Tristan
Your last point about event data perhaps being easiest to syndicate is a
good one. At the moment, there's an audience out there (reached at the
moment via RSS) for listings and events info in many publishing spaces, and
there's a growing number (at last) of cultural venues publishing event and
listings data.
Naturally, of course, event data needs to be placed in a context, wherever
it's found. So it's cool to see events on a map, or mixed up with other
streams of data and re-published. So naturally, we need to get used to the
idea of multiple data outputs, many opportunities to add value to the data
via API's.
I guess we need a step-change in our thinking. Wherever you are, whatever
you're doing in data terms, your stuff now must always be able to live
outside your environment. The days of information imprisoned in a walled
garden must surely be over. The challenge now, is how, in reality, the moves
are made, how the wrappers translate across barriers, how the practicalities
of it all work.
So I think my suggestion sparked by your original post is this - opening up
your DB via an API is a now a natural thing to do, and maybe it's just a
stage in a further process of your data maturing and transforming via third
party activity - go to it!
Jon
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Tristan Roddis
Sent: 19 August 2008 12:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Uses of APIs for cultural organisations?
On 19/8/08 11:51, Ottevanger, Jeremy wrote:
> ...and if you didn't catch the threads a earlier this year that covered
some of this ground it's worth having a look at the list archives
http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk/email.shtml. Richard Light kicked off
"Linking Open Data" back in June, whilst back in Feb I had loads of great
responses to some questions I posed about the role of/need for an API for
the EDL project. Some of this is compiled and summarised in posts I tagged
MCG, API or EDL: http://doofercall.blogspot.com/search/label/mcg,
http://doofercall.blogspot.com/search/label/API,
http://doofercall.blogspot.com/search/label/EDL.
>
Thanks. I'll take a look.
> One thing to add to what you wrote (which looks like a good list) is that
collections data are not the only data we can release via APIs, though
they're the obvious and juiciest target, and the focus of the project you're
talking about. Exhibitions data (like Frankie R released), events data (like
we've got available) and any number of more specialised datasets all present
opportunities if we open them up.
>
Very good point! It also strikes me that something like events data are
going to be a lot easier to syndicate, given that there are already standard
and easy ways to do this (iCalendar, or even the hCalendar microformat).
-Tristan.
--
Tristan Roddis ~ Head of Web Development
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