Past Event: An API Build-a-thon on April 4th
Are you ready to build a digital masterpiece? Whether you want to curate a virtual gallery using The Met, track near-earth objects with NASA, or dive into the digital archives of the Natural History Museum, this is your playground.
There's no set prompt—only a treasure trove of world-class APIs and a room full of creative minds. You pick the data, you pick the stack, and create your own adventure.
The Mission
You have one day to build a project using at least one culture, science, or other cool API. We'll provide a curated list of fun APIs to get your gears turning, but the final destination is up to you.
Potential Quests
- ▸ The Curator: Build a "Daily Masterpiece" bot using The Metropolitan Museum of Art API.
- ▸ The Astronaut: Create a live asteroid tracker or a Mars Rover gallery using NASA Open APIs.
- ▸ The Explorer: Map out biodiversity hotspots using the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
- ▸ The Historian: Connect the dots of the past using the Smithsonian or Library of Congress data.
More Cool APIs
Science & Nature
- ▸ NASA APIs — APOD, Mars rovers, asteroids
- ▸ GBIF — Global biodiversity data
- ▸ OpenWeatherMap — Weather data
- ▸ USGS Earthquake API — Real-time quake data
Health & Public Data
- ▸ WHO GHO API — Global health data
- ▸ CDC WONDER — Public health datasets
- ▸ OpenFDA — Drug events, recalls, labeling
Space & Astronomy
- ▸ SpaceX API — Launches, rockets, capsules
- ▸ Open Notify — ISS location, astronauts in space
Culture & Fun
- ▸ Rijksmuseum API — Art collection data
- ▸ Open Library API — Book metadata
- ▸ PokeAPI — Pokemon data
- ▸ TMDB — Film and TV data
Geospatial & Environment
- ▸ OpenStreetMap — Map & geographic data
- ▸ Global Forest Watch — Deforestation data
- ▸ NOAA Climate Data — Historical weather records
Economics & Society
- ▸ World Bank API — Development indicators
- ▸ Census Bureau API — US demographic data
- ▸ FRED — Economic time series data
Location & Logistics
- ▸ Make sure to bring your laptop and charger.
- ▸ Where: The Coffee Shop NE, 2852 Johnson St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
- ▸ When: 12PM on April 4th
Why join? Because the world's most interesting data is sitting behind an API key, waiting for someone to do something awesome with it. Why not you?