MapQuest finally has an API: they’re calling it the OpenAPI, it’s in beta, it was announced yesterday at O’Reilly’s Emerging Tech Conference, and (naturally) it has a blog (via Spatially Adjusted). From what I gather — see Mapping Hacks and Ed Parsons — the trick for MapQuest — and this may explain why it’s so late in coming — was apparently coming up with a free API that didn’t detract from its commercial partnerships. Clearly they’ve got a lot of ground to make up, so there’s a contest for the best mashup using the API (due by the end of the month).