Welcome to the DataLex Community

About DataLex

DataLex - Smart legal decision support and Rules as Code - AustLII 's rule-based legal reasoning platform

DataLex is developed by Andrew Mowbray, Philip Chung & Graham Greenleaf, with assistance of AustLII staff

• DataLex Development Tools - an interface for developing DataLex applications

DataLex Application Examples

These applications ('apps') are of varying degrees of detail and demonstrate DataLex features. Select 'Run consultation' in order to run the app. All of these apps are for demonstration purposes only.

• Australia's Foreign Relations Act consultation - This app relates to the Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020 with a focus on "non-core foreign arrangements" (those that apply to Australian public universities). See code here.
• News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code consultation - This example is based on the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Part IVBA Digital Platforms, Divisions 1 to 3 inserted by the Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) Act 2021. See code here.
• Community Gaming Regulation consultation - This example is based on the Community Gaming Regulation 2020 (NSW). See the Media Release for background to this app. Parts of the app can also be run from the 'Consult' option on any section of the Regulation. See code here.
• Modern Slavery Act consultation - This example is based on the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth), and can also be run from the sections of the Act. It is an example of coding the whole of an Act. See code here.
• Electoral law consultation - This app concerns disqualification from standing for federal Parliament under s44 of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (Cth) and sections of the Commonwealth Electoral Act (Cth). This has been a contentious issue in Australian politics. It is used for examples in this journal article. See code here.

Tutorials, Manuals & Tools

• DataLex Development Tools - an interface for developing test applications outside the AustLII Communities environment
• AustLII's DataLex Developer's Manual (April 2021) - This is the manual for developing applications using the DataLex software.
• Coding with yscript (April 2021) - This is a compete description and tutorial introduction to coding in the yscript language.
• Quick Tutorial - Building DataLex decision support systems (17 May 2019) - This is a brief introduction to the DataLex software, covering key elements in building simple knowledge-bases (KB), and interfaces.
• Building Datalex Decision Support Systems: A Tutorial on Rule-Based Reasoning in Law (2017) (Available on SSRN) - This is a more comprehensive introduction to both DataLex application development and current interfaces.

Background articles on AustLII's approach to using AI in law

• 'Utilising AI in the legal assistance sector--Testing a role for legal information institutes' (2020) Computer Law & Security Review,Volume 38, 2020 (Available on SSRN)
• 'Strengthening Development of Rules As Code: Submission to the OECD's OPSI on Cracking the Code' (June 23, 2020)
• 'Building sustainable free legal advisory systems: Experiences from the history of AI & law' (2018) 34(1) Computer Law & Security Review ( Available on SSRN)
• 'The Datalex Project: History and Bibliography' UNSW Law Research Paper No. 18-4 (January, 2018). (Available on SSRN)

Articles by others

• Mohun, J. and A. Roberts, "Cracking the code: Rulemaking for humans and machines", OECD Working Papers on Public Governance, No. 42, OECD Publishing, Paris 2020
  
• Jason Morris (Canada), "Rules as Code" Can and Should Be Done Without Programmers - An Example from Law to Code to App (Medium.com, 5 June 2019)

Older Examples

These older examples include law that is not up-to-date. However, they are still useful as demonstrations how lengthier more complex applications can be developed using the DataLex software (Copyright and Privacy consultations), or different features of the DataLex software such as case-based reasoning (Finder's cases) or document assembley (Simple Will generator).

• Freedom of Information consultation - This is a simple example concerning access to documents under section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) and related sections. Various small knowledge-bases (some developed by students) are linked. See code here.
• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) procedures consultation - This example focuses on procedural steps in making a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner and appealing against a determination. It is INCLUDED in (ie called from) this Knowledge Base dealing with other sections of the Privacy Act, so a to construct a more complex app by linking various knowledge-bases.
• Copyright consultation - Examples using sections of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) (not up-to-date)
• Privacy consultation - Examples using sections of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (not up-to-date)
• Finder's cases - Example of case-based or example-based reasoning
• Simple Will generator - Example of Document assembley
• Goal Tests - These are some very abstract (non-legal) examples to demonstrate the differences between backward and forward chaining rules. These are used to do a class exercise to determine (for example) 'Is D correct/true?' by comparing the intuitive steps we take to find an answer, with the steps that the DataLex program takes to do so.
  • GoalTestKB (backward & forward chaining)
  • GoalBackwardKB (backward chaining only)
  • GoalForwardKB (forward chaining only)

DataLex Web Utilities

• WebTopicList - all topics in alphabetical order
• WebChanges - recent topic changes in this web
• WebNotify - subscribe to an e-mail alert sent when topics change
• WebRss, WebAtom - RSS and ATOM news feeds of topic changes
• WebStatistics - listing popular topics and top contributors
• WebPreferences - preferences of this web