UPDATE (June 7, 2012): Census Formally Releases Data API (via TechPresident)
Direct to info at Census.gov/developers
The Census Bureau plans to launch an application programming interface in the next month that will stream its data straight to developers, Stephen Buckner, director of the bureau’s Center for New Media and Promotion, said Monday.
Developers will be able to use data from the APIs to build apps that help homebuyers find neighborhoods with similarly aged children or help restaurants, movie theaters and bowling alleys find the prime locations for their target audiences, he said.
The API, which officials are testing now, will include 2010 census information, plus data from the bureau’s American Community Survey, he said.
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The Census Bureau also is working on a handful of mobile apps, he said. The first app, called America’s Economy, will display much of the economic data Census gathers. Later apps may list local demographic data, which will be updated based on the smartphone or tablet’s location.