Apple tried to create a data-specific search engine called OpenDoc way back in the day a4a4 but that didn&'t turn out too well.
Junar wants to try it again, this time attempting to solve the problem with a Web-based dashboard that lets users search the Web for data streams and plant the streams directly on a landing page. The company announced that it is launching today at the Launch Conference in San Francisco.
Users basically search for any kind of data a4a4 such as the stock price for Apple or what the standings in the NBA East conference are a4a4 and can add widgets to a Web page that automatically updates those data streams. Users can then export that data out to Excel or create an embed code that they can drop into another Web page. They can also share the data through Facebook and other social networks.
The data-searching problem is a logistical nightmare. It requires either incredibly complex interfaces like those seen in financial terminals from companies like Bloomberg or Reuters. That, or the user interface isn&'t complex enough a4a4 so there aren&'t enough ways to manipulate and export the data. And it&'s hard to find streams of information that are constantly updating.
&''OpenDoc had this same exact vision and it didn&'t work a4a4 the messiness of humans interacting with data, it just didn&'t work,&'' said Joyent founder David Young, a Launch Conference judge. &''I wish the best of luck to you, but the standard is the hardest part of this.&''
Junar gets around that problem by constantly pinging sites for information, rather than storing it. The data comedirectly from the website when it is accessed, so it shouldtheoreticallyalways be up to date. There are also &''top dashboards&'' for the most popular data sets on the site that users can quickly access a4a4 such as a collection of data regarding the crisis in Egypt a4a4 so they don&'t have to constantly look for new data.
The service seems extremely useful for journalists and other companies that regularly access that kind of data to produce new content. The easier it is to access the data, the more quickly those sites can push out new content.The site is free to use and will release a number of premium features that will require a $12.95 per month subscription.
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Companies: Apple, Bloomberg, Junar
Companies: Apple, Bloomberg, Junar
Matthew Lynley is VentureBeat's enterprise writer. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he studied math and physics, in May 2010. He has reported for Reuters. He currently lives in San Francisco, California. You can reach him at mattl@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @logicalmoron.
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