I had the pleasure to connect with the talented Code for America fellow, Moncef Belyamani(@monfresh) this week and talk about a very meaningful API project, called the Ohana API.
"The Ohana API is a project from the San Mateo County team of Code for America fellows that is aiming to create open access to community social services, with an initial emphasis on food security."
I couldn't' think of a more important use of APIs, than making sure people can find the soical services they need--especially services that ensure people are fed.
I'm also impressed with the approach of Code for America in giving Github a central role in the project. The API project, the API wrapper in Ruby and a cool API to PDF generator are all available on Github.
The Oahana API is only in alpha, they are looking for people to help the Code for America team take it to the next level with approaches to keep the data current and developing an SMS interface.
The Ohana API project itself, and the model used by Code for America, provides an important blueprint for how technology can be applied, and make a difference in our daily lives in a scalable way.
This type of work keeps me coming back back and working on API Evangelist, even after three years of covering a space that often leaves me pretty discouraged.
