Making democracy digitally accessible and interactive: The Media Library of the Hamburg Parliament

When the Hamburg Parliament reached out to us in 2017, there had been a long standing desire for a dedicated media library. The goal was to provide all citizens with barrier-free, intuitive access to political debates in the Hamburg Town Hall, anytime and anywhere.

The aim was to create a media library that would bring parliamentary work into the digital age. This is not an overwhelming technical solution, but rather a smart, elegant system that fosters maximum participation and integrates seamlessly into the parliamentary processes.

After major software providers were unable to offer a comprehensive solution, the Hamburg Parliament reached out to us, as we had already developed a solution for the Lower Saxony State Parliament.

Within a short time, we created a detailed action plan, enabling the quick transition from analog to digital video recording as part of the technical planning. The in-house transmission was secured, and the image quality surpassed several generations of technical standards. Over time, we gradually implemented the action plan, with the prioritization of individual measures reassessed regularly.

Here are the key challenges we faced:

• Planning the conversion and modernization of the Town Hall: This process included the setup of a control room, camera placement, and preparing the space for sign language interpretation.

• Historic preservation considerations in the plenary hall: One of the most unique challenges was the high demand for camera and streaming technology installation without visually impacting the historic building. We had to repaint the remote-controlled PTZ cameras to ensure they blended seamlessly. A standout feature of the retractable tracking camera: It captures speakers from the familiar TV perspective and zooms out during key moments, like when parliament members stand, to capture the scene at the podium impressively.

• Technical transformation of workflow with consideration for employees and political demands: All individuals affected by changes were consulted, ensuring their needs were met. This focus on individuals is a core value for us.

• Automated processing and archiving: To minimize additional staffing requirements, we introduced our software solution, which automated the session transmission, content processing, and data storage, making the entire process more efficient.

• Intelligent search functions: How can citizens search for specific topics and keywords (e.g., housing policy) and access only the relevant excerpts from debates, presented in a politically neutral manner?

• Accessibility: How can we facilitate smart subtitling and sign language inclusion with minimal effort and maximum efficiency?

Automated Camera & Control Technology:

Remote controlled PTZ cameras have been integrated into the Town Hall and configured for seamless operation in the control room, enabling them to quickly capture relevant segments automatically. This allows a single operator to manage the entire process.

Metadata & Intelligent CMS:

During live transmissions, agenda items and speakers are automatically captured and processed as metadata. This enables the debate to be available online shortly after the session ends, with users able to search for specific topics using the metadata.

Equal, Barrier Free Access for All:

While AI-generated subtitles perform well in live streams, they currently do not meet the quality required for easy reading and quick comprehension. To ensure high quality for on-demand playback in the media library, a specially designed workflow is used. The quality criteria, developed in collaboration with experts, include:

• Proper use of capitalization
• Hyphenation
• Correct spelling
• Line length

Additionally, sign language interpretation is seamlessly integrated. Users can easily switch between standard and accessible playback within the video streams.

Independence & Digital Sovereignty:

The Parliament remains fully independent from platforms like YouTube or other streaming services. It ensures GDPR compliance, long-term security, and complete autonomy to shape its digital requirements.