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Releases

What changed on 911records.org, newest first. The City’s own record changes are under Releases & changes.

v1.2.6 · 2026-09-19

Our permanent home is now 911records.org. Existing 911records.nyc links take you to the same pages on the new domain, including document citations and downloads.

v1.2.5 · 2026-09-18

Improved recognition of airborne asbestos laboratory reports that were previously labeled “other”.

v1.2.4 · 2026-09-18

Search and document text now recover more sideways and hard-to-read pages, with improved text on 2,536 pages. Record tags and related records use the improved text.
Fixed generated titles being attached to the wrong record when several records were summarized together.

v1.2.3 · 2026-09-18

Watch Henry Williams’ 1010 WINS radio interview at /1010-wins.mp4.

v1.2.2 · 2026-09-18

When retrieved records do not resolve a question, Ask now summarizes what it found with page citations, explains the specific gaps, and describes what evidence would help. It distinguishes the pages reviewed from the full collection.

v1.2.1 · 2026-09-18

Moved First responders immediately after Contradictions in the main navigation.

v1.2.0 · 2026-09-18

A new First responders page helps FDNY, NYPD, PAPD, EMS, and other responders research unit assignments, shifts, work sites, protective equipment, and recovery operations. Click any of 24 suggested questions to ask the records immediately, or write your own question with a unit, date, or location.

v1.1.0 · 2026-09-17

Download the full collection of original City PDFs in one ZIP, or choose individual boxes. Find boxes by agency, volume, or box name, and see file sizes before downloading.
Downloads include document inventories and SHA-256 checksums so you can check your files and identify additions, replacements, and removals. Interrupted ZIP downloads can be resumed while the archive remains current.
New downloads follow the current City catalog and exclude withdrawn records. Outdated archives stop being offered when the catalog changes; the download page explains how to keep an existing copy up to date.
A quick CAPTCHA verification protects bulk downloads. One successful check unlocks downloads in the same browser for 12 hours; the privacy page explains the verification cookie.
Removed the “Copy short link” button from the header on every page. Existing short links continue to work.
The release history now includes three previously omitted updates and no longer repeats the same release.

v1.0.0 · 2026-09-16

Connected AI answers can now pair a short explanation with the original document scan in one compact evidence panel. Switch between cited pages, check supporting wording, and open the full record on the site.

v0.19.1 · 2026-09-16

Connected AI answers no longer open a separate document panel for every search and page read.

v0.19.0 · 2026-09-16

Read cited documents directly in connected AI apps, view scans beside extracted text, highlight matching phrases, and copy exact page citations.

v0.18.1 · 2026-09-15

Submit a suggested comparison or correction through a private form on the Contradictions page.

v0.18.0 · 2026-09-15

Explore Contradictions: paired public statements and records, with exact source pages, context, and links to share each comparison.

v0.17.0 · 2026-09-15

Copy a short link to any page from the header, including search filters and page anchors. Connected AI tools now return short links alongside full source URLs.

v0.16.3 · 2026-09-15

Watch a video walkthrough of the records app at /demo.mp4.

v0.16.2 · 2026-09-15

Connected AI tools can validate record results and pagination more reliably.

v0.16.1 · 2026-09-15

v0.16.0 · 2026-09-15

AI research tools can now connect to the records through MCP, search and browse the collection, read source pages with exact citations, and follow catalog changes.

v0.15.2 · 2026-09-15

A lab form’s own printed template stamp (a file path or “revision” date from before September 2001 in the form’s footer) no longer counts as the page’s date. A TEM worksheet from September 2001 had been showing as 1995-09-22 because of one; about 300 such pages are corrected, and they now show no date rather than a wrong one.

v0.15.1 · 2026-09-15

Timeline moved up in the top menu, next to the Building map, ahead of the Topic map.

