BTS API
Contents
The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) provides a variety of data, and access to it is often through specialized APIs and data tools. Unlike some other APIs, there isn't a single, all-encompassing "BTS API" but rather a collection of resources for different types of data.
Here's a breakdown of how you can access BTS data:
| • | Geospatial Search API: The BTS offers a geospatial search API that conforms to the OGC API - Records specification. This allows developers to programmatically query, filter, and search a catalog of geospatial datasets related to transportation. These datasets can include things like transportation networks, school locations, and other geographic data. The API is a RESTful service, meaning you'll construct URLs with specific parameters to retrieve the data in a machine-readable format. |
| • | TranStats: This is a major data resource from BTS. While not a traditional API, the TranStats website provides a wide range of transportation data, and you can use its query tools to build custom tables and download the results. Some developers have created scripts to automate data downloads from this platform. |
| • | Other Department of Transportation (DOT) APIs: The BTS is part of the larger Department of Transportation. The DOT provides a page of developer resources that links to APIs from various agencies, including: |
| o | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) SaferBus API: This API provides safety performance data for U.S. DOT-registered bus companies. You may need to obtain a webkey to use this. |
| o | Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) APIs: These APIs provide access to railroad accident and incident data. You may need to register for an account to use them. |
| o | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) API: This API provides data related to vehicle safety, such as recalls. |
| • | Data Inventory: The BTS Data Inventory is a good starting point to discover what data is available. It provides a "Tables & Query Tool" for many datasets, which can often be a direct way to access and download the information you need. |
To get started, your best bet is to visit the official BTS website and explore their developer resources page or their data inventory. This will lead you to the specific API documentation or data tools for the information you're looking for.