Traffic cameras (TRIPWIRE)

CEV-OS / Data API / Traffic cameras (TRIPWIRE)

CEV-OS Data API · last updated 2026-11-04. Status: live. Version 1.

Use this when you need public traffic-camera locations and still/stream links from agency catalogs (TfL, Austin, Caltrans, TxDOT, DriveBC, Calgary, Toronto, Norway, Finland, NSW, WSDOT, King County, Catalonia, Hong Kong, DelDOT, Ontario 511). Links and metadata only; never proxied.

What it is

Agency traffic-camera catalogs built in CEV-DataHub and served through tripwire-api (privacy exclusions applied). Each camera: id, name, lat/lon, image_url and/or link_url/video_url, source, provider. Optional source= filter. Default limit 200 (max 2000). Ontario 511 included (key needed; OGL-Ontario; as is). ALPR/Flock is not included (needs Pat decision). Sources with unclear commercial licences are labelled commercial_ok=pending for swap-out before a paid launch. Not for navigation.

Endpoints

REST: GET /v1/traffic-cameras on https://api.cev-os.com
Legacy host (same service): GET /v1/traffic-cameras on https://cev-os.com
MCP tool: get_traffic_cameras on https://mcp.cev-os.com/mcp

Parameters

Query parameters for `GET /v1/traffic-cameras`
Name	Type	Description	Constraints
`source`	string	Camera catalog id (e.g. txdot_cctv, tfl_jamcam). Omit to sample across all API sources up to limit.	enum: tfl_jamcam, austin_cctv, caltrans_cctv, txdot_cctv, drivebc_cctv, calgary_cctv, toronto_cctv, vegvesen_cctv, digitraffic_cctv, nsw_cctv, wsdot_cctv, kingcounty_cctv, catalonia_cctv, hongkong_cctv, deldot_cctv, ontario511_cctv
`limit`	integer	Max cameras to return (1-2000, default 200)	example 200

Example request

No account and no key. Query values below are the examples or defaults from the registry. An optional free key (header x-api-key) raises the limits; create one at https://cev-os.com/#api_keys after signing in with a verified email (Google sign-in is already verified).

curl -s "https://api.cev-os.com/v1/traffic-cameras?limit=200"

Example response

Every /v1 response is a JSON envelope (schema_version, product, timestamps, license, attribution, data). The registry example is the data member:

{
  "count": 1,
  "limit": 200,
  "source_filter": "drivebc_cctv",
  "degraded": false,
  "links_only": true,
  "never_proxies_media": true,
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "drivebc_cctv",
      "title": "DriveBC cameras (BC)",
      "key_needed": false,
      "commercial_ok": true,
      "available": 1048,
      "status": "ok"
    }
  ],
  "cameras": [
    {
      "id": "cam1",
      "name": "Hwy 1 @ Exit 1",
      "lat": 49.28,
      "lon": -123.12,
      "image_url": "https://www.drivebc.ca/images/example.jpg",
      "link_url": null,
      "video_url": null,
      "source": "drivebc_cctv"
    }
  ]
}

Update frequency

On request via tripwire-api lazy layers (DataHub Tripwire-Pull-Cams-1h for Phase A catalogs; TfL/Austin/Caltrans refresh ~10 min). Cached 5 minutes in cev-data-api.

Public cache: 300 seconds (Cache-Control: public, max-age=300).

Sources, license and usage

License status: cleared with attribution. Mixed agency open-data catalogs. Each source carries its own attribution. Sources with no published commercial licence are labelled commercial_ok=pending (OK while TRIPWIRE is free; swap before paid). Ontario 511 included (OGL-Ontario; key needed; as is; no endorsement). Redistribution-forbidden feeds excluded. Links only; frames never stored or proxied.

Underlying sources
Source	License	commercialOk	Terms
TfL Open Data (JamCam)	TfL Open Data; commercial OK with OS/Geomni attribution	true	https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/terms-and-conditions/transport-data-service
City of Austin Traffic Cameras	Public domain open data; keyless	true	—
Caltrans CWWP2 CCTV	Public Caltrans CCTV status; keyless; not for navigation	true	—
TxDOT ITS cameras	No published licence; courtesy attribution; review before paid launch	pending	—
DriveBC cameras	Open Government Licence – British Columbia	true	—
City of Calgary traffic cameras	Open Government Licence – City of Calgary	true	—
City of Toronto traffic cameras	Open Government Licence – Toronto	true	—
Statens vegvesen road cameras	NLOD 2.0	true	—
Fintraffic Digitraffic weather cameras	CC BY 4.0	true	—
Transport for NSW Live Traffic cameras	CC BY 4.0	true	—
WSDOT cameras	No explicit licence; courtesy attribution; review before paid launch	pending	—
King County Road Services cameras	KCGIS terms; commercial not addressed; review before paid launch	pending	—
Servei Català de Trànsit cameras	Llicència oberta d'ús d'informació – Catalunya	true	—
HK Transport Department cameras	DATA.GOV.HK Terms of Use	true	—
DelDOT cameras	No published licence; courtesy attribution; review before paid launch	pending	—
Ontario 511 cameras	Open Government Licence – Ontario; commercial OK; key needed (free); data as is; no endorsement implied	true	https://511on.ca

Attribution (show this wherever you display the data):

Traffic camera locations via CEV-OS TRIPWIRE / CEV-DataHub. Agency attribution in data.sources[].attribution.
Links and metadata only; CEV-OS never proxies or stores camera images or video.
Not for navigation.

CEV-OS Data API docs

Privacy class: public-derived. Access: public. Price: free (price is null; pay-per-call is not active).

Gaps

ALPR/Flock (OSM) not included — needs Pat decision (privacy optics).
FL511, NYC DOT TMC, Houston TranStar, ctroads.org excluded (terms forbid redistribution).

Disclaimer

Not for navigation or life-safety use. Still/stream URLs point at the agency; they may break or require a browser Referer. Sources labelled commercial_ok=pending must be reviewed before any paid redistribution.

Data API hub (all products, limits, license notes)
MCP Registry listing com.cev-os/data
OpenAPI 3.1
Machine product list: /v1/products

Reference data, not investment advice.