v0.15.0 · 2026-09-14

New Timeline page (in the top menu): when lower Manhattan was tested, for what, and by which labs. Test pages per week by substance family, how many buildings had been reached by each week, and month-by-month grids for the most-named substances and labs. Hover for figures; click a grid cell to open the matching search or lab page.
Building pages have a “Tests over time” chart: each substance on its own row, one dot per day it was tested, bigger dots for more pages.
Lab, contractor and address pages show their monthly activity split by the agency whose files the pages came from.
Building details (year built, floors, units) are back at the top of the building page, above the charts.

v0.14.23 · 2026-09-14

Building pages show cleaner entries for documents without a title, with the folder label shown once and long labels shortened.

v0.14.22 · 2026-09-14

Building pages now list the building’s documents grouped by what they are (lab reports, chain-of-custody forms, memos and letters, permits, forms, invoices), one entry per document with its title, summary, page count and dates, instead of a page-by-page list.

v0.14.21 · 2026-09-14

Building questions also read the first page of each matching document (where a lab report says what was analysed), not only the fax cover or results page that matched.

v0.14.20 · 2026-09-14

Questions about a building now find records by meaning as well as by exact words (a question about “environmental testing” finds an asbestos fibre analysis by TEM whose date is written 7/1/02).
Answers quote the part of a page that best matches the question, not just the letterhead at the top, and quote more of it.

v0.14.19 · 2026-09-14

On a follow-up answer, the earlier questions in the thread are listed compactly under the answer instead of as boxes above it.

v0.14.18 · 2026-09-14

Follow-up questions about a building now find the pages that match what the follow-up newly asks (for example a cost or a contract amount) rather than the pages that match the whole conversation.

v0.14.17 · 2026-09-14

Questions about a building find relevant wording within that building’s records more reliably.

v0.14.16 · 2026-09-14

Follow-up questions about a building now read the pages that match the new question before re-reading the previous answer’s pages.

v0.14.15 · 2026-09-14

A question that names a building now searches that building’s own records for what the question asks (costs, contracts, letters), not just its test pages.

v0.14.14 · 2026-09-14

Ask no longer declines “who” questions. The City redacted these records before release, so every question is answered from what the City published; a redacted name is never guessed at.

v0.14.13 · 2026-09-14

Sharing any page (not just the home page) now shows the site card image in Slack, iMessage, X and LinkedIn previews.
Each official’s page has its own browser-tab title (role, organisation and years) instead of one shared title; names still never appear in titles.
The home page’s tab title names the site.

v0.14.12 · 2026-09-14

Fixed scrolling on phones so the map and the legend beneath it remain accessible.

v0.14.11 · 2026-09-14

On phones the map fills the screen again and the page scrolls to the legend beneath it.

v0.14.10 · 2026-09-14

On phones, the map legend (“What the colours mean”) sits below the map instead of floating over it.

v0.14.9 · 2026-09-14

Document titles and one-line summaries now appear everywhere a record is listed: building pages, the map record table, the changes log, entity and case-folder pages, and the sources behind every answer.
Folder cover sheets are hidden from search results, topics, related records and reading tiles by default; a “Folder cover sheets” filter on the search page brings them back.
A cover-sheet page now lists the rest of its folder in Bates order, with titles, document types and page counts.

v0.14.8 · 2026-09-14

Search results show each document’s one-line summary in its own highlighted box, clearly separate from the matching page text.
Result counts above 10,000 read “10,000+”; the changes page shows the collection size in gigabytes.

v0.14.7 · 2026-09-14

“Continue from the evidence” questions keep the building, substance and dates of the answer they came from, so “this building” means the one you were reading about.

v0.14.6 · 2026-09-14

Narrower-question and “Continue from the evidence” links now show the animated placeholder page while the new answer is written, instead of leaving the old page on screen.

v0.14.5 · 2026-09-14

A question that was answered in the last 30 days opens its stored answer instantly instead of being written again; use “Refresh this answer” for a fresh one.
The building map paints on arrival instead of waiting for the first zoom or drag.

