OMB has been pushing agencies to make more of their data standardized and available, but beyond towing the line content APIs are a way to help achieve business goals such as recruitment or outreach.
“Freeing content allows for greater innovation in using and displaying that content,” wrote the USDA’s Dr. William Brantley in his “API Briefing” blog on digitalgov.gov, recently, noting that, “Federal APIs that provide content such as blog postings, videos, and job information can be spread further than just the federal agency’s website.”
He cited as an example two new APIs released by the Department of Justice recently for public relations content and job openings, which might be used for a legal job search app or in some other way, ultimately helping DoJ get more candidates.
Asking how data APIs could help your agency is the first step toward making a business case for what could become an interesting project for you or your team. Are you working on an API at your agency? Is your agency actively trying to leverage its data by making it more accessible in JSON and other formats? Share your thoughts below.
