HANS (Speech recognition solution)
HANS is a newly developed information system designed for transcribing the plenary sessions of the Parliament, replacing the outdated software previously in use. For over a decade, Finestmedia has collaborated with the Chancellery of the Riigikogu (the Estonian parliament) to streamline labor-intensive tasks related to producing verbatim records of parliamentary meetings. In the latest phase of this partnership, Finestmedia introduced an innovative technical solution for recording, transcribing, and publishing records, which utilizes speech recognition technology developed in collaboration with Tallinn University of Technology. The Finestmedia team was responsible for creating a robust technical platform that integrates speech recognition with various components of the parliamentary information system, including meeting agendas, member details, bills under consideration, attendance records, voting outcomes, statistics, as well as audio and video files from the sessions, among other pertinent information. The speech recognition program's functions included: recognizing spoken language from recorded audio, detecting when speakers change, transcribing spoken words into text, formatting the text into sentences with appropriate punctuation, and distinguishing between individual speakers. This modular, open-source-based system has significantly transformed the transcription process within the Estonian parliament and exemplifies the real-world application of scientific advancements in local-language speech recognition. While the Riigikogu employs the system for Estonian, the speech recognition component is adaptable to multiple languages. Initial tests with Polish text have shown that the system can be effectively adjusted for any language, with its accuracy notably enhanced through appropriate training.