I agree with whpalmer4 that the applescript library is likely to be the core of an optimal solution.

There are faster ways of getting data out (SQL queries on the cache - some examples on this forum) but Applescript provides much the best way of getting data in ...

(And the schema of the cache is liable to change suddenly between builds, whereas the applescript interface is both supported and fairly stable).

[compraxis]

Thanks guys. I was hoping to avoid learning Yet Another Programming Language, but it looks inevitable. Apple Script documentation, here I come.