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In a time of unparalleled technical progress and digital connectedness, governments throughout are utilizing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to reimagine citizen services, promote openness, and stimulate creativity.API setu is one such platform that integrates several API across various dimensions.
This case is an exploratory study to understand the role of API Setu in being a digital link to allow smooth communication between various software programs, or APIs, in order to improve the lives of their citizens and empower both organisations and citizens together.Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of requirement of digital initiatives to facilitate the development of a more empowered and digitally strong economy
The increasing integration of technology into public administration has led to a paradigm shift in the way governments approach service delivery during the past ten years. Results indicate thatAPIs can simplify procedures, enable information sharing, and provide individuals more control and empower individuals
Every year, over 1 million people in India apply for various posts in the Karnataka State Police Department online. One of the major steps in the recruitment drive is verification of the school grade X and XII board exam marksheets and certificates of the applicants. Every year, this proved to be a time consuming, costly and tedious affair for the state police as it was undertaken manually by sending the submitted documents to the relevant boards to get it verified. However, after the advent of Application Programming Interfaces (API) Setu in 2020, the duration for task has been reduced by 50% and the vacancies have been reduced by 8 to 10% .
Verification of documents or any intra-governmental communication was not always this easy. Various arms of government often operated in silos with each arm having its own set of technology and procedure for requesting and processing information (Fig. 1). This created a lot of slack and delay in data exchange. In addition to that, there were certain proprietary standards and protocols that needed to be followed when exchanging sensitive information usually handled by governmental agencies, hence any sort of data exchange needed to ensure utmost security.
One of the world’s youngest populations lives in India. India is reaping the ‘demographic dividend’ in the 21st century as the vast pool of young citizens enter the economic activity and start offering productive contributions to the country. According to the United Nations Population Fund, a demographic dividend refers to economic growth resulting from a shift in the age structure of a population, mainly when the number of working-age individuals outnumbers the number of dependents.
There was a strong need for creating data exchanging interfaces that overcame these challenges and facilitated smooth and seamless data exchange between data publishers and data consumers while ensuring safety of data and making sure that the data was shared in a relevant and usable format. Having such a system in place was of utmost importance for digital India mission and for establishing a strong e-governance tool. For this purpose, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), came up with the open API policy in July 2015.
Governments globally are undergoing a digital transformation, marking a departure from traditional bureaucratic frameworks to more agile, technology-driven models. APIs serve as the linchpin of this transformation, facilitating the integration of disparate systems and ensuring a cohesive, interconnected government infrastructure.
The accessibility of government services lies at the heart of citizen-centric governance. Recent API initiatives aim to break down silos between different government departments, creating a unified digital ecosystem where citizens can seamlessly access information, apply for services, and engage with public authorities.
APIs play a pivotal role in fostering data-driven decision-making processes within government bodies. By enabling the exchange of real-time data between departments, policymakers can make informed choices, respond promptly to emerging challenges, and optimize resource allocation for the benefit of citizens. Key Components of Recent API Initiatives: Open Data Platforms: Governments are increasingly adopting open data initiatives, utilizing APIs to make vast datasets accessible to the public. This not only promotes transparency but also invites citizen participation in leveraging data for research, innovation, and accountability. E-Government Services: API-driven e-government services are transforming the way citizens interact with public agencies. From online application submissions to payment processing, APIs streamline the user experience, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and improving the efficiency of service delivery. Healthcare Integration: Recent API initiatives in healthcare are creating interconnected systems that allow for secure sharing of medical records, prescription information, and real-time health data. This enhances the quality of patient care, facilitates remote consultations, and ensures a more holistic approach to public health. Smart Cities and IoT Integration: Governments are leveraging APIs to build smart cities that utilize the Internet of Things (IoT) for efficient resource management, traffic optimization, and enhanced public safety. APIs play a crucial role in orchestrating the seamless integration of diverse smart city components.
An API is a software or a mechanism which allows two softwares to talk to each other. It may be thought of as a waiter in a restaurant who acts as an intermediary and facilitates the communication between the customer and the chef. In governmental context, an API allows for users to request certain information from various government sources. API then fetches the relevant information from the right server and presents it back to the user .
