You might be wondering why iPhone to these days are still selling like hotcakes and very much well talked about around the globe, not to mention the fact that it’s simply the must have cellular phone to date. One obvious reason is its capacity to accommodate as many programs and software like the normal personal computer. The most recent famous application is the OData browser.
But what is really an OData? Where Did OData Come From? How does it work in iPhone?
To understand the history of how OData came into being would require us to really understand how project “Astoria” came to be. But that would not be elaborated here now. To put it aptly, Astoria is the reason why ODate existed now, OData has indeed come a long way since.
In a nutshell: Today, ODataanchors and builds on a basically just a few conventions, popularized by the so-called AtomPub, to using REST-based data services. These kind of services will eventually allow resources, identified as using Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) and are also defined in an abstract data model which are to be read and edited by web clients through the use of simple HTTP messages
An Open Data Protocol for the Web
OData actually gives a centralized and standardized way for programmable data which can be made available all over the web and thus in turn will allow “consumers” of that particular data to rely on a set of various conventions to be done and followed that in turn permits numerous interesting things to occur once it is widely adopted…
OData Browser enables you to query and browse any OData source. Whether you’re a developer or an uber geek who wants access to raw data, this app is for you.
It comes with the following sources already configured:
- Netflix – A huge database of movies and TV shows
- Open Government Initiative – Access to tons of data published by various US government branches
- Vancouver Data Service – Huge database that lists everything from parking lots to drinking fountains
- Nerd Dinner – A social site to meet other nerds
- Stack Overflow, Super User, and Server Fault – Expert answers for your IT needs
Anything else! If you use Sharepoint 2010, IBM WebSphere, Microsoft Azure, then you can use this app to browse that data.
The app features:
- Support for data relationship following
- Built-in map if any of the data specifies a longitude and latitude
- Built-in browser to navigate URLs and view HTML
- Query editor that lists all properties for feeds
Use this app to query your own data or to learn about OData.
Best Reading:
In conclusion, There is a vast amount of data available today and data is now being collected and stored at a rate never seen before. Much, if not most, of this data however is locked into specific applications or formats and difficult to access or to integrate into new uses. The Open Data Protocol (OData) is a Web protocol for querying and updating data that provides a way to unlock your data and free it from silos that exist in applications today.
