Products and Services

TheDataWeb offers an innovative approach to satisfying the need for products that will enhance the presentation, impact and relevance of data. This approach provides universal access to all the data in TheDataWeb and allows for the creation of customized tools to meet unique user needs. DataWeb products and services access the same version of the data, so no matter which service is used the same results will be returned.

DataFerrett
DataFerrett is the analytical interface to TheDataWeb that allows simultaneous access to multiple datasets and variables for instant analysis or for retrieval for use in other software. This free web application enables users to create tables, graphs and maps to visualize analytical results, as well as for use in documents and presentations without installing expensive statistical or mapping software. DataFerrett is accessible directly at http://dataferrett.census.gov.

Application Programming Interface (API)
The API is a service that enables data sponsors to have control and expose data in a standardized way. This service allows developers to reduce the development learning curve by standardizing the API query language across multiple datasets, which allows rapid development of mobile and web applications. Any data that are available in TheDataWeb can be accessible though the API service. The Census Data API is currently using this service to provide access to the Census Bureau public use datasets.

HotReports
HotReports are dynamic web pages and dashboards created for customers of TheDataWeb according to their specifications. Each HotReport is a custom design that draws upon data in TheDataWeb and includes options such as interactive graphics, dynamic text, and animated visualizations.

HotReports Authoring Tool
The HotReports Authoring tool generates interactive dynamic websites using the data available in TheDataWeb. The authoring tool provides a drag and drop interface that allows non-developers to create their own interactive, data-driven web pages, yet can also be extended by more advanced developers to include custom visualizations.

Data Service
The Data Service is a core service within TheDataWeb framework. It allows standardized requests for tabulations or extractions of data in heterogeneous environments and normalizes the response back to the client. The Data Service is able to access a variety of database vendors and data structures. It also can be configured to run in batch mode, processing thousands of tabulations through a single request.

Data Review and Verification
The DataWeb services can be used for data review and data verification. Currently the American Community Survey Office uses TheDataWeb batch processing service as an independent verification of their published tables that are created in a separate system. The American Community Survey review team also uses an internal HotReport called VisART (Visual Automated Review Tool) to review millions of estimates each year as part of their data review process.

Metadata/GeoMetadata Service
The Metadata/GeoMetadata Service is another core service within TheDataWeb framework. It processes queries and retrieves metadata and geographic metadata, which is information that describes and defines the data. The Metadata/GeoMetadata Service provides a standardized metadata and geographic metadata request and response for multiple applications and interfaces. The same metadata is used for each tool built on TheDataWeb framework ensuring consistency across interfaces.