Developers, are you looking for a way to bring some of the most closely watched economic data into your next app? You can now build apps using BEA economic statistics, thanks to BEA’s new application programming interface (API). The API provides direct access to gross domestic product (GDP) and related national economic statistics, along with regional economic statistics.
The BEA API allows developers to build a service to search, display, analyze, retrieve, or view BEA statistics. For example, you can create a “mashup” that combines BEA data with other government or private data sources to create new services or give your users a different perspective on their communities. Or you can design a tool that gives your users new ways to visualize economic data.
The API includes methods for retrieving subsets of BEA statistical data and the meta-data that describes it using HTTP requests. It delivers data in two industry-standard formats: XML (Extensible Markup Language) and JSON (JavaScript Object Notation).
A beta version of the service launched in May and was featured during the National Civic Day of Hacking.
To use the API, you need to register here. Full documentation is available in the API User Guide.