# Nova Scotia Data Explorer (remote · scotiasignal.ca)

Query and explore Nova Scotia open datasets via the Socrata SODA API.

- Trust score: 68/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +4
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-08-03

## Components

- remote · `scotiasignal.ca`: 68/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer/scotiasignal.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer/scotiasignal)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.0.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-08-03.

- **Endpoint Security**: 63/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 4 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 69/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 683 tokens (~170/item across 4 items; 4 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 27/100
  - Stability observed for 8 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses.
- **Tool Coverage**: 100/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 100% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer]
url = "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer --url https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer:
    url: "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp"
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-08-03 (score 68, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 23 to 27. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 7 days of observed history at the previous scan, 8 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-07-31 (score 67, +1)

- [functional] We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server

### 2026-07-30 (score 66, +1)

- [functional] We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server

### 2026-07-29 (score 65, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 7 to 10. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 2 days of observed history at the previous scan, 3 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-07-27 (score 64, +1)

- [functional] We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server

### 2026-07-26 (score 63)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (4)

### `list_categories` (~42 tokens)

List Nova Scotia Open Data Categories

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.

### `search_datasets` (~209 tokens)

Search Nova Scotia Open Datasets

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.

Input parameters:

- `category` (string): Filter by exact category name from list_categories (e.g. 'Health and Wellness', 'Lands, Forests and Wildlife', 'Crime and Justice', 'Population and Demographics')
- `limit` (integer): Maximum number of results to return (1–50, default 10)
- `offset` (integer): Offset for pagination (default 0)
- `query` (string): Free-text search query (e.g. 'population', 'fisheries', 'road network')
- `tag` (string): Filter by an exact tag name from list_categories (e.g. 'population', 'fisheries')

### `get_dataset_metadata` (~100 tokens)

Get Nova Scotia Dataset Metadata

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.

Input parameters:

- `dataset_id` (string, required): 8-character Socrata dataset identifier (e.g. '3nka-59nz')

### `query_dataset` (~332 tokens)

Query a Nova Scotia Open Dataset

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.

Input parameters:

- `dataset_id` (string, required): 8-character Socrata dataset identifier (e.g. '3nka-59nz')
- `limit` (integer): Max rows to return (1–1000, default 25). Ignored if $limit is in soql.
- `soql` (string): 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.

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer/scotiasignal#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-08-03: 68
- 2026-08-02: 67
- 2026-08-01: 67
- 2026-07-31: 67
- 2026-07-30: 66
- 2026-07-29: 65
- 2026-07-28: 64
- 2026-07-27: 64
- 2026-07-26: 63

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://scotiasignal.ca/mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/SevaSk/scotiasignal-frontend
- Website: https://scotiasignal.ca/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer/scotiasignal/changelog.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer/scotiasignal/changelog.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/sevask-nova-scotia-data-explorer/scotiasignal