“Setu” in local Indian Hindi language means bridge. API Setu is the Indian government’s open and interoperable platform to enable quick and transparent software integration with other e-governance applications and systems that bridges the gap between various independent platforms.
The project was granted administrative approval in March 2020, post which the API setu portal was launched by MeiTY. The portal acts as a marketplace for APIs by various governmental organisations like academic records, health records, aadhar data and driving licence. The portal has developed capabilities for API lifecycle management which includes four steps as per below mentioned figure.
There is a dedicated team which is a part of National e-Governance Division (NeGD) that works solely on development, updation and maintenance of the API Setu platform. The regular maintenance includes use of API logs for debugging and also performing analysis. The team also ensures that the data finally presented to the user is in a machine readable format. It is also ascertained that the meta-data and data standards for information sharing are followed at all times.
The Karnataka State Police is not the only organisation that has reaped the benefits of this technology. What API Setu has set out to achieve is truly transformational as it aims to break silos of data without actually owning them. Many countries globally are a testimony of the fact that this technology is a key tool in e-governance. New Zealand, which has achieved rank 1 in ease of doing business world over, is a good example. They too have open APIs that drive government-industry-citizen linkage and make data exchange seamless and easy. Another country that has benefited greatly from this technology is Estonia, that saves about 820 man-years of time annually with their API gateway . The data given out by their API platform is in a machine readable format that saves them even more man-hours.
There are several use cases for the API setu platform which have seamlessly integrated into the lives of millions of Indians. DigiLocker is one of the key platforms that is running smoothly due to seamless API integration. It acts as a digital locker that safely keeps and stores all important documents such as higher education certificates, driver’s license and so on for citizens by simply inputting the aadhar number. Covid pandemic fuelled the adoption of this technology as people increasingly switched to online mode to carry out their daily tasks. University of Delhi which receives millions of applications for admissions every year, used API Setu technology to verify the academic credentials of students in real time instead of making them wait for the verification process which took several days. eSanad is an application developed by the Ministry of External Affairs to verify educational credentials of students applying for admissions in foreign universities. With API Setu, eSanad now gets access to over 18 education boards from a single application. This eliminated the need for redundant integrations with each board and thus saved a lot of cost and time.
The universality and immense impact created by this technology may be corroborated by numbers. As of June 2022, there are over 1600 APIs available on API Setu online to be used by governmental and non-governmental agencies. In the financial year 2021-2022, the platform recorded a whooping 150 million transactions and since the beginning of the financial year 2022-2023, the transactions on the website have gone up to 90 million monthly and is on an exponential growth trend.
In order to make API Setu an ubiquitous and extensively used resource, it was important for the environment to be conducive for growth and development of such a platform. New laws were passed and amendments were made to existing laws to make digital and soft copies of important documents legally acceptable. The technology was developed in a way that prevented data scraping by any third party which might misuse the data.
Ministries: Many ministries hold all sort of data about citizens which are then required by other arms of the government for verification and various other purposes. Having an API platform ensures that this data exchange takes place smoothly in a manner that does not take much time and also happens in a format that makes the data useable.
Private Players: At several occasions private companies also require the data of citizens like their PAN number for salary crediting, verifying their marksheets for admissions and offering jobs etc. A government-developed API technology ensures that the turnaround time for these companies to find and verify this data reduces greatly and also eliminates the possibility of people submitting counterfeit documents.
Citizens: The citizens are the stakeholders whose data is in question and is provided via these APIs. The technology allows the citizens to access their documents from anywhere at any time for various purposes thus saving them the hassle and stress of carrying around physical copies of their ID cards and other relevant documents.
Society: The society as a whole also benefits from this switch to use of APIs. Use of APIs for inter-departmental data exchange indirectly saves a lot of paper-based documents from being printed and circulated in the system. This leads to a sizeable saving not only in terms of paper but also in terms of fuel spent for transporting the documents. This contributes to a greener and a more sustainable society with lesser dependency in natural resources.
The project outlay for API Setu was around 361 million INR for a duration of 5 years. Out of this allocated budget, the ministry has so far spent 49 million INR in development and roll out of the APIs that are available as of September 2022.
The benefits have been far reaching. Due to API Setu, India has been able to carry out smooth and effective mass vaccination of its enormous population by developing the CoWin Application and using APIs to link vaccination certificates to aadhar number of every citizen. UPI transactions have been made safe and secure and more universal thanks to the API that runs in the background. The applications of this transformative technology are far reaching with a tremendous scope for growth and development.
