Share your thoughts on how to unlock the true value of application programme interfaces connecting the digital infrastructure for health and public services
Application programme interfaces (APIs) have been a big issue and a major source of frustration for public sector digital specialists for several years.
UKAuthority's white paper 'APIs for the Public Good', published in January 2019 in partnership with Cognizant, was groundbreaking in its exploration of the fundamental importance of APIs in underpinning the next generation of public services. Five years later, there is widespread agreement that they should be a core element of any organisation’s digital infrastructure, enabling a controlled way to provide easy access to databases and enable data sharing. But they are still missing from many systems, effectively erecting a barrier to cross-agency working and the joined up delivery of services.
The question to explore now is, why? And how do we unlock the full value of APIs for the Public Good?
To answer this are asking for you to share your experience via a short survey - some of the questions in which are direct replications from the 2019 research for comparison purposes, to see what has changed and what has persisted.
For example, in the original research there were concerns about the reluctance of some legacy suppliers to make APIs available and the high price tag that is often attached; and efforts to make functioning APIs a requirements for new contracts have made limited progress.
Gaps to fill
Along with this is a sense today that there are still common gaps in understanding of the API landscape – where to find those currently available, how to ensure they are included in digital systems, how to make them work effectively and what is needed in the way of standards, skills and procurement to fully exploit their potential.
UKAuthority, again in partnership with Cognizant, has begun a research project aimed at filling these gaps, sharing the knowledge about APIs that exists in the public sector and identifying where people need to know - and do - more.
The first step in this research is this survey for public sector participants, with a series of questions on the crucial issues in the adoption and further development of APIs. We hope these questions will prompt conversations in your own organisations, encourage the sharing of knowledge with others, build understanding throughout the sector and add fuel to the momentum for strengthening the API foundations in public sector digital.
You can find the link the questions below. If you would like to join an editorial round table to bring depth to the findings please let us know at the end of the survey. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts and your time.
<<LINK TO SURVEY WHEN CLEARED>>
