Open APIs are the sexiest thing to ever happen to government services
Open, free, citizen data at your fingertips
APIs are cutting down on admin BS… and I love it
An API, or application programming interface, is a structured way for different systems to query and share data with each other.
If you’ve ever used a flight booking platform, like Skyscanner, you’ll know that you simply need to type in your destination and dates and the platform will pull up all possible flight journeys within those parameters. What you don’t see happening behind the scenes is the network of communications that happens after you press enter.
To find out what’s available, the platform needs to communicate with other airline websites like KLM, Alitalia, or Lufthansa to find flights going to your destination that day. It does this using APIs.
In the case of the Netherlands, a government API portal means that different government offices can share information faster and easier via APIs. For example, if you move from Amsterdam to the Hague, the municipality offices can easily share your information, making the registration process smoother and less paperwork-intensive.
As Terpstra explained, using APIs also makes the data sharing process more efficient and accurate.
Open access means greater cooperation between government, businesses, and developers
Not only does it allow for smoother and more efficient communication between government bodies, the switch to APIs also opens up public access to government data, making it easier than ever for companies and newbie entrepreneurs to develop solutions based on government collected data. As Terpstra explained:
“Around 2008-2009, the platform economy started with Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, etc. One of the things that platforms did differently than systems before them was that they relied very heavily on APIs for exposing their content and exposing their functionality to others.
“Most developers understand APIs and the larger market understands APIs. We decided we needed to do something about this because all our systems and standards were based on SOAP and XML, but that’s not what society at large was expecting. Today, if you have ten developers in a room and ask, ‘who can give me a SOAP/XML data exchange, maybe only one person will raise their hand. If you ask for a data exchange using APIs, it’s likely everyone in the room will be able to do this.”
A data democracy
To facilitate this transition, the government created theDeveloper Overheidwebsite where developers can access government APIs for free. But it’s not just about providing access. The website also has a forum where developers can share innovative ways they’re using this data and help shape the government’s API strategy based on what the wider public actually needs.
For example, theCovid dashboardAPI provides up-to-date information about infection rates, the number of vaccinations, and more.
Saskia Stuiveling, former President of the Netherlands Court of Audit, was at the forefront of the push towards developing effective accountability, transparency, and (technological) modernization of government. In her view, as taxpayers we’ve already paid for open data once, so why should we pay for it again?
That’s why the government created theStuiveling Open Data Award(SODA). Every year, the award is given to a public or private party that uses open data in an innovative manner to address current societal challenges. The goal is to encourage more collaborations like this between the government and public entities, resulting in better solutions for the wider public.
Last year’s winner,Movimaps, is an API created to measure bicycle safety by looking at therelationship between bicycle accidents and bicycle use. This information, while seemingly simple, will help inform discussions on things like e-bike regulations and bike safety amongst the elderly.
And the possibilities are endless. TheRijksmuseum created its own APIallowing developers to search their collection and even zoom in and see close-ups of historic works of art. Individuals have used APIs to create maps of some of the bestoutdoor art in Amsterdamand the locations ofcity farming projects.
How could APIs help cross border collaboration?
It’s not just the Netherlands, a number of governments are also creating their own open API strategies. This could really facilitate cooperation on cross border issues, from making free movement across countries easier to monitoring progress on climate change.
Vaccination passports are another key issue that will require intra-governmental cooperation and data sharing. APIs could be a great way to tackle the problem of sharing and verifying up to date vaccination data.
The best part is that the government wants this to be an open project, involving all stakeholders, in order to make it as useful and accessible to the public as possible. Whether you’re a business or just an individual interested in shaping thegovernment’s future API strategy, feel free to participate in thepublic consultation on API design rules, which lasts until the end of August. Also check out theDeveloper Overheidwebsite for more information about upcoming working group sessions.
Story byAndrea Hak
Andrea is TNW’s Branded Content Editor and, as a writer, she’s covered a wide range of topics from ClimateTech to AI and gender bias. She’s(show all)Andrea is TNW’s Branded Content Editor and, as a writer, she’s covered a wide range of topics from ClimateTech to AI and gender bias. She’s always on the lookout for stories that explore the social and political impact of emerging technology.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
