A few months ago, I came across a Wall Street social graph made with LittleSis data on How We Know Us, a website “investigating, discussing, and measuring social capital.” Erich Morisse, the creator of the graph, included a little note for us:
P.S. LittleSis: API pretty please!
An API (application programming interface) would have let him access LittleSis data more efficiently. As it turns out, Sunlight Foundation soon came through with a grant for a LittleSis API, which will allow developers to access data from LittleSis and present it however they want. Over the past month we’ve rolled it out for testing, and we’re really excited about the possibilities it will open up. (Developers: get a sneak peek at api.littlesis.org).
Today Erich published two more awesome network graphs produced using data from the API, one of Healthcare and the Senate Finance Committee, and the other of Best Networked Healthcare Lobbyists.
The lobbyists graph is a fascinating way to look at the list of staffers-turned-healthcare lobbyists that is being compiled by LittleSis analysts in the Huffington Post Investigative group:
I don’t know about you, but I’m really eager to see more graphs like this and tools for exploring LittleSis data. Consider offering Erich some words of praise and encouragement at How We Know Us and start spreading the word among your developer and designer friends.
Also: if you think the data in the graph is incomplete in any way, you have no excuse — sign up to become an analyst today, and start fleshing out those profile pages and improving the data. A good way to plug in is to participate in the lobbyist editing challenge or host an editing party.