Resource: Open Referral Initiative (Open Referral 2014)

Open Referral develops data standards and open source tools that make it easier to share, find and use information about health, human, and social services.

Open Referral's resource data interoperability protocols – specifically, the Human Services Data Specification (HSDS) and the associated Human Services Data API Suite (HSDA) – can be used to structure and exchange information about the accessibility of health, human, and social services. Specifically, the HSDS describes data about organizations, the services they provide, the locations at which these services can be accessed, and associated details. The HSDA describes protocols for accessing and managing this data. The initiative was launched in 2014 with co-sponsorship from Code for America and formed by the joining of two projects – Ohana API and DC Open211.

See Open Referral's Documentation page for the latest development updates.

Visit Open Referral's History page to learn more about it's foundation.