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Working with DAM

DAM Integrations: Real-Life Examples and How to Start with the API

5. May 2021

In the first article on APIs, we discussed what an API is and how it can be put to practical use to enhance a DAM system, such as FotoWare. In this second blog post on APIs for Digital Asset Management systems, we will look at examples of how APIs can be used for different types of organizations. We will also guide you on the first steps for anyone who wants to start using an API with their DAM.

APIs and Integrations 

In the first blog post, we outlined one of the major benefits of using an API with your DAM — the possibility to build custom integrations. This allows different systems to exchange data. For example, your CMS (such as WordPress or Sitecore) can access assets from your DAM via integration.

LEARN MORE: Open-source FotoWare plugin for Sitecore CMS 

There are many different integrations that serve different purposes — it all depends on your business. For example, a retail business might want to integrate its DAM with its PIM (Product Information Management system) and add product information to the metadata of a file.

Moreover, integrations themselves help to grow your business. Using them, you can create an ecosystem of your tools and provide additional features that users or customers might find valuable. 

Let's look at some real-life examples of FotoWare customers from different industries. They use APIs to build integrations and enhance their DAM solutions. 


Media & Entertainment: The Financial Times 

The Financial Times is the world's leading global business publication with offices all over the planet. During the COVID-19 crisis, the Financial Times’ staff have been working remotely, which you might think would affect production.   

However, integration between both their print and digital CMS and the FotoWare DAM solution has helped the Financial Times to produce both digital and print versions of the newspaper remotely. 

 

Museums & Heritage: The White House Historical Association

The White House Historical Association (WHHA) used the FotoWare DAM solution to establish the Digital Library. It contains thousands of images that cover the entire history of the White House. Registered users can create and save albums, share images on social media and download small images.

the-whha-digital-library

The WHHA also has a licensing program that allows registered users to purchase high-resolution images.

To integrate the Digital Library with the licensing program, the WHHA used a custom-built FotoWare shopping cart. It enables users to make requests for high-resolution assets and provides the Digital Library with significant annual revenue.

— Our choice of FotoWare has expanded our potential, broadened our user base, and allowed for the rapid growth of our collection. The Digital Library is technologically integrated with WHHA through the use of the Shopping Cart feature and API. It is also integrated with its central role in many aspects of WHHA’s day-to-day work. -

Leslie Calderone, Amazon Web Services Director of the Digital Library

The WHHA also built an API to connect the website with the Craft CMS. This has enabled WHHA staff to seamlessly work within one system instead of downloading assets from FotoWare and uploading them into Craft CMS.

LEARN MORE: How the White House Historical Association Increased the FotoWare ROI

Police & Evidence 

Certified FotoWare partner Xenario Germany has built a FotoWare extension for police forces.

It is based on the FotoWare RESTful API and enables users to visualize existing geo-references of assets in any web-based mapping service, such as Google Maps, Bing Maps, or Open Street Maps. 

screenshot-xmapper-blog-xenario-1

 

How to Start with APIs? 

Many services offer APIs – so do we at FotoWare. If you have an in-house development team, they can use it to enhance the functionality of your FotoWare DAM system, or even build a custom integration. 

What if you do not have development resources on hand? 

The FotoWare DAM system is not just a piece of software – it is a customizable platform that grows with you. 

We are continuously expanding with partnerships to help our users across all industries build an ecosystem of apps and solutions that connect to their FotoWare. You can browse through the FotoWare Integrations page to look for available integrations.