API Directory / Data

A data API can return valid JSON while still giving an unsuitable answer. Use the data API directory to shortlist providers, then test provenance, update cadence, and usage rights against the decision you need to make.

Evaluation record

• Define the entity, fields, geography, and time range your application needs.
• Check where each field originates and whether a value is observed, estimated, or aggregated.
• Compare a small sample with an independent authoritative dataset; log gaps and outliers.
• Examine pagination, stable identifiers, schema changes, historical corrections, and timezone conventions.
• Record licensing, attribution, caching and redistribution rights, along with the provider's retention terms.

Store the source and retrieval timestamp with imported records. A dashboard without provenance can be precise-looking and still mislead its readers.