NOMAD: Questions Without the Cloud
Ask a question, follow the citation, and see what the local library can—and cannot—answer.
Body
A library is more inviting when you can ask it a question. NOMAD’s local dashboard puts a question box, retrieved evidence and a source reader in one place. Ask for Canada’s capital and it finds the passage naming Ottawa; follow the citation and read it yourself.
This is part of EMO’s local and offline research at MMG: make stored knowledge usable, then show exactly where an answer came from.
What is on the shelves?
Two sources currently answer questions: the June 2026 English Wikipedia no-pictures archive and a Natural Earth country lookup with 177 records. The inventory also lists three stored Wikipedia editions, about 189.20 GB in total, plus maps and metadata.
Stored does not mean searchable. The dashboard labels editions and files that are inventory-only so readers can see the difference.
An answer with somewhere to go
The current system retrieves passages rather than asking a model to compose an answer. It returns a photosynthesis definition from a local article, or Canada’s continent from the country record. When the connected sources do not support a question, it says ‘No local evidence.’
Source filters, edition and licence details, query timing and browser-session history make the process easier to follow. No model is loaded, and questions are not saved as a server conversation database or written into access logs.
Offline, with the boundaries visible
The interface, source reads and world map run locally without external scripts, fonts or cloud calls. The API is available only on the local computer. MMG’s public website shows real dashboard screenshots and progress notes; it does not expose that question API.
Focused tests checked citation accuracy, unsupported questions and operation with outbound network connections denied. Phone layout checks passed. Broader synthesis and autonomous work remain outside the verified scope.
What comes next
The dashboard already makes a local archive easier to explore. Broad answer synthesis, autonomous actions, synchronization and questioning every stored database remain unverified.
Wikipedia material retains CC BY-SA attribution; Natural Earth map data is public domain. A useful offline project starts with accessible evidence and a clear account of its limits. NOMAD now gives that idea a working front door.