What We Talk About When We Talk About Tech

Why APIs are a storytelling technology: Talking open ecosystems and open data with Mark Boyd

March 24, 2021 Rich Gall & Jennifer Riggins Season 1 Episode 3
What We Talk About When We Talk About Tech
Why APIs are a storytelling technology: Talking open ecosystems and open data with Mark Boyd
Show Notes

Rich Gall and Jennifer Riggins talk to Mark Boyd, founder of Platformable, an organization that helps governments and businesses  develop tools and ecosystems that encourage participation.

Mark talks about Platformable, explaining why it exists and how it works. He highlights some of the obstacles to building open ecosystems, and why he believes so passionately in their ability to engage people.  His experience in policymaking in Australia, particularly in HIV and AIDs care, underlined just how valuable data sharing can be. He describes how he moved from those formative experiences to the tech industry in Europe.

We also discuss how APIs are a storytelling technology - they allow us to make connections and open up new perspectives that make things visible.