
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 1,
      "maximum": 50
    },
    "offset": {
      "description": "Offset for pagination (default 0)",
      "default": 0,
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 0,
      "maximum": 9007199254740991
    }
  },
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"
}

Retrieve full schema and metadata for a Nova Scotia Open Data dataset by its 8-character identifier (e.g. '3nka-59nz'). Returns all column field names, data types, and descriptions — essential before calling query_dataset so you know the exact field names to use in $select and $where clauses.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "dataset_id": {
      "description": "8-character Socrata dataset identifier (e.g. '3nka-59nz')",
      "type": "string"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "dataset_id"
  ],
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"
}

Run a SoQL query against a Nova Scotia Open Data dataset. SoQL is SQL-like. Key clauses (combine with &): $select=col1,col2 — choose columns $where=field='value' — filter rows (use single quotes for strings) $where=field like '%val%' — partial match $order=field DESC — sort $limit=50 — row count (default 25, max 50000) $offset=50 — pagination $group=field — group by (use with aggregate functions) $q=search term — full-text search Aggregates: count(*), sum(col), avg(col), min(col), max(col) Examples: $where=year='2024'&$order=total DESC&$limit=10 $select=department,count(*)&$group=department&$order=count(*) DESC $where=area like '%Halifax%'&$limit=5 Always call get_dataset_metadata first to find exact field names.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "dataset_id": {
      "description": "8-character Socrata dataset identifier (e.g. '3nka-59nz')",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "soql": {
      "description": "SoQL query string. Multiple clauses joined with '&'. String values in $where must use single quotes: field='value'. Do NOT URL-encode — pass the raw string.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "limit": {
      "description": "Max rows to return (1–1000, default 25). Ignored if $limit is in soql.",
      "default": 25,
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 1,
      "maximum": 1000
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "dataset_id"
  ],
  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"
}