Welcome

The CityGrid API suite is a self-service source of places and related content. Developers can start using the APIs anytime, FREE of charge, to incorporate local content into their web and mobile applications.

You do not need to talk with a CityGrid representative to begin developing. To get started, simply:

Review CityGrid Content API Documentation. Read through the documentation for the places, offers, and reviews APIs to understand how you can use CityGrid content in your application or site.
Grab a Sample URL. Because CityGrid is RESTful, anyone can hit a URL, and using "test" for the publisher code parameter, you can make calls against the API to see sample results.
Review the Usage Requirements and the Terms and Conditions. CityGrid data is FREE for commercial use, but make sure you're familiar with what is expected of you when using our data in your application.

Publisher Code

CityGrid encourages you to get familiar with our Content APIs and documentation, without any commitment for use. Once you are ready to start integrating the APIs with your application, you should:

Register as a Publisher. Registering as publisher is self-service and FREE; we just need your name, email, phone and a little information about your application to get registered.
Retrieve Your Publisher Code from Email or Dashboard. Once you register, you will receive an email with your publisher code. Make sure and check your SPAM box if you do not receive your code right away. You can also retrieve your publisher code by going to dashboard and logging in. Your publisher code is on on your settings page.

Once you have received your publisher code, you will use that code in all requests you make to the API when requesting places, offers, reviews, or other content.

Libraries, SDKs, and Prototypes

To accelerate the development of your applications, CityGrid provides code libraries, SDKs, and prototypes in various languages and platforms:

iOS SDK
Android SDK
Code Samples in Python, Ruby, and PHP

All CityGrid code libraries, SDKs, and starter projects are open source and designed to get you up and running with your applications as fast as possible.

Revenue Sharing

As you begin development, you should start considering how you will make money from your application. CityGrid provides you with several options:

Places that Pay, a program that monetizes the display of, and interaction with, CityGrid places.
The Web Ads API, designed for embedding in web sites and applications.
The Mobile Ads API, designed for embedding in mobile applications.
The Custom Ads API, providing ad info in raw XML so you can build your own ads.
The Budget API, provides budget availability information to the publisher.

To ensure CityGrid knows that an element, such as a business profile, map, or review page was displayed on your site, you will need to use the impression tracker. Once installed, your account must be submitted to the Partner Account Management Team for review and approved as a billable account. See our publisher overview for more information. Once your publisher code is approved, it can be used to display ads, and the impression tracker will record activity.

Staying up to Date

As you are building your application, make sure and stay up to date on news and information with the following sources:

The CityGrid Developer Forum, where you, a publisher, can find solutions to your problems and ask and answer questions.
The CityGrid Platform Forum, where CityGrid shares its roadmap and other platform updates with publishers.
The CityGrid Blog, where we explore and blog about everything CityGrid, local, mobile, and social.
The CityGrid Twitter Account, where we tweet about everything CityGrid, local, mobile, and social.

Ready!

You now have all the information you need to get started with the CityGrid Places, Reviews, and Offers APIs. Make sure and let us know what else you need to be successful with your development.