This document summarizes Tyler Bell's presentation on local APIs and the local ecosystem. The presentation discussed how interconnected local resources and APIs can facilitate a more informed consumer experience. Bell analyzed several major location-based services and their APIs, noting what each reveals about the product and intentions of its creators. He concluded by contrasting the use of "razorwire" versus "datawire," advocating that APIs should focus on connecting and sharing data rather than restricting it.

1. Location Business Summit
GeoLocal APIs
unencumbering the
Tyler Bell GeoLocal ecosystem
14 September 2010
tylerwbell@gmail.com
Twitter: @twbell

2. The Local Ecosystem
Local Ecosystem
Interconnected resources that facilitate an
informed, real-world consumer
experience…
and the value of a product is proportional
to how many other products it
communicates with
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell http://www.flickr.com/photos/leafy/3826214063/
-2-

3. GeoLocal
Built Environment and AR Daily Deals
Maps Utilities, Routing, Geocoding
Places and Listings
Social Location
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell -3-

4. Obligatory NASCAR Logo Montage
Tyler Bell -4-

5. Three Ways In
Crawled
Content
Contribution
API To Local
Ecosystem
Application
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell -5-

6. Monday: TechCrunch/SimpleGeo
Q: What is it you do?
A: See our API docs….
This is the only appropriate answer to a developer
http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/13/what-is-it-you-do-the-need-for-simplicity/
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell -6-

7. Marketing (paper maché)
Piñata
API (candy)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/esquipulas/561125635/
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell -7-

8. APIs are the soul of a product
They reveal its naked capabilities
and the intentions of its creators
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell -8-

9. Source and Crawled Content
robots.txt is hugely insightful
as is ‘viewing source’
…both make for lousy presentations
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell -9-

10. Example: Google Places PM
“We are going to focus initially on check-
in applications [and] have now begun
reaching out to developers”
- Google Maps API Product Manager
http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2010/07/checking-in-with-places-api.html
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 10 -

11. Example: Google Places API TOS
• Applications may not store any Place data
permanently except References and IDs.
• Place data cannot be redistributed via your own API
• May only be used in conjunction with displaying
results on a Google map
• Using Place data without displaying a map for which
Place data was requested is prohibited.
• May only be used in response to end user actions.
• So there.
Paraphrased from http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/places/
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 11 -

12. Product Design Philosophy
The Hallway
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 12 -

13. Product does not facilitate new
No Doors approaches, applications, or
business models
http://www.flickr.com/photos/raulc/4429603/
- 13 -

14. Multiple Product Options
Product creates multiple new
opportunities for exploration, integration
and experimentation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brentdanley/211734796/
- 14 -

15. A Look into some Local APIs
Short commentary
on what APIs reveal
(now, not planned roadmap or intentions)
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 15 -

16. • Ease of check-in at
expense of data
accuracy (this is OK,
and worked well)
• Massive dupe prob
– solvable. Larger
issue of traction has
been addressed
• Search provides no
name-to-venue
disambiguation
• Robots.txt: restricts
http://aboutfoursquare.com/superusers-mislocated-venues/ websearch
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 16 -

17. • Only user names
exposed to crawlers
• Massive API presence
(of course)
• Does not employ own
metadata standards –
see API note above
• Robots.txt: heavy
restrictions – again,
pushing for API use v.
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 17 -
crawled content

18. • No ‘place pages’,
therefore no crawled
metadata
• Tweets from 4sq
check-ins are tied to a
Twitter place – done
via BD rather than API
• Three geo endpoints in
API: nearby, details,
and rev. geocode
• Place serves now as
tweet-centric hub –
more certainly coming
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 18 -

19. • Hcard encoding on
listings (nice)
• FB Like Button
• No venue resolution
on search API
• Literally impersonal:
no people
parameters in API
• robots.txt contains
‘three laws of
robotics’ (geek cred)
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 19 -

20. foursquare:venue=516723
Krohn Conservatory
• Machine tags allow
cross-reference into
any namespace (incl.
OSM)
• Huge API
• But also indexed and
discoverable across
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisirmo/4560462516/ search
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 20 -

21. Wrap Up: Use of Wire
Razorwire v. Datawire
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 21 -

22. Datawire Connect and Plumb
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 22 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerplish/250836258

23. Razorwire Partition and Control
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyboybrian/113445631/
- 23 -

24. Thank You
tylerwbell@gmail.com
http://radar.oreilly.com/tylerb/
@twbell
Tyler Bell | tylerwbell@gmail.com | @twbell - 24 -