v0.14.4 · 2026-09-14

While an answer is being written, the page shows animated placeholders straight away instead of waiting on the previous page.
Every suggested and follow-up question now goes to a written, cited answer — never to a bare document search.
A document search whose address, lab or agency filter matches nothing now shows the results for the words alone, with a note, instead of an empty page.
A question that would have produced an empty table (for example labs at a building with no structured rows) falls back to a written answer from the pages.
The map panel’s close button is larger and boxed.

v0.14.3 · 2026-09-14

The records panel on the map can be closed with the × in its corner and reopened from the “Show records panel” button; picking a building reopens it.

v0.14.2 · 2026-09-14

Ask now reads a building’s own filed records when a question names its address, so questions about a building answer from its lab reports and memos rather than only from building lists.
The map legend is its own box beside the map controls, explaining what each colour means.
Building pages: the activity chart shows the month and page count on hover and has a year axis.
Building record tables label numbers found on a page as such, and explain the confidence figure.
Follow-up links under an answer and under an empty search sit on the left instead of stretching across the page.

v0.14.1 · 2026-09-14

Suggested questions on the map always return a cited answer instead of bouncing to a document search.
Search filters for addresses, labs and agencies now match regardless of capitalisation, so a filtered search no longer comes back empty.

v0.14.0 · 2026-09-14

Every document in a folder now counts toward the folder's building: the map and building pages show whole folders, not just the pages that mention an address (the map went from about 550 to about 900 buildings).
Every document has a plain-language title and summary, shown in search results, topic and reading lists, related records and comparisons.
Cover-sheet pages list the records in their folder.
A proper site icon for browser tabs, bookmarks and home screens.

v0.13.1 · 2026-09-14

Building, organisation and official pages show a compact monthly activity chart instead of a long list of dates.
Cleaner answer pages (inline refresh control, natural-width follow-up links), "what others are reading" as tiles, no stray rules on the home panel, and a topic map that stays inside its box.
Lab and contractor office addresses outside Manhattan (for example DEP's Queens office) no longer appear as buildings on the map.
More buildings carry present-day details from prospect.nyc, now including landmark and historic-district status.
Reading lists use document titles, never a bare name or a portal cover page.

v0.13.0 · 2026-09-14

Documents show a plain-language title and a short summary wherever they are listed — search, topics, browse, related records, buildings and the case folder — so you can tell what a record is without opening it. Rolling out across the collection.

v0.12.1 · 2026-09-14

The map panel shows the collection title and document counts at the top again, directly above "Start with a question".

v0.12.0 · 2026-09-14

You can refresh an answer page to get an updated version from the latest records; the original stays online and each version links to the other.

v0.11.3 · 2026-09-14

Small buttons, map controls and the A–Z rail are easier to tap on phones.

v0.11.2 · 2026-09-14

"What others are reading" now appears beside every answer on the Ask page.

v0.11.1 · 2026-09-14

"Start with a question" now sits at the top of the home panel.

v0.11.0 · 2026-09-14

Ask can now answer with a table: try "which buildings were tested for asbestos" or "which labs tested 114 Liberty Street" — sortable, exportable as CSV, and savable to your case folder.

v0.10.0 · 2026-09-14

"What others are reading": notable records picked out, plus what people are actually opening, on the home page and a new /reading page; documents show "Others also read".

v0.9.4 · 2026-09-14

Topic pages no longer spill off the side of the screen on phones.

v0.9.3 · 2026-09-14

The Ask button on the map matches the one on the Ask page.
Suggested questions now each lead to a full cited answer (at least three supported sentences), and two weak ones were replaced.

v0.9.2 · 2026-09-14

The topic map is readable on phones again: each subject is a full-width row with its title, page count and a proportional bar.

v0.9.1 · 2026-09-14

Search results now explain when a question could not be answered and was searched instead.
Ask and Search share a quick Answer / Documents switch and show your saved-page count.
Browse records is organised by collection and box, with agency and volume as filters; existing links keep working.
Slightly garbled questions (scan-style typos) still reach the answer path.

