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Services

Lookup

Lookup is a free congressional directory search service. Use it to let visitors find and contact their elected officials directly from your site. Lookup works in the background as a 3rd party supplier of directory information for the US Congress.

Do you run a blog or small nonprofit website? If so, you can use Independence Ave’s Lookup service FOR FREE.

Want to see Lookup in action?
See the homepage.

• Fast searches: Acts more like a desktop application than a web application. Loads files and responds to user input without reloading the entire web page.
• Easy setup: Installs with a single line added to your web page’s source.
• Customized look and feel: Automatically uses the fonts and colors set in your website's style sheet. Further customization is possible with additional styles.
• Standards compliance: Can use valid markup and conform to both XHTML Transitional and XHTML Strict specifications.
• Good browser support: Supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Linux/Konqueror and Mac/Safari, et al.

If you are interested in using Lookup for free on your blog or nonprofit, advocacy site please contact Shawn and ask how you can participate.

Semantic Web Database (21-APR-2006)

A major upgrade is currently in the works. Independence Ave. is converting its proprietary database into a Semantic Web database.

When completed, this project will supply information for data mining applications focused on the US Congress. Developers will be able to design projects that compare query results from Independence Ave's congressional directory database against query results from other Semantic Web sources (ones that track legislation, voting patterns, etc.). This will reveal existing patterns of association between members of congress, the bills they support, their personal work history, affiliated organizations, etc.

Great! How Do I Use It?

To make use of the database directly, you need to be a web developer. End-users must wait until applications are designed to digest and manipulate this Semantic Web data.

Initially, the database will be accessible to technology partners and other interested developers through a SPARQL query service. Eventually, the database will be open for public use. If you would like early access to this service contact Shawn for updates and information.

What This Means For Lookup

To start, Lookup subscribers and users will see no difference. Over time, the Semantic Web format will allow Lookup to manipulate the database more precisely and supply end-users with more options.

The Semantic Web upgrade will also make Lookup one of the first applications to merge Web 2.0 and Semantic Web technologies. It will continue to dynamically load information for third-party/subscriber websites but all of this information will be retrieved with SPARQL queries over Ajax.

Congressional
Database

Lookup Service