Open Data Developer Resources

Interested in automating direct access our open data?
Every dataset on our catalog has a built-in Application Programming Interface (API). APIs are sets of requirements that govern how one application can talk to another.  APIs do all this by “exposing” some of a program’s internal functions to the outside world in a limited fashion. That makes it possible for applications to share data and take actions on one another’s behalf without requiring developers to share all of their software’s code.  Socrata's API enables you directly query datasets for specific results or build your own unique app.
Why use an API instead of moving files around?
  • Clean Data: APIs provide data in clean, programmatically accessible formats. No need to convert the data from one file format to another, no need to scrub out bad or polluted entries and no need to load it into your local system.
  • Timely Data: APIs are capable of providing data that is refreshed much more often than you can achieve with pulling, cleaning, and loading files.
  • Correct Data: APIs always pull data from a single, authoritative source, so you know you're getting the "true" information.
General Socrata Data API (SODA) and documentation
Socrata Open Data API (SODA)
Building applications on open data is easy with the Socrata Open Data API (SODA). Read their Getting Started guide to learn more.  
Be sure you check out the more detailed resources under the “API Docs” section when it’s time to get in deep.
Additional API Documentation
Looking for more in-depth examples? Need libraries for Java, Ruby, Scala, or other languages?
Specific dataset API documentation and examples
From the Dataset Primer
1. Select the "API" tab
Data explorer page
1. Select the "Export" tab and then "SODA API"
2. Select "API Docs" to access this dataset's specific API documentation.

Still looking for more resources?