enabling developers with open data apis april 14, 2011
TRANSCRIPT
Enabling Developers with Open Data APIs
April 14, 2011
Agenda
• Why developers matter• Current developer challenges• The importance of Open APIs• A brief tour of the new Data.Gov APIs• Application examples
Why Do Developers Matter?
4
• Transform data into services
• Lower costs• Drive innovation• Respond to demand• Increase agility
Examples of innovative Open-Data apps
April 14, 2011
Open Data Apps in Action
Asthmapolis: Croud-sourced Asthma research
http://asthmapolis.com/
Open Data Apps in Action
Oakland Crimespotting: Community crime tracking
http://oakland.crimespotting.org/
Open Data Apps in Action
One Bus Away:Real-time bus departure info
http://www.onebusaway.org
What problems do developers face now?
Data Availability
56%
56% of developers said data was not available
Source: http://benchmarkstudy.socrata.com
Data Quality
55%
When data was available, 55% said it was unusable.
Source: http://benchmarkstudy.socrata.com
Data Formats
Data is locked up in obscure or proprietary formats
Data Updates
Downloadable data is often immediately out of date
How will open APIs help?
April 14, 2011
How will APIs help?
Open data APIs provide:• Standard access methods across datasets• Access to clean, consistent data• Direct access to the data source – No More
Downloading!
Why an “open” API?
Open APIs:• Accelerate developer understanding• Reduce vendor lock in• Encourage community development
Socrata Open Data API
• A consistent API across all agency data sites
• An open, standards-based RESTful API
• Consistent high-performance throughput
• Advanced operations such as filtering and sorting
Developer Resources
To help developers get started:• http://dev.socrata.com• Open-source code samples and
libraries• Full API documentation• App Gallery to promote
applications
Developer resources and online community
OPEN API
Application Gallery
Semantic Web Support
Fast-track onto the Semantic Web:• Semantic typing for hosted
datasets• Create your own resource
hierarchy• RDF access to catalog and
individual datasets
Let’s See It!
Brief DemoAPI Tour
App Examples
Open APIs on Open Data
Open APIs will:• Lower barriers to access• Allow developers to focus on development, not
databases• Provide a uniform API across agencies• Prevent vendor-lock in
Questions?