Today in APIs: Google Plus Platform, Group SMS and 28 New APIs
Adam DuVander, April 11th, 2012

http://www.programmableweb.com/api/weblib-polymeta

WebLib Polymet API: The service provides federated search and clustering of results from queries across multiple repositories. Its common interface allows applications to execute searches simultaneously against a diverse range of web-based information providers. It merges results and presents them ranked by relevance to the query.

API methods support query submission and execution of algorithms for Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval to analyze and refine submitted queries. Applications can specify search strategy, relevancy ranking, and further processing of filter the result set.

A small semantic search technology software company based in Brigantine, NJ called Weblib is using the cloud to do just that. I had the chance to chat with Weblib's CEO Tamas Doszkocs, a computer scientist and semantic technology expert who recently retired from the Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine, about their use of the cloud. 

Read the whole article.

The library's software development challenge, Show off Your Apps: Innovative Uses of NLM Information, solicited applications that used the library’s data to develop innovative ways for people to obtain and share scientific and medical information. Entrants could create a new app, or submit an existing one. An independent panel of judges chose five winners and five honorable mentions.

Five innovative software applications that help researchers, health professionals, and the general public in their quest for medical and scientific information are the winners of the National Library of Medicine's first software development challenge.

The winning applications can help people learn about anatomy, help researchers find gene information in research literature, and help people sift through large amounts of scientific and medical information.

Winners:

NLMplus
NLMplus is a semantic search and knowledge discovery application that simultaneously searches 59 NLM databases to allow users to discover NLM’s rich content offerings in all areas of biomedicine and health. NLMplus was developed by Weizhong Zhu, Ph.D. and Antonio Zamora, of WebLib LLC in Bethesda.

GLAD4U
iAnatomy
KNALIJ
Quertle

Read the whole article.

The iPhone application of HealthMash has been downloaded over 1,000 times since its start in April, while the Android version - unleashed a bit later - has been over its 500th.

The first upgrade to the iPhone version has already been posted to the App Store and will be available soon.

The success of HealthMash rolls on as we are constantly working on its perfection in order to make relevant health information availability more efficient.

The SciVerse application of HealthMash is now making its way to the 'Apps for Science' competition. ElseVier's Apps for Science "is offering $35,000 in prizes and challenging software developers to help more than 15 million researchers, medical professionals, librarians and students navigate scientific content, improve scientific search and discovery, visualize sophisticated data in more insightful and attractive ways and stimulate collaboration".

In this competition "developers are encouraged to collaborate with researchers to develop the best apps to enhance the customer experience. Developers will retain full IP rights to their submissions and can host their apps on Elsevier’s SciVerse Application Marketplace where they can market their apps and gain revenue from 15 million users in over 10,000 institutions".

Following the successful iPhone and Android mobile applications, HealthMash is yet again advancing to new territories of health search.

Please vote for us!