The latest update to EIA’s online services allows access to its State Energy Data System (SEDS) via its application programming interface (API). The updated API will enhance public access to energy data and equip software developers with relevant information for innovation and application development.
EIA announced on January 29, 2013 that data from SEDS has been added to its API, which was originally launched in October 2012. The updated state energy portal includes approximately 1.4 million data points that sum up state-level energy information in terms of production, consumption, expenditure and prices. It improves public access to state energy data, allowing users to compare key energy statistics across several states or compare each state with the national average in several physical units, including barrels, tons and British thermal units. Interactive maps on state profiles provide information about energy infrastructure, such as energy resources and generation facilities.
Further, the updated API permits software developers across government, energy, and research sectors to directly access state-level data for development of innovative web and mobile applications. The API already contains electricity data, featuring 408,000 electricity series under 29,000 categories. The latest expansion to include SEDS data features 30,000 series under 600 categories. SEDS data cover state and national energy trends dating back more than 50 years.
The update to EIA’s API is part of the requirements under Digital Government, a federal program that aims to make data more accessible and transparent to the public. Plans are underway to add weekly, monthly and yearly data on petroleum and natural gas to the API. Improved public access to key state energy statistics allows users to understand how each state fits into the national energy economy. Details about energy agencies, industrial organizations, and applicable Federal programs provide resourceful information for the energy industry.