For any new project to be truly sustainable, it is important that it aligns with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . API Setu may be seen as a step forward in India achieving these goals. The SDG 9 talks about creation of “Innovation and Infrastructure”. API Setu is a truly innovative platform that is creating virtual infrastructure which can be thought For any new project to be truly sustainable, it is important that it aligns with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . API Setu may be seen as a step forward in India achieving these goals. The SDG 9 talks about creation of “Innovation and Infrastructure”. API Setu is a truly innovative platform that is creating virtual infrastructure which can be thought to be a part of the foundation stones of a digital India moving towards eGovernance. Apart from this, the initiative also helps in achieving the SDG 13 of “Protect the Planet” by saving fuel and paper by digitising the data transfer process. The servers that store all the data can be run on sustainable power sources to make it more energy efficient.
The API Setu is made and run by the government as the data in question is that of the citizens. Hence, it is of the utmost importance that all privacy and security concerns are taken care of when dealing with citizen-based sensitive information. Looping in an external third party for the same might prove to be too big a risk, hence all operations are streamlined by the Government itself.
The varied use cases of the API Setu may ensure a strong revenue stream for the government. A B2B (Business to Business) subscription based model can yield good revenue. Private companies often hire third parties to carry out educational document verification and also perform other identity checks during their hiring processes. The verification cycle is very long and cumbersome as they involve a lot of back and forth for data verification and this costs companies a lot of time and money. By offering key APIs such as those for educational data verification and identity verification via Aadhar or PAN at a monthly/annual subscription fee, the government may generate several stable revenue streams from its direct operations. Companies requiring customized services may pay a premium to the government for combining some APIs to better suit their needs. The degree of complexity or differentiation required would fetch different quotes from the government.
The platform is based on OAS 3.0 which stands for Open API Specification . It defines a set of standards that allow both humans as well as computers to identify and understand the capabilities of the service offered without having direct access to the source code or the documentation thereby maintaining privacy of data and preventing hacking.
The API Setu platform is regularly updated with newer APIs and is being continuously expanded. A dedicated team at MeiTY maintains the website and overlooks its functioning. A unique customer service feature is hosting of virtual meets regularly for 2 hours, 5 days a week where people can join in and ask their doubts face to face from the team.
As of 2022, the world is dominated by virtual platforms that act as a facilitator between service/product providers and service/product consumers. Platform strategy talks about how creating platforms adds the most value for the producers and consumers on the either side of the equation. A traditional system is in the form of a pipeline which is linear in nature. On one end, there is the raw material input which goes through a series of value added activities to give out a final product to the customers. In such a traditional layout, focus is on reducing costs at each step and final benefit is only derived when the customer receives the product or service. Such a system derives its value and differentiation from the physical resources it holds. On the other hand, a platform system derives its value from the network that it creates by the means of the platform. A network is nothing but a collection of both creators and consumers that continuously add value to the system by contributing via their intellect. This creates huge differentiation and generates massive value for both the parties involved.
API Setu can thought to be a platform system approach to solve the data sharing issue within and outside the government, enabling interoperability in a smoother fashion. On one side of the platform, there are API providers who keep coming up with newer APIs to increase the use cases and thereby increase the offerings the platform has. On the consumer end, there are various governmental and non-governmental users who turn more towards using the platform due to the large variety of services it has to offer, thus creating a virtuous cycle.
This strategy makes the platform self-sustainable in the short as well as longer run as its growth is a function of the content creators and consumers on either side of the platform.
Although API Setu has been able to achieve great results within a few months of its launch, there are still a few areas of improvement which can be looked upon. It is a long journey to perfection that involves onboarding several data owners, creating the right technology platform for data/information exchange, enabling innovative new user centric products that can transform the current digital landscape of India. In addition to this, the data that is given out by the APIs on API Setu is citizen data and essentially owned by the citizens. There needs to be a strict protocol for obtaining consent from the citizen before any such data is given out. Apart from this, the government can look at introducing more APIs for a wider application that extends to the private sector as well.
