(2) Data Structure
Our data in Collections Online is split into two primary datasets, Objects and People. The path parameters for each are as follows,
For Objects: https://collection-api.aucklandmuseum.com/api/v3/opacobjects/
For People: https://collection-api.aucklandmuseum.com/api/v3/opacpersons/
Tāmaki Paenga Hira's Data is split into three primary collection areas: Natural Science, Human History and Documentary Heritage. The path parameters for each are as follows,
Natural Science
Auckland Museum protects and cares for approximately 1.5 million natural science specimens in collections that have been built over 150 years. The focus of the collections is northern New Zealand, but they also contain material from the rest of the country, the South West Pacific and other parts of the world.
https://collection-api.aucklandmuseum.com/api/v3/opacobjects?view=label&facet=collection_area%3ANatural+Science
Human History
Auckland Museum is kaitiaki for nearly 200,000 human history objects, in collections that have been developed and cared for over 150 years. This endpoint provides data from the following human history collections:
https://collection-api.aucklandmuseum.com/api/v3/opacobjects?view=label&facet=collection_area%3AHuman+History
Documentary Heritage
The Documentary Heritage collection is an authoritative source of images depicting New Zealand and Pacific culture and history, including photographs, prints, drawings, posters and paintings. The photograph collection in particular is a major New Zealand collection. This endpoint provides data from the following documentary heritage collections:
https://collection-api.aucklandmuseum.com/api/v3/opacobjects?view=label&facet=collection_area%3ADocumentary+Heritage
If we wished to specify which department we wanted to search within a collection area, we would use the query search perimeter: view=label&facet=department%3A{department name}
In some instances, a department may fall under the care of more than one collection area (ie; a manuscript that is both a Human History object, as well as a Documentary Heritage object) - these instances it will be available under the facet for the department without the need to specify collection area, but if you wished to narrow your results to only one specific collection area, that could be included as an additional facet in your query string parameter.
These endpoints provides data from the following,
Natural Sciences departments:
Botany
Entomology
Geology
Land+mammals
birds
Marine
Reptiles+and+amphibians
Human History departments:
Pacific
History
Applied+Arts+and+Design
Archaeology
War+History
Social+History
World
Māori
and Documentary Heritage departments:
Photography
Publications
Ephemera
Manuscripts
Museum+archives
Art