Urbanesia Finally Opens its API

Kompas Cyber Media owned Urbanesia today revealed that it has opened its API to be used by anyone that requires the use of location and venue data within their apps or services. Urbanesia. The API is available for free and already in use by 26 apps including Urbanesia's own. Kompas Tekno notes that Urbanesia's data can be used to display more narrow directories such as displaying restaurants only or various tourist spots. The apps can be viewed on Urbanesia's App Gallery.

A number of developers have been asking about Urbanesia's API since the service was launched in 2010 but it wasn't until now that it was able to make it accessible to interested parties. Urbanesia's database is full of location data and business listings for the greater Jakarta area as well as Bali but it's not yet nationwide for the moment.

By making its data available through an API, Urbanesia hopes that developers of other apps and services won't need to go through the trouble of collecting data and therefore can focus their efforts towards creating their own apps.

CEO Selina Limman said, "We hope Urbanesia's API can increase developer creativity as they can focus in application development rather than data collection."

Urbanesia's official apps have been made available on Android, Windows 8, and Nokia's S40 platform. Additionally it has also used the API for its other apps, Urbanesia Bali and Jajan on iOS, BlackBerry and Android.

"By launching the Application Gallery for third party development as well as Urbanesia's official apps, we begin our transition to develop Urbanesia as a platform," said Batista Harahap, Urbanesia's Chief Innovation Officer in a statement. "[we] currently have more than 250,000 businesses listed under 6.000 sub-categories."

"Urbanesia's API uses the OAUTH v1.0a as its authentication mechanism, a standard that is also used by other major platforms. We want third party developers to be comfortable in using our API," Harahap explained. The API  can be accessed through a repository on github.

"We invite developers to innovate, create, and provide a better city living experience to the users."

Some of the apps already using Urbanesia's API include Harpoen, Alfamart, Kompas.com, and Ravlesia.