Spire API

Quantified Self Data Formats, Export and APIs
1

Hey guys,

Since a few days I have been using Spire to monitor my breathrate and depth. I really like the wearable but I would love to get more data out of it. Thus, I was wondering if there is someone here who has been working with their API?

Thanks!

Justin Timmer

1 Like
2

API seems deprecated? I’d like to know too!

3

They seem to be offering access to their “alpha” API on a case-by-case basis (you’ll need to reach out to them).

4

I tried and never got a response, any idea who to contact?

5

I’m not a dev, but a designer there. Right now we have backend data available (calm, tense, focus streaks). Some of us want to make the real-time breathwave data usable with API, but it runs into some complications because the current device isn’t configured for it. If enough are asking for it, we would love to convince the rest of the team it is worth putting time into. What did you guys hope to use it for?

6

Personally, I want to be able to access time series data of my per-breath tempo (inhale x seconds, hold y seconds, exhale z seconds, hold w seconds, etc.) vs. just average breaths per minute.

7

I do research with chronic pain patients. We have a treatment that makes patients pain free, but it works differently with different patients. I want to track there activity level and respiration over time to see if we can parse the heterogeneity.

8

for what?

9

highy recommend looking into our professionals program we are developing. Very much agree this is an area where we can come in handy. https://www.spire.io/professionals

10

For many things:

  1. How well do I maintain a desired breathing pattern throughout the day?
  2. What is my breathing like while meditating? Doing yoga (box breathing, etc.)? Working out? Driving?
  3. What is my breathing like during sleep? Do I have apnea?
  4. Do I involuntarily hold my breath while checking/writing email?

etc…

11

This is what we attempt to do to the best of our abilities. We do simplify the data to make it digestible to a larger audience while including as many insights as we can. We are currently experimenting with different metrics and comparisons and are releasing an improved stats screen next month. Keep in mind this is the first of its kind and we are taking all input into account going into the design of stats and insight.

Do you use it? Do you feel like it is not enough info? It is good for us to hear these things.

12

While it’s great you are making improvements to your app, many of us QS folks simply want access to the underlying data via Spire’s API so we can derive our own insights :slight_smile:

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13

Got it. We are currently working on an open framework for iOS, at least first. Not sure about timelines tho

14

Let’s not forget that the Spire is indeed the first of his kind, and the fact that I really appreciate what the Spire is able to do right now. I really understand that it is not perfect. But I am very happy that you are listening to us and that you are busy working on it. Therefore, I have a couple questions/suggestions:

When I wear my Spire right now there are many gaps in the data, I receive only feedback on the streaks I have. Now it feels like I am only wearing it for a couple streaks during the day. I would like to have at least some feedback of the “empty” spaces. Thus, I would suggest breathingfrequency over the day, and/or breathingdepth during the day (or a ratio between them?)

There are many implications to what you can do with this data. The first step is becoming conscious about how your breathingdepth/frequency is during the day and how it might change during the day. You’ll start to question why it is changing, does it depend on becoming tired, or on specific situations, or physical activity? Consciousness is the first step for changing. I keep a huge dataset of many daily variables, I would love to beta-test the Spire and link breathing frequency/depth with many variables like moods, activity, health etc.

I would love an API, but I would prefer just an export to csv button somewhere in the app or on the website.

Again, many thanks for the Spire and its’ development! You are doing an awesome job!

15

Hi Ross - Doesn’t Spire integrate with HealthKit? What data is available through the HealthKit integration?

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16

Heard loud and clear and have been discussing with the team. Really do appreciate your optimistic attitude as we are very excited about this as well. We definitely hope to providing this raw constant feedback to users, but our first iterations for displaying the data turned out confusing and hard for most users to get insightful information from. We are about to implement the ability to display real-time ‘respiration rate variability,’ which should open up more possibilities with that as well.

If you know a great UI/UX designer shoot them our way :slight_smile:

2 Likes
17

Ross, you mention “raw constant feedback to users” and then in the same sentence “iterations for displaying the data”.

I think I speak for several people here in saying these are two quite different things that shouldn’t be conflated. Many of us are interested in getting breathing data directly (for me ideally in real time via API, for others in CSV after the fact), so we can track, study, correlate, build apps that use it etc.

I am interested in having a breath sensing device that is akin to Wahoo / Polar etc ECG monitors which speak a standard BLE Heart Rate Service and deliver RR intervals.

Neema actually spoke recently at a conference I was leading a breakout session and workshop at. He voiced an opinion of the importance and need for such standards, but Spire doesn’t seem to even offer a way to get the raw data (e.g. it could just be pressure or depth and timing of breaths).

I would think that someone who has such an interest in creating and adopting data standards would be one to attempt to offer interfaces to underlying data rather than just visualizations and derivative metrics. This would promote the state of the art and put Spire in a leadership position within their respective segment of the QS/wearable market. Be the change!

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18

Is there an update on the availability of this data? I want to collect my own data and do some analysis for a machine learning project.

19

You simply login to their portal, get an API key and start using the API to get the event data. Go to http://developer.spire.io/docs/api-token
It’s pretty straightforward and well documented. Raw device data is not available, but they explain how they have classified the events and do that work for you.

20

Any update on how to export the data? I have a Spire Stone. They’re discontinuing support as of June 15th, so I’m trying to get my data off before it’s forever lost. I contacted them & they told me a few days ago they’re considering a 1 time export of data, but they’re unsure if they would do it or not & that it definitely wouldn’t be a continuous service. I asked about the API, but still haven’t gotten a response. And that link in the comment above mine is currently dead.