Government of Brazil — API Docs

The Brazilian Federal Government (opens in a new tab) has developed a range of APIs to facilitate communication between government entities.

The goals of these APIs include:

  • Helping with the creation, execution, and administration of public policies.
  • Ensuring the accuracy and dependability of data.
  • Improving the effectiveness of information systems.

The APIs provide access to government data, including information about published services, agencies, service stages, and agency contacts.

Government of Brazil — API Docs

Problems

The most challenging aspect of this project was navigating the complex government structure to find the right subject matter expert (SME) who could clarify specific API properties and use cases.

Contributions

As a consultant, my approach to this project can be summarized as follows:

  • Created initial drafts for some of the APIs.
  • Used those drafts to train government employees on the fundamentals of technical writing and API documentation.
  • Focused on contacting subject matter experts (SMEs) in various government departments to clarify specific terminology and better understand how to describe them accurately.

Impacts

Currently, over 950 public services in Brazil use the APIs to access general information, resulting in nearly 3 billion Brazilian Reais (approximately 600 million US Dollars) in government savings.

Link

Project link: https://www.gov.br/conecta/catalogo/ (opens in a new tab)