This past week we had 6 new APIs added to our API directory. These new web services include the first “foreclosure API”, a basic API for generating random numbers for use in casino software, an used car API to let you search 2 million vehicle listings, an API for geo-locating mobile phones, an API for accessing a large marketplace of freelance workers and teams, and an API for creating print-on-demand postcards. Below is more detail on each of these new APIs:
Google added a new layer to its own mapping application to show transit routes in the 400+ cities where it has data. The result is an easy way to see nearby bus and train stops on the web or on some mobile phones. Unfortunately, neither the data nor the imagery is available in the API version of Google Maps.
Structured data has an open platform, thanks to a new startup aptly named Factual. At first glance, it seems like Excel on the web. However, Factual is more database-oriented, with joining and filtering built-in. Plus, sharing and discussing the data is an integral part of the experience. Most functions on the site, including both reading and writing data, can also happen via the Factual API.
PayPal has officially released PayPal X, its next generation platform that includes a variety of APIs and other resources for developers. Primarily aimed at allowing developers to embed payment processing in a wider array of applications and environments, this is a major expansion of PayPal’s APIs.
In addition to the new APIs from Google, Intuit and others, we had another 4 APIs added to our API directory last week. These include an API for the Museum of London; an API that lets you store and use realtime sensor, energy and environment data from buildings and other devices; an API for managing SEO, PR and social media campaigns; and a new API from Yahoo for their Contacts service. Outlined below is more detail on each of these new APIs.
Twitter has just taken a step toward a richer social experience with its exciting new “lists” feature, which gives users the ability to organize individual accounts into groups. For example, a user can create and share a list of “celebrity” accounts that they follow. Twitter lists may be marked by their creators as public, or kept private for personal use.
The latest news surrounding Google Wave is the release of a prototype server for the Google Wave Federation Protocol that allows developers to set up their own wave services. In essence, Google has released a federation port for Google Wave’s developer instance, allowing developers to start working with federating waves against the Google Wave Sandbox.
The U.S. housing market is still in rough shape. Now there’s an API for your applications to see just how bad things are. Using the Foreclosure Listings API, you can search for homes and get details of a foreclosed home (details at our Foreclosure Listings API profile).
This past week 15 new mashups were add to our mashup directory and 20 different APIs were used to build them. Some of the newer or less frequently seen APIs include Indeed, IP Location and Watchmouse. The most often used APIs this week are Google Maps, Twitter, and YouTube. And the most often used types of APIs were Internet (4 APIs, 4 mashups), Social (3 APIs, 6 mashups), and Music (2 APIs, 2 mashups). The list below shows which APIs were used by which mashups:
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