Barack Obama Directs All Federal Agencies to Have an API

"...Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, create a page on its website, located at www.[agency].gov/digitalstrategy, to publicly report progress in meeting the requirements of the Strategy in a machine-readable format.... ...implement the requirements of the Strategy within 12 months of the date of this memorandum and comply with the timeframes for specific actions specified therein"

3 months to get a "machine-readable" status report on implementing an API?

Then, complete the implementation in 12 months?

If it takes 3 months for an agency to get a status report up, how long will it take them to implement said API? Government work, sheesh....

Re: Barack Obama Directs All Federal Agencies to Have an API

#6

Post by drivebyacct2 » Fri, Jun 01, 2012, 11:27 PM UTC

gresrun wrote: post #2

I'd be interested in the NSA's API...

Exposes a single REST endpoint. POST /UploadAllUserData.

Meh, they're evil, it's probably SOAP and you have to discover it.

edit: Sorry guys! Didn't realize a tongue-in-cheek comment about the NSA have an API was so super-serious! It's like Oprah in here giving out downvotes anymore. "It's a free downvotes for you and you and you."

Re: Barack Obama Directs All Federal Agencies to Have an API

#7

Post by Anirak » Fri, Jun 01, 2012, 11:27 PM UTC

Every government office could take a lesson in well designed interfaces. Imagine how much smoother the DMV would be if someone had actually made the process designed to be as simple of an "interface" as possible. I know I'm probably hoping for too much, but maybe designing these web APIs will teach them a thing or two about how they might improve the efficiency of their offices as a whole.

Re: Barack Obama Directs All Federal Agencies to Have an API

#8

Post by Radzell » Fri, Jun 01, 2012, 11:28 PM UTC

gresrun wrote: post #2

I'd be interested in the NSA's API...

Lol it made me laugh as soon as I heard how broad the statement was. I wonder if the CIA api will have a geolocation features so I can make a foursquare mashup were people flash mob secret agents.

Re: Barack Obama Directs All Federal Agencies to Have an API

#9

Post by Radzell » Fri, Jun 01, 2012, 11:29 PM UTC

Treisfeo wrote: post #3

It's called a Web Service noobs!

Yeh if you work for microsoft get with the times everyone calls them apis now. Things get new meaning words change welcome to the english language.

Re: Barack Obama Directs All Federal Agencies to Have an API

#10

Post by dllthomas » Fri, Jun 01, 2012, 11:30 PM UTC

jroseattle wrote: post #5

"...Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, create a page on its website, located at www.[agency].gov/digitalstrategy, to publicly report progress in meeting the requirements of the Strategy in a machine-readable format.... ...implement the requirements of the Strategy within 12 months of the date of this memorandum and comply with the timeframes for specific actions specified therein" 3 months to get a "machi…

They need to be sure they 1) are exposing everything they need to be exposing, 2) are hiding everything they need to be hiding, 3) are ready to handle potentially significant load, and 4) are robust against attack. Each of these is a little harder and/or a little more important in government than in a start-up (your start-up is probably less likely to get an informant killed because they posted the wrong thing than, say, DOJ), and 1 and 2 especially involve more than technical work - processes need to be set up to actually get the data where it needs to go in the first place. I'd love it if it could be faster, but I don't think 15 months is at all absurd.