A very brief presentation on the Europeana API Strategy presented at the Open Cultuur Data Masterclass April 23rd 2012. The presentation was not focused on technology but on what to consider when deciding to (or not) to develop an API and how to relate that to your existing strategy, plans and activities.
4. Mission and Strategy
“Europeana enables people to explore the digital
resources of Europe's museums, libraries, archives and
audio-visual collections. It promotes discovery in a
multilingual space where users can engage, share in
and be inspired by the rich diversity of Europe's cultural
and scientific heritage.”
But how? We try to answer that in our strategy: A multi-
channel approach combining end-user services,
content re-use services and social media.
5. What is an API?
Application Programming Interface
• Well, that’s not very understandable…
• OK, let’s try this: It’s what a developer queries, reads
from and writes to when developing services
• For example: An API is what allows other sites than
Google Maps to have interactive (Google) maps on them
6. The API is one among many tools
Europeana Distribution tools
The portal
Semantic mark-up
Search Engine Optimization
The API (and programming libraries, re-use widgets)
Linked Open Data, dumps and SPARQL (pilot)
Wikimedia Commons batch upload (planned development)
8. The first plan in brief
Develop a simple search API
• 5 Beta developers from within the network
Launch with a Hackathon
Sales: Target our high-traffic partners for adoption
• To maximize referral traffic
• But this was ditched when the commission made a call
KPI: 20 API-implementations by end of 2011
• We had 19 by the way
• As a proportion of total traffic API-referral traffic is small (but it
shows deep engagement)
9. Hack4Europe!
4 hackathons in 4 countries with a focus on non-
GLAM developers
Goal: To show the potential of Open Data in the
European knowledge economy
Results:
• 70 prototypes
• Increased acceptance within our network for Europeana
as platform
• Increased awareness of the necessity for Openness
• Problem 1: Our (meta)data isn’t Open so
prototypes remain prototypes
• Problem 2: We lacked resources to do
Hack4Europe AND target our major partners
11. The second plan in brief
Develop an improved API
• Based on developer feedback
• Automated API-management
Launch when the Data Exchange Agreement takes effect
• The DEA makes our metadata Open thus allowing for
commercial use of our API
• The Europeana Licensing Framework clarifies re-use of partner
content
Sales: Target our high-traffic partners for adoption and
investigate PPPs with select commercial companies
Create a Developer Outreach Programme
• Of which Hack4Europe 2012 is a component
12. The Europeana API version 2.0 (Q3 2012)
Is under development
• Simpler for developers (REST,JSON)
• More powerful (anything we can do, you can do)
• More scalable (logging, throttling, direct sign-up)
• Write functionality for user annotations (OAuth)
• Better documented (interactive docs, API console)
Direct sign-up for API-key
Is paired with a Development Outreach Programme
• Hack4Europe 2012 in May and June
• Copenhaguen, Warzaw, Leuven and Berlin
Will be an Open API
Made possible by the new Data Exchange Agreement
14. Do we need to build an API?
It depends…
• On your mission and how to best accomplish it
Does it have to be public?
• No, you could start with an internal API, perhaps between
you Collection Management System and Content
Management System
Does it have to be Open?
No, but usually difficult to get a good Return on Investment if
you not
15. Some API wisdom, Strategy and Planning
Integrate your API in the overall long-term strategy
• Realizing they’re one means among many, not the only means
and not a goal unto itself
Make the business case for the API customer
• It’s not about you
• Cases and testimonials over statements
Plan your API-activities
• Set goals, define metrics and measure them
• Hint: For most GLAMs it won’t be quantity of web traffic
Communicate your API
• Build it and they will not come!
• Sales and Developer outreach are 2 different things
• Hackathons are probably your best tool to build awareness
and generate buzz!
16. Some API wisdom, low threshold
Clear Terms of Use
• By whom and for what purpose
• Demystify, undramatize!
Clearly licensed content
• Creative Commons
Open Data makes for clarity
Low threshold of adoption
Low negotiation cost
17. Tech choices and guidelines
Consider whether you need to build an API yourself
• Your CMS may come with one out of the box
• As a Europeana partner you already have one
REST over SOAP
JSON over XML
Clear versioning
Clear SLA
Ensure you can log and follow up on your metrics
Build you own services based on the API you offer
others
Interactive documentation over static documentation
• Also libraries, code snippers, how-to’s, case studies
• Improve iteratively based on developer feedback
18. That was it! Questions?
Please contact me if you want to know
more or use our API!
Email: david.haskiya@kb.nl
Twitter: @david.haskiya
Hinweis der Redaktion
The Europeana API Strategy and what you can learn (not to do?) from it I’m David Haskiya and I work as the Product Developer for Europeana. One of my roles is also being the product manager of the Europeana Search API and other data re-use services. This presentation is available under a Creative Commons ShareAlike license, I’ll upload it to SlideShare for your convenience Images licensed separately http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
As with social media strategies API strategies should be part of your generic strategy!!! Or if you do have a separate one make damn sure it’s aligned with your generic strategy So what we have is an API-plan built on the aspect of our strategy best accomplished via an API
The brief from the European Council of Ministers in 2008. The Digital Agenda for Europe, the PSI-directive and the Commite des Sages expert group have clearly pointed to the strategic value of Open Data and a preserved Public Domain.
Explore, discover, share, engage with cultural and scientific heritage Note that the Europeana PORTAL isn’t mentioned. As long as we and our partners are attributed and linked to the user interaction can take place on other sites than the Europeana portal.
This is always so difficult to explain!
Distribution is one of the 4 tracks of our strategy More tangentially the API also touches on the the other tracks: Aggregation, Facilitation and Engagement The API is but one among many tools in our toolbox It’s a B2D and B2B tool
Our first API plan It worked, but not in the we thought…
“ An API-plan never survives first contact with the European Commission” This was a very prudent plan as we weren’t sure we had the full support of our network
What the commission wanted We had initially planned to have only 1 hackathon in 2011
Take two in Q2 2012 – Q2 2013, we’re in the early stages of the plan
More ambitious than the first plan We’ve learned from our mistakes
Yes, we’re eating our own dog-food… This together lays the foundation for a business model where Europeana focuses on core businesses like quality metadata and an open API thus facilitating innovation and R&D outside of Europeana proper Launches in Q3
As part of this masterclass I’d be happy to give you feedbac and suggestions on your API-related work
A big question and the brief of answers And I know it depends is an annoying answer. But let’s be clear a collections API is NOT necessary for ALL GLAMs
When in doubt, return to the mission!
Any questions? Or if you want to use our API, Linked Open Data or widgets, just contact me or grab me during or after our seminar You can mail me at david.haskiya AT kb.nl Or Tweet with me @david.haskiya This poster by an unknown artist is courtesy of the Municipal Library of Lyon, a Europeana network partner The work is in the public domain