A mashup is a website or web application that uses content from more than one source to create a completely new service.
Content used in mashups is typically sourced from a third party via a public interface or APIs. Other methods of sourcing content for mashups include Web feeds (e.g. RSS or Atom) and JavaScript.
Much the way blogs revolutionised online publishing, mashups are revolutionizing web development by allowing anyone to combine existing data from sources like Amazon.com, eBay, Google, Strikeiron, Windows Live and Yahoo! in innovative ways. The greater availability of simple and lightweight APIs have made mashups relatively easy to design. They require minimal technical knowledge and thus custom mashups are sometimes created by unlikely innovators, combining available public data in new and creative ways. While there are many useful mashups, others are simple novelties or gimmicks, with minimal practical utility.
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_%28web_application_hybrid%29
Here are two great examples:
http://www.dynamite.co.uk/local/ - overlays a BBC Travel News/weather/travel news/speed
cameras onto Google Maps
http://ononemap.com - overlays all the properties for sale in the UK on a map
No comments:
Post a Comment