At LegiPlex, we’ve always believed that public policy research should be faster, smarter, and more accessible. With the introduction of our latest version of OmniCron, our code-named internal advancement in video processing—we’re making that vision a reality. OmniCron comes from the Latin omni or “all things” and cron from the Greek word “chronos,” meaning “time.” This cutting-edge technology is designed specifically for legislative content, and it offers researchers an unprecedented level of precision and efficiency when working with public hearing and floor session videos.
OmniCron doesn’t just transcribe and timestamp video; it intelligently detects and tracks when specific bills, legislators, or witnesses are mentioned or speak. Each detected segment is paired with an automatic summary and a “Skip to” button, allowing researchers to jump straight to the most relevant parts of a video—no more sifting through hours of content manually.
How OmniCron Works: Smart Tagging for Smart Governance
Omnicron is trained specifically on legislative sessions to identify key moments in video content. For example, if a senator introduces a discussion on H.R. 3684—the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—the system not only notes the timestamp but creates a snippet summary like: “Sen. Maria Cantwell discusses federal broadband investments under H.R. 3684.” A single click jumps directly to that clip.
This system is equally effective for witness testimony. During a 2021 Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Jessica Rosenworcel (FCC Chairwoman) testified about digital equity. Omnicron flags this with: “FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel testifies on broadband access gaps,” allowing any researcher to instantly access that segment—no need to scan through unrelated committee business.
Research, Revolutionized: Time and Cost Benefits
Before LegiPlex, analyzing a full day of hearings could take at least 8 hours of staff time per video. At even a modest rate of $30/hour, that’s $240 per video. Multiply that across dozens of hearings per month, and legislative research becomes a significant time and financial drain. With LegiPlex, users find the relevant segment in under 10 seconds—with accuracy and context.
The return on investment is dramatic. Rather than hiring a staffer to fast-forward through eight hours of legislative video hoping to catch a single witness testimony, users can now filter by name or bill number and instantly jump to each match. It’s legislative research powered by machine intelligence—doing the slow work, so analysts and advocates can focus on strategy and impact.
What’s Next: A Smarter Legislative Future
LegiPlex is already in use across 50 states and US Congress and is being rolled out to support more granular tracking, including subcommittee references and amendment discussions. We’re also working on cross-linking these video segments directly into bill tracking pages, so you can see who said what—and when—with just a click.
As policy debates grow more complex and the volume of legislative video grows, LegiPlex stands as a transformative tool for anyone who works with the democratic process: legislative staff, journalists, researchers, and engaged citizens alike. The future of video in government transparency isn’t just searchable.
It’s intelligent.
