Glossary
Socrata Open Data API
Socrata Open Data API is socrata platform and its Open Data API, which powers many municipal open-data portals; chicago-building-permits records "served on Socrata". In Datadory's catalog of 1,744 datasets, chicago-building-permits and nyc-dob-job-application-filings are working examples. It describes how data is delivered rather than what the data contains.
What is Socrata Open Data API?
The Socrata platform and its Open Data API, which powers many municipal open-data portals.
Chicago's ~845,000-row permit table (122 columns) and NYC's ~2.72 million-row job application filings (95 columns) are both served through it as JSON, CSV and GeoJSON.
In this catalog it appears concretely: - chicago-building-permits — "served on Socrata". - nyc-dob-job-application-filings — "exposed via the Socrata Open Data API". - Socrata Data API (catalog record) — "Developer documentation for the Socrata Open Data API (SODA), the platform behind hundreds of US city, county, and state open-data catalogs including crime and permit datasets". - LA Crime Data (2020 to Present) — "full Socrata API access, CSV/JSON/GeoJSON exports".
Why does Socrata Open Data API matter when choosing a dataset?
Access method sets your maintenance bill. Delivery routes change, layouts drift and scrapers rot quietly; whoever operates your pipeline inherits all of it, which is why access should be priced alongside the license itself.
The failure mode is concrete: the label appears in a listing, the delivered files tell a different story, and the gap surfaces mid-project when fixing it is most expensive.
You rarely have to take a vendor's word for it. 82.4% of the 1,744 datasets Datadory catalogs are free to access, and chicago-building-permits lets you inspect the real artifact before any budget is committed.
How do you evaluate Socrata Open Data API in a data source?
Treat every claim of this attribute as testable:
- Open chicago-building-permits and confirm its record — "served on Socrata" — against the files you actually receive.
- Open nyc-dob-job-application-filings and confirm its record — "exposed via the Socrata Open Data API" — against the files you actually receive.
- Read Socrata Data API's record on catalog record — "Developer documentation for the Socrata Open Data API (SODA), the platform behind hundreds of US city, county, and state open-data catalogs including crime and permit datasets" — then confirm the delivered artifact matches before you license anything.
See the term applied to real records: construction-engineering data, security-alarm-services data.
Related terms
Adjacent concepts worth reading next: - block level geocoding - building permits data - geocoded location columns - official API - Street-level crime data
Frequently asked questions
What is an example of Socrata Open Data API?
chicago-building-permits is the clearest example in this catalog. Its record states: "served on Socrata". Across all 1,744 datasets Datadory averages a quality score of 7.81 out of 10, so a named example can be weighed rather than trusted blindly.
Is data described as "Socrata Open Data API" free to use?
Treat access and permission separately. 82.4% of the 1,744 datasets in this catalog are free to access, but 235 are freemium and 61 are paid outright, so confirm both the price and the license on the exact distribution before building on it.
How do I verify a source really provides Socrata Open Data API?
Open chicago-building-permits next to nyc-dob-job-application-filings and compare the promise with the download. Field definitions are verified for 1495 of 1,744 datasets (85.7%), which makes that check fast inside the catalog and manual outside it.
Datasets containing this field
Datasets containing Socrata Open Data API
6 datasets carry socrata open data api in the catalog. Open one, count the fields, judge for yourself.
AEM - Association of Equipment Manufacturers (industry data & statistics)
ASCE Infrastructure Report Card - US Infrastructure Grades Data
ATA - American Trucking Associations (Truck Tonnage Index & trends)
ATRI - American Transportation Research Institute (trucking research data)
Building Construction Investment by Type of Structure
Every listing shows the field dictionary, sample rows, and coverage before you commit. API, files, or your warehouse. Daily, weekly, or hourly.
Get sample rows