Programmatic Access to Transport Data Sources

Last updated: 2026-02-09 Status: Research document -- API endpoints and access policies should be verified before integration Purpose: Document API availability, authentication, endpoints, downloads, and licensing for 5 key real-time/near-real-time transport data sources

UNECE Transport Statistics (PXWeb)
Africa Transport Observatory (ATO)
OpenSky Network (Aviation ADS-B)
AISHub / MarineTraffic (Maritime AIS)
GBFS Feeds (Shared Mobility)
Comparison Matrix

1. UNECE Transport Statistics (PXWeb)

Overview

The UNECE Statistical Database provides annual transport statistics for 56 UNECE member states (Europe, Central Asia, North America) