Park Shark Amsterdam APIDecember 2012

“from APP to API”

Jonathan Carter

Glimworm IT

http://api.parkshark.nl

jc@glimworm.com@jonathanrcarter

non geeks leave the

room now..

It started in September 2011 with a Hackathon

Options!!!

time date duration location

What was different

● We added the“best guess” (“obvious dumbass”) logic.

● What would be the #1 FAQ?

● How much in total will it cost and what is the alternative?

● I don't want to know the details.

How did we “best”

guess

Serendipity

● In 2011 I bought a horse & a car● I needed to park near my house on the

weekend without a permit● My house is near 3 zones with different tariffs

and hours and I DID NOT KNOW IT !!!● I over paid for months but worked it out just

before the hackathon● The data that I had already thought about was

presented in front of me

Why us?

● Almost nobody in the parking business parks..

● Locals mostly work out a way to get a parmit

● That leaves the tourists who don't visit the same place often enough by car to notice

stuff you knowbut

they don't knowbut

do you know that they don't know ??

nice..YOU KNOW

THEY KNOW

THEY DON'TKNOW

What other stuff don't we

know

Parking moneyin amsterdam

is a tax

It does not matter where

you pay

What happened

next

● Invited to talk at a DIVV internal meeting● Invited to participate at open Data Cafe● Invitation to input to

Smart City SDK● Commercial work

for CITION

● We won APPS FOR NEDERLAND with “Vistory”

● Invited to present to policy committee in den Hague about app making

● Invited by the UK embassy to events for UK/NL creative entrepreneurs

Our story was listened

to

What's the story to data

holders?

● Open Data is not necessarily useful data– Manage expectations– Pursue a tipping point

Data

Developers

Open Data

● About the data– Make sure it is complete useable– Write background information

– Actively ask the community for feedback– Be prepared to improve the data– Provide a contact person

– Real time is best, otherwise update regularly

● Use the language of the developer– Provide some specifc challenges– If possible use english as well as dutch– Provide json– Provide rest– GEO : google maps not KML– Understand who you are dealing with

● Especially consider the indie developer– Make sure a creative mind can understand

the data– Provide calculations and business rules– Provide a way to contact you– Don't force the developer to create a server

infrastructure

Progress

Open Data Cafe

March 2012

What did we do..

THE API..

The API is sometimes the missing link

open data providers

Politicians

City government

ICTDepartment

Independentdevelopercommunity

Citizens

On websites and not just on IPhones

What else does it do

Park SharkAntwerp

API

api.parkshark.nl/getthebutton-antwerp.html

Park SharkAntwerp

APP

Questions we are asked

● Will there be a secondary market of worth billions?

● Politicians answer : yes● Our answer : no, or not in the way they envisage

● Are there common standards

● Answer from politicians : don't know● Our answer : no

● Will this become a problem ● Answer : yes

● What is the endpoint

● Our answer : Government as a platform

● What is the biggest threat

● Our answer : badly published data

What can we as developers and creatives do?

● What do we really need?● To Use the data● To innovate● To be creative

● How can we help and inform● Data owners● Policy makers● Can we give a list of our priorities?

Who canyou turn to

Find the tipping point

Data

Developers

Open Data

Read our report

All of these people

participated in some way