Wolfram|Alpha API 2.0: New Computational Knowledge Engine

Wolfram Alpha LLC announced the release of Wolfram|Alpha API 2.0. This new version includes new features that allow a wide range of developers to integrate the groundbreaking capabilities of the Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine into their websites and mobile, ePublishing, enterprise, and cloud-computing applications.

After the release of the original version of the Wolfram|Alpha API the company has been trying to promote the API for mass adoption through partnerships with Bing and Touch Press.

Wolfram|Alpha’s Schoeller Porter, Architect, Developer Relations said in a release, “With the launch of Version 2.0 of the Wolfram|Alpha API, we’re opening the power of Wolfram|Alpha to all developers, big and small, as we continue our push toward making Wolfram|Alpha the place for facts on the net.”

Introduced in October 2009 the Wolfram|Alpha API, was integrated into Microsoft’s (News - Alert) Bing decision engine, enhancing Bing in the areas of nutrition, health and advanced mathematics, said company sources.

Johnson Apacible, principal architect, Microsoft Corporation explained that Bing integrates a lot of results from Wolfram|Alpha results on its search pages. It was successful owing to the simplicity and power of the Wolfram|Alpha API.

Apacible added that it was simple to learn and use, while at the same time being powerful enough to control the API to return the required results.

The Wolfram|Alpha API 2.0 now has many features required by developers. Its asynchronous operation feature improves user experience by allowing initial results to be returned ahead of more time-consuming ones.

Another feature is the addition of a full Java language client library. Besides several technical features, the Wolfram|Alpha API 2.0 has simplified licensing that makes it free for personal use and also allows flexibility for commercial deployment.

In 2010 Wolfram|Alpha’s computational knowledge was integrated into Touch Press’ “The Elements and Solar System” ebooks further augmenting its ePublishing capabilities.

“Thanks to the Wolfram|Alpha links we’ve included on every page, we can offer a doorway into a wealth of additional curated knowledge about the object in question, be it Neptune or Neptunium,” said John Cromie, chief technology officer, Touch Press.

“Building this remarkable capability into our application framework was a breeze with the well-thought-out Wolfram|Alpha API,” he noted

Recently, Wolfram Research, the maker of Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha, announced the launch of Wolfram Course Assistant Apps for the iPhone (News - Alert), iPod touch and iPad. This is expected to help students understand subjects likes algebra, calculus and music theory more easily.

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