Descriptive Statistics using SPSS were generated and measures including mean, median, standard deviation, and range were calculated for the variables in the survey. A sample of 130 respondents was gathered and their responses were analyzed.
The respondents answered the following questions on a 5-point Likert scale from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree with 1 being Strongly Agree, 3 being Neutral and 5 being Strongly Disagree.
Mean scores for each of the questions were calculated and then further analysed statistically.
1. Do you think that there is good access and navigation to the API Setu Portal?
The mean score of approximately 4.00 suggests a generally positive sentiment toward access and navigation in the API Setu Application. The median of 3.5 indicates that the middle point of the responses is leaning towards a positive sentiment. The mode of 4 suggests that the most common response is agreement (score of 4), further supporting the positive sentiment.
Interpretation
Based on this analysis, it appears that, on average, consumers have a positive perception of access and navigation in the API Setu’s APIs. The consistency in responses, as indicated by the mode, reinforces the overall positive sentiment.
2. Do you think that the API Setu provides a sense of security, processing of information and validation of facts in a secured manner?
The mean score of approximately 3.82 suggests a generally positive sentiment toward the sense of security, processing of information, and validation of facts in a secured manner in the API Setu
Interpretation
Based on this analysis, it appears that, on average, users have a positive perception of the sense of security and processing of information in the API Setu Application. The consistency in responses, as indicated by the mode, indicates an overall positive sentiment towards API Setu Application
3. Do you think that the API Setu reflects competency of the staff involved in design and delivery of services through Application.
It appears that, on average, users have a positive perception of the competency of the staff involved in the design and delivery of services through the API Setu Application.
4. Do you think that it enables organizations to integrate API setu it into its various Works from Home features?
The majority of respondents chose “Not Sure” (3), indicating uncertainty about whether the API Setu enables organizations to check its status and integrate it into various Works from Home features. There is a smaller number of respondents who agree or strongly agree, and a minimal number who disagree.
The mean of 3.15 suggests that, on average, respondents leaned toward the “Not Sure” category, indicating uncertainty about whether the API Setu enables organizations to check its status and integrate it into various Works from Home features. The mode being 3 further emphasizes that “Not Sure” is the most common response.
Interpretation
The high number of “Not Sure” responses suggests that there may be a lack of clarity or understanding among the respondents regarding the specific capabilities of the API Setu in relation to organizational status checking and integration into Work from Home features.
5. Does the Setu seem comfortable to update data related to users?
The mean of 3.38 suggests that, on average, respondents leaned toward the “Agree” category, indicating that the application seems comfortable for users to update data related to users. The mode being 4 further emphasizes that “Agree” is the most common response.
Interpretation
Overall, it appears that the majority of respondents have a positive perception of the application’s comfort in updating user-related data. Most of the users belong to organisations where data needs to be daily verified and updated. With such a positive sentiment the API setu overall helps to achieve its target of empowering people through ease of use.
6. Do you think that the API Setu Application is responsive enough to addresses the changing need of citizens and will help the people, businesses and the economy to return to normalcy ?
The mean score of approximately 3.96 suggests a generally positive sentiment toward the responsiveness of the API Setu Application in addressing the need of citizens and aiding in the return to normalcy for people, businesses, and the economy.
The median of 4 indicates that the middle point of the responses is leaning towards a positive sentiment.The mode of 5 suggests that the most common response is strong agreement (score of 5), further supporting the positive sentiment.
Interpretation
API Setu Application addresses the need of citizens and aiding in the return to normalcy for people, businesses, and the economy
7. Do you have an easy access to /log-in and navigation protocol to the API Setu?
The mean score of approximately 3.55 suggests a moderately positive sentiment in the responses. The median of 3.5 indicates that the middle point of the responses is leaning towards a positive sentiment. The mode of 4 suggests that the most common response is agreement (score of 4), further supporting the positive sentiment.
Interpretation
Based on this analysis, it seems that, on average, users have a moderately positive perception of the ease of access to /log-in and navigation protocol in the API Setu Application.
8. Does the application communicate adequate information in a clear manner ?
The mean score of approximately 3.05 suggests a neutral to slightly positive sentiment in the responses. The median of 3 indicates that the middle point of the responses is leaning towards a neutral sentiment. The mode of 2 suggests that the most common response is disagreement (score of 2), indicating a consistent pattern of opinions against the statement.
