APIs Should Be the Default for Publishing Open Data - Socrata, Inc.

"In a world where government data is an economic commodity and a resource for civic innovation, developers cannot produce new civic apps and services fast enough. Application programming interfaces (APIs) have the potential to accelerate production, and Socrata has measured a 14x increase in the number of open data publishers using APIs since January 2013. However, many of the organizations providing the data developers use are hesitant about implementing the technology. 'Why should we provide an API when our data is already downloadable and open,' they argue. The answer ought to be clear: APIs make data more usable for developers, which leads to more useful apps and services, which increase effective engagement between government organizations and citizens ..."