Guardian News and Media today claimed to be the first British newspaper publisher to open up its database to outside partners, including journalists, who will be able to use articles and statistics for free and build their own applications.
The Open Platform consists of two products. The Content API allows users to search the database and download content from articles in a format that can be integrated with other web applications.
The Data Store is a directory of statistics curated by Guardian editors and contains data from child poverty in England to world carbon emissions by country.
While both the content API and the Data Store are available free, there are plans to create an advertising network in the future. The programme is a beta trial and the final version will incorporate feedback from partners.
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Freelance journalists and bloggers will be welcomed to use the database but larger media organisations are likely to be asked to use content on a joint ad share basis.
The aim is to appeal to and work with web and content developers and come up with new applications created from the Guardian’s database.
GNM’s director of digital content Emily Bell said the company wanted to ‘weave the Guardian into the fabric of the internet”.
And Mike Braken, the Guardian’s director of technology development, added: ‘We want to be the world’s leading liberal voice and use technology to innovate and get into new areas.”
In an appeal to potential partners, Simon Rogers, a Guardian news editor, said: ‘This is content that lies behind the scenes at The Guardian and we are saying ‘take it and do something interesting with it.’ “
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