BTS Open Source Data API

To encourage open access of transportation statistics, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics has launched the BTS Open Source Data API. This API, currently in Beta, is a web-based application that will give software developers access to up-to-date transportation data for use in data-driven web, desktop, and mobile applications. While BTS will continue to provide API access to a growing number of datasets including: (1) multi-modal safety data, and (2) airline seasonal travel information.

After the Beta stage of the development, API code will be openly shared.

Accessing Data

The BTS Open Source Data API will provide open-access to data in industry-standard Extensible Markup Language (XML) and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) formats via a Representative State Transfer(REST)-ful protocol that is easily accessible by web-connected software applications. This will encourage the use of BTS data in web, desktop, and mobile applications developed by the general public.

Examples of API Use

You could build a program that lets users interact with a GUI to request data, returning the results as a custom visualization. You could set a program to check some specific parameters regularly and alert you when interesting changes occur. You could build an application that lets people easily compare past flight delays by flight and carrier when making travel decisions.