> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.visita.co.za/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ask Visita (AI Assistant)

> Get instant answers about your ward and civic services

# Ask Visita

Your AI-powered civic intelligence assistant.

## What Is Ask Visita?

Ask Visita is an AI assistant that can answer questions about:

* Your ward and municipality
* Local government services
* Civic processes and voting
* Community projects and events
* Government tenders

<Info>
  Ask Visita uses **Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)** — it searches our knowledge base to give you accurate, sourced answers.
</Info>

## How to Use It

### On Ward Pages

1. Look for the floating **"Ask Visita"** button (bottom right)
2. Click to open the chat modal
3. Type your question
4. Get an instant answer

### Example Questions

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Ward Info" icon="map">
    "Who is the councillor for Ward 26?"

    "What is the population of my ward?"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Services" icon="building-columns">
    "Where is the nearest police station?"

    "How do I report a burst pipe?"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Government" icon="landmark">
    "When are the next local elections?"

    "What parties control my municipality?"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tenders" icon="file-contract">
    "Are there any construction tenders in Durban?"

    "How do I bid on government tenders?"
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What It Can Answer

| Topic         | Examples                                    |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **Ward data** | Demographics, councillors, municipalities   |
| **Directory** | Finding businesses, government offices      |
| **Processes** | How to report issues, vote, join projects   |
| **Tenders**   | Active government procurement opportunities |
| **Elections** | Voting information, political parties       |

## What It CAN'T Do

<Warning>
  Ask Visita is an information assistant, not a decision-maker.
</Warning>

* ❌ Submit reports or votes on your behalf
* ❌ Access your personal account data
* ❌ Make financial transactions
* ❌ Provide legal or medical advice
* ❌ Access private government systems

## How It Works

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A[Your Question] --> B[AI Understands Intent]
    B --> C[Searches Knowledge Base]
    C --> D[Retrieves Relevant Info]
    D --> E[Generates Answer]
    E --> F[Shows Sources]
```

### Knowledge Sources

Ask Visita draws from:

* 4,468 ward records
* 257 municipality profiles
* 60,000+ directory listings
* 7,000+ government tenders
* Official Visita documentation

## Tips for Better Answers

<Tip>
  **Be specific.** "What's the weather in Ward 79700026?" works better than "What's the weather?"
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Include context.** "How do I report a pothole in Durban?" is clearer than "Report pothole"
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Ask one thing at a time.** Break complex questions into parts.
</Tip>

## Privacy

* Questions are not stored with your identity
* We don't train AI models on your questions
* Ward context is used to give relevant answers
* No personal data is shared with AI providers