Mashups
Tonu Mikk
tonumikk at yahoo dot com
GrantFlow.com
Definition
• A mashup is a web page or application that combines data or functionality from two or more external sources to create a new service.
Mashup components
• One data source or functionality
• Second data source or functionality
• New Web service
More…
• The term mashup implies easy, fast integration, frequently using open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and data sources to produce results that were not the original reason for producing the raw source data
Why mashups?
• Provides information in a useful way that was not possible or intended before.
The web application creation
Old way
• Hired out for a bunch of money
• Bad product
New way
• Open data
• Open architecture
• Citizen talent
• Little money
• Good product
Motivations for creators
For Government organizations
• Greater transparency
• Fills government mission to serve people
For individuals
• Fame
• Possible prize money
Enterprise mashups
For external use
• Information/service that serves the general public
For internal use
• Information or service that serves the internal functions of an enterprise
Enterprise mashup- a modern day MS Excel macro?
Mashup creation tools
• Yahoo Pipes
• Microsoft Popfly (no longer available)
• Google Mashup Editor (no longer available), replaced by Google App Engine
Every man’s tools
• Netvibes
• Zoho Creator
• Django framework (perhaps not every man’s)
What are you thinking about mashups?
• Are they useful?
• Are they necessary?
• Does your organization have some?
• Does it need some?
• How would you create them?
• Why would you create them?
• Who would create them?
Tonu Mikktonumikk at yahoo dot com