canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/opendatanetwork.com/opendatanetwork-main # Opendatanetwork ODN API The Open Data Network (ODN) API, originally built by Socrata, exposes harmonized public datasets from thousands of US government and non-profit agencies through a single REST surface. It supports cross-agency entity lookups, dataset and question search, value retrieval for indicators, and constraint and availability discovery so developers can compare populations, economies, and geographies without hunting through individual portals. The API is read-only and JSON-first, exposing nine endpoints across data, entity, search, and suggest namespaces. ## For AI agents Search and retrieve harmonized US public-sector datasets, indicator values, and entity relationships across thousands of government agencies via one REST API. ## Scope Does not handle write operations, dataset publishing, or per-row Socrata SODA queries - use for cross-agency dataset search and harmonized indicator lookup only. ## Capabilities - Search across thousands of government datasets by keyword, agency, or category through `/search/v1/dataset` - Resolve entity-level data for places, populations, and regions via `/entity/v1` and follow related-entity edges with `/entity/v1/{relation}` - Retrieve harmonized indicator values across multiple variables and entities through `/data/v1/values` - Discover which variables and constraints are available for a given entity using `/data/v1/availability`/ and `/data/v1/constraint/{variable}` - Generate type-ahead suggestions for entities, publishers, categories, and questions via `/suggest/v1/{type}` - Build cross-agency comparison tools without integrating each underlying Socrata-powered portal individually ## Use cases ### Cross-Agency Public Data Search Build a research or journalism tool that searches across thousands of US government datasets without integrating each agency portal individually. The ODN API consolidates Socrata-hosted catalogs and exposes one search endpoint that returns datasets ranked by relevance, with publisher and category facets for filtering. Suitable for civic data products that need broad coverage with low integration cost. Example prompt: Call `/search/v1/dataset` with q="median household income" and return the top 10 dataset titles, publishers, and links. ### Entity-Based Indicator Comparison Compare economic, demographic, or education indicators across multiple US places in a single request. The `/data/v1/values` endpoint accepts entity IDs and variable IDs and returns harmonized values, removing the need to reconcile schemas between agencies. Used by dashboards that benchmark cities, counties, or states on shared indicators. Example prompt: Fetch `/data/v1/values` for variable demographics.population.count and entities for Seattle and Boston, then output the latest year's value for each. ### Place Autocomplete for Civic Apps Power autocomplete in civic dashboards and research tools using `/suggest/v1/{type}.` Type categories include entity, publisher, category, and question, returning short ranked suggestions ideal for type-ahead inputs. Reduces the need to ship a static gazetteer alongside the application. Example prompt: Query `/suggest/v1/entity` with query="san fr" and return the top five matching entities with their IDs. ### AI Agent Public Data Lookup via Jentic An AI agent answering policy or research questions can call the ODN API through Jentic to ground responses in authoritative public datasets. Jentic returns the matching ODN operation and schema for an intent like "find population data for a county", so the agent can execute search and values calls without browsing the docs. The API is unauthenticated, so credential setup is not required. Example prompt: Use Jentic to discover the ODN search operation, then call it with q="unemployment rate" and summarise the top three datasets returned. ## Key endpoints | Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | GET | `/search/v1/dataset` | Search datasets across the network | | GET | `/search/v1/question` | Search natural-language questions | | GET | `/entity/v1` | Look up entities by ID or name | | GET | `/entity/v1/{relation}` | Traverse related entities | | GET | `/data/v1/values` | Retrieve indicator values for entities and variables | | GET | `/data/v1/availability/` | List available variables for an entity | | GET | `/data/v1/constraint/{variable}` | Get constraints for a variable | | GET | `/suggest/v1/{type}` | Type-ahead suggestions for entities, publishers, categories, or questions | ## Key resources - **Search** — Search datasets and questions across the network - **Entity** — Look up entities and traverse related-entity relationships - **Data** — Retrieve indicator values, availability, and variable constraints - **Suggest** — Type-ahead suggestions for entities, publishers, categories, and questions ## Why Jentic - **Setup:** Wiring the ODN API by hand means shaping the cross-agency dataset search and harmonized-indicator queries and parsing their responses yourself, even though no credentials are involved. Through Jentic you install once, import the ODN API from the API Directory, and your agent calls it directly. - **Permission scoping:** ODN is a read-only search API with no credentials whose filters travel in the request parameters, so scope it by limiting the agent to the operations it needs, such as dataset search or indicator-value lookup. You choose the operations it may call, and nothing beyond that set runs. - **Credential handling:** The ODN API is unauthenticated, so there is nothing to store; your Jentic One instance still routes the call through its execution layer. No secret ever enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context. - **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'search government datasets' or 'compare cities by indicator', and Jentic returns the matching ODN operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the Socrata documentation. ## Related APIs - **Data.gov** — US federal open data catalog covering all agencies, where ODN focuses on harmonized cross-agency entity data - **US Census Bureau API** — Authoritative source for demographic and economic statistics that ODN aggregates alongside other publishers - **Enigma Public Data API** — Curated public-records data layer with company and entity enrichment beyond ODN's place focus ## FAQ ### What authentication does the ODN API use? The ODN API is unauthenticated for the documented endpoints - no API key or OAuth token is required. Through Jentic, the operation can be called directly without managing credentials, which simplifies agent setup compared with vendor APIs that require key issuance. ### Can I retrieve indicator values for multiple entities in one call with the ODN API? Yes. The `/data/v1/values` endpoint accepts entity IDs and variable IDs as parameters and returns harmonized values across the requested combinations, so a dashboard can fetch GDP or population for several cities in a single request rather than iterating per entity. ### What are the rate limits for the ODN API? The published spec does not declare rate limits. Because the underlying data is sourced from Socrata-powered portals, expect standard public-API throttling - keep request rates conservative and add retry-with-backoff on HTTP 429 responses. ### How do I search for a specific dataset with the ODN API through Jentic? Use the Jentic search query "search government datasets by keyword". Jentic returns the `/search/v1/dataset` operation with its input schema; the agent then calls it with the q parameter and reads the dataset list from the response. Get started with Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer. ### Is the ODN API free to use? Yes. The Open Data Network was built by Socrata as a free public-data layer over thousands of government portals, and the documented endpoints are open without a paid tier. ### How do I get autocomplete suggestions from the ODN API? Call `/suggest/v1/{type}` where {type} is one of entity, publisher, category, or question, passing a partial query string. The endpoint returns ranked short suggestions suitable for type-ahead inputs in civic data UIs. ### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the ODN API? Yes. Because you run Jentic One yourself, your own rules decide which ODN operations the agent may call, so you can allow only dataset search on `/search/v1/dataset` while blocking entity lookups or indicator-value calls on `/data/v1/values.` The ODN API is unauthenticated, so there are no credentials to grant, and any operation you have not permitted, such as `/suggest/v1/{type}` or `/data/v1/availability`/, simply does not run. You choose the exact set of endpoints the agent can reach, and nothing beyond that set executes.