Interpretation
Based on this analysis, it seems that the random responses tend to lean towards a neutral to slightly negative sentiment, with a mode indicating a consistent pattern of disagreement in communication.A possible reason is the use if technical language at many interfaces which may hinder the use and ease if understanding the platform readily.
9. Do you think that the API Setu gives assurance and security in terms of information and services it delivers?
The mean score of approximately 3.55 suggests a moderately positive sentiment in the responses. The median of 3.5 indicates that the middle point of the responses is leaning towards a positive sentiment. The mode of 4 suggests that the most common response is agreement (score of 4), further supporting the positive sentiment.
Interpretation
Based on this analysis, it seems that, on average, users have a moderately positive perception of the ease of access to /log-in and navigation protocol in the API Setu Application.
10. Does the application seem comfortable for user or is it user friendly?
The mean of 3.68 suggests that, on average, respondents leaned toward the “Agree” category, indicating that, overall, the facilty seems comfortable for users.
Interpretation
Platforms that let users customize their experience—by letting them change settings, create preferences, and get personalized recommendations, for example—make them feel more at ease. Individual wants and tastes are catered to in a more user-centric environment thanks to personalization. This is one area which when integrated may increase comfort for the users.
11. Does the application seems to understand your needs and requirements and offers solution to your requirement.
It appears that all respondents either “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” with the statement, indicating a high level of positive sentiment.
Interpretation
The equal number of responses in the “Agree” and “Strongly Agree” categories (65 each) suggests a consistent and strong agreement among users that the application understands their needs, provides clear and predictive solutions, and offers various choices according to their requirements.
This positive response may be indicative of a well-designed and user-friendly portal that meets the expectations and needs of its users.
12. Tick the type of organisation you belong to\
Most of the respondents (112 )belong to private organisations and the remaining were from Government organisation which shows the quick ability to adopt technology by private enterprises.
13. Overall, rate the services offered by the API Setu
The majority of respondents chose “Agree” (4), with a few choosing “Strongly Agree” (5). There are very few responses in the “Disagree” and “Strongly Disagree” categories, suggesting a positive overall sentiment among the respondents regarding the services offered by the API Setu application.
Interpretation
It’s notable that no respondents chose “Not Sure,” indicating a high level of confidence or clarity in their opinions about the positive nature of the services.
In conclusion, the API Setu application emerges as a robust and user-friendly platform that adds significant value to its users. The primary research analysis conducted for this project revealed several key insights that contribute to the overall positive assessment of the platform.
These are the following:
a)Ease of Use:
One of the standout features of the API Setu platform is its user-friendly interface. The research findings consistently indicate that users perceive the application as easy to navigate and operate. This ease of use not only enhances the overall user experience but also facilitates seamless interaction with the platform’s functionalities.
b)Adequate Features:
The research findings affirm that the API Setu application boasts a diverse set of features, meeting the needs and expectations of its user base. The inclusion of comprehensive features enhances the versatility of the application, making it a valuable tool for users across different domains. From our analysis, it is evident that the application is equipped with the necessary tools to cater to a wide range of user requirements.
c)Integration Across Platforms:
An additional strength identified in our analysis is the effective integration of the API Setu application across various platforms. The seamless interoperability allows users to leverage the application’s capabilities in conjunction with other tools and services. This interconnectedness not only simplifies workflows but also contributes to a more efficient and interconnected digital ecosystem.
d)Positive User Perceptions:
The positive responses gathered from users during the primary research phase underscore the overall satisfaction and approval of the API Setu application. Users expressed confidence in the application’s usability, feature richness, and integration capabilities. Such positive perceptions serve as a testament to the application’s effectiveness in meeting user expectations.
While the current analysis highlights the strengths of the API Setu there may be opportunities for further enhancements. Future iterations could explore additional features, user customization options, or expanded integration possibilities to continuously align the application with evolving user needs. In short, the API Setu application stands out as a commendable solution that excels in user-friendliness, feature richness, and cross-platform integration. The positive feedback from users reinforces its position as a valuable tool in today’s dynamic digital landscape. Further it should let users customize their experience—by letting them change settings, create preferences, and get personalized recommendations. This is one area which when integrated may increase comfort for the users and will increase engagement alongwith adoption.