Demo client for the Species+ API

At UNEP-WCMC we are developing the new open-source platform for monitoring the trade of endangered species. This resource is used by countries worldwide to inform their policies on trading things like ivory, crocodile skins and hardwoods from Indonesia . The new incarnation of the system will come with an API, which will be used by governments to update their national systems. However, because this way of sharing information is new, a sample API client and guidelines on integration would be a great asset. We believe it would be a good opportunity for the participant(s) to learn about resource-oriented architectures.

Some ideas for scoping the project:

• start by creating a standalone rails / sinatra website, which will represent a national website, say country X
• integrate the website with the Species+ API to show additional information about species that occur in country X:
  • list of species
  • taxonomic information
  • nomenclature (common names, synonyms)
  • trade protection classification
  • depending on the progress on the API there might be other data to integrate as well (e.g. feed of legislation updates, current trade quotas and suspensions)
• extending the API documentation with usage examples extracted from the demo client would be tremendously useful for integrators worldwide.

This piece of work is targeted at improving adoption of the new system and its API. The participant(s) would be welcome to work in the same office as the developers of the API (Cambridge, UK).

We are a team of experts dedicated to bringing technology into nature conservation. The software we make is helping to save the planet. We also contribute to the local community as the organisers of the Cambridge Ruby User Group.

If you would like to work on site with us, please note that you need to be eligible to work in the UK.

More information:

• https://github.com/unepwcmc/SAPI
• http://www.unep-wcmc.org/
• http://www.cites.org/
• http://www.meetup.com/Cambridge-Ruby-User-Group