v0.9.0 · 2026-09-14

Topic map: a zoomable visual map of subjects across the collection, sized by how many pages are about each one — click a topic to zoom into its sub-topics, then into its documents. Each topic page shows which boxes and agencies it spans.

v0.8.1 · 2026-09-14

While an answer is being written, the Ask box now says the records are being read and roughly how long it takes, instead of appearing to do nothing.

v0.8.0 · 2026-09-14

Ask now supports follow-up questions: refine an answer or ask something new about the same pages, and the whole conversation is saved as one shareable, permanent link with its citations.

v0.7.4 · 2026-09-14

The home map, entity index, topic map, building pages and browse load noticeably faster.

v0.7.3 · 2026-09-14

Typing a Bates number with a space (for example "NYC WTC 058160") now takes you straight to the record.

v0.7.2 · 2026-09-14

Suggested questions on the home page and map now consistently return an answer instead of occasionally hitting a dead end; follow-up questions are only offered when the records can answer them.

v0.7.1 · 2026-09-14

Folder cover sheets (one-page separators with an address, block, lot and BIN) are labelled as such, with links to the folder, the next record in it and the building.
Documents show a type where it can be read from the page — memo or letter, form, lab report, invoice, permit application, chain of custody, sign-in sheet — marked as machine-extracted.
Cover sheets rank below content in search and are not used to write answers.

v0.7.0 · 2026-09-14

Consistent look across the site: the same buttons, fields, panels and tables everywhere, and every page uses the same content width.
The 3D/flat toggle sits with the map controls at the bottom left.
A small star marks the buttons and links where an AI model will write or interpret the response (Ask, suggested questions, follow-ups) so it is always clear when you are reading a machine-written summary.

v0.6.0 · 2026-09-14

Entity pages (labs, agencies, contractors, substances, addresses, officials) redesigned: key facts up top, documents grouped by the role the entity plays, where it appears, related organisations, buildings and substances, and a building file for addresses.
Alternative spellings read from the scans are listed as "also read as" so nothing is hidden.
Addresses that misread in the scans (for example "Latsyeiie" for Lafayette) are now grouped under the correct street.

v0.5.1 · 2026-09-14

Building pages, the map panel and document building links now show the street address (for example 77 Pearl Street) instead of a bare building number.

v0.5.0 · 2026-09-14

One "Ask" control: a Bates number opens the document, keywords search, a question gets a cited answer; off-topic questions get a plain note.
Topics are named in plain English (63 subjects under 8 groups), generated from the records and reviewed for names.
OCR spellings of the same address, lab or contractor collapse into one entity; variants are kept as evidence.
Building pages show present-day building details (year built, floors, units, class) provided by prospect.nyc.
Entities index redesigned as panels per type with live filtering and A–Z listings.
Search no longer returns look-alike results for words that appear nowhere in the records.

v0.4.0 · 2026-09-14

Case folder: save pages from the viewer or any citation, add notes, order exhibits, export an exhibit list.
Related records, more-like-this-page and buildings on every document; copies and versions side by side.
Removed documents answer 410 with a notice; sitemaps for documents, entities, buildings and topics; per-page social cards.
Google Analytics with disclosure on the privacy page; www redirects to the apex.

v0.3.0 · 2026-09-14

Ask anything: cited answers from retrieved pages, every sentence linked to a Bates page; identity questions refused; permalinks.

v0.2.0 · 2026-09-14

Home is a 3D map of lower Manhattan; buildings that appear in the records are lit; land, water and shoreline drawn from the borough outlines.
Browse the physical order (collection → agency → volume → box → folder), releases and changes, entities and topics, personal-information policy.

v0.1.0 · 2026-09-14

First public version replacing the holding page: search with facets, document viewer with page images and OCR text, served from two hosts.