Application Programming Interface (API) Explained
Dec 9th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, Feature, Information Technology, Innovation, New Product ManagementThanks Shawn.
From Wired
API explained with examples.
Geeks to Music Industry: APIs Can Set You Free
From the article ” Behind every mashup of two or more online services, there’s an API. That’s short for application programming interface, a set of commands that lets programmers write new code that controls an existing piece of software. Many APIs are proprietary, but the net is full of open APIs that let anyone, say, play a YouTube video on their own web page or overlay bike routes on a Google map”
When will you suggest that your company build an API?
I have used various APIs over my career, but creating one that would drive innovation on an existing product or new service is a very cool idea. It never ceases to amaze me, how different people can join together over the internet to turn something average into something extraordinary.
As information changes, and the ways we obtain information changes it’s easy to forget where the information came from – You don’t even realize that you’re seeing mashed up data. Also, the industry ’suits’ have had to change their mind about how their data is shared – this will have to continue to ingrain even further into the future.
The key is to define the goal of the API. It seems short sighted to not see the advantages of more advertising for concerts on the internet. The closer you keep information, the more useless it becomes. The problem and the solution are the same, open communication. API’s are easy to use and can extend content sharing considerably. This example is a great one overall.
The continual disruption of an industry that spawns another is amazing. This API story is also a lesson in knowledge management and the fact that we will not/are not getting our knowledge/information in the same traditional methods that have existed for a very long time. One better being willing to embrace this or maybe the rest of your business will be buried in the sand with your head.
we commonly use API’s to connect our series of common global solutions, and to ‘package’ software services as standalone web services for use within, or external, the organization. In addition, we’re beginning to establish API’s for data exchange with our sub contractors and partners.
As a web developer, any time there is an API it’s a great thing. Offering an API usually means tons of other uses can spin off of the data / access provided from the API which generally increases the value on both ends. Google has an initiative called the Data Liberation Front (http://www.dataliberation.org/) which at a minimum provides API access to almost all of it’s services if not an easy way to export all of your data out. Having such open access allows people not to be so timid in fully using a service since now they don’t have to fear that their data is stuck there.
I think that I will suggest this to my company after I learn more. I would want to know the plethora of applications first, and then narrow down which ones can benefit my company the best and most efficiently. I find it interesting that people are already using these in industry. I believe it is time for me to do some more research and dwell deeper into the various API applications.
These API’s seem really useful in the advertising arena. Being a non-tech guy (maybe this question will be idiotic). What are the limits of the use of the combined information? Are there security issues involved with these API’s where personal information may become exposed?
I think these API’s can be a very powerful tool and provide many differnet useful products to consumers. The issue I see is organizations willingness to share the information they collect. Most companies want to keep their information private instead of sharing and combining with others to provide additional functionality.
Wow, some of these types of articles make me wish I knew how to program. It seems that APIs have a great potential for changing the way that we accumulate information. I use mint.com which aggregates data from all my financial information, and now there are sites that collect information from all of your social media sites and puts it together.
This article, while short, really gives us all an idea of just how amazing the accomplishments can be when the data is made available, or the users are allowed create at their own will. This type of integration is not only desired, it will be a necessary and logical step towards a company’s success in the future. We are already seeing it in how Google has created APIs for a whole host of their online tools, from Earth to SketchUp, and how users have tied them together and expanded to include Facebook, Pandora, and other online technologies as well. The music industry and the media studios such as MGM and Paramount have yet to fully accept this new model of our existence, but they only have more to gain from adopting it. As a software man myself, APIs are wonderful tools for creating even more amazing compositions with what I already have. I love them! Plus, they save me so much time in many cases…