The heart of the Smithsonian's design museum is an API
The Smithsonian Institute's Cooper Hewitt design museum got a recent overhaul, and at its core is something app developers are likely pretty familiar with -- an application program interface. We know what you're thinking, "What does a museum need an API for, anyway?" Well, it turns out that this basically makes cataloging its massive inventory and making it linkable on the web a reality. The interconnectedness of the inventory means one aspect of the museum can draw upon another in ways that are visitor-facing, as well. For example, The Atlantic notes that there's a so-called "immersion room" that projects patterns from the outfit's wallpaper archives onto the walls. Sounds pretty neat if you ask us.
This isn't the first museum with an API (that'd be The Powerhouse Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Australia), but it's perhaps one of the most prestigious. The Smithsonian, after all, is basically America's attic and is tasked with chronicling an insane amount of our nation's history. The whole concept is pretty interesting and covered in great detail over at The Atlantic, so, it goes without saying that if you're interested in more, check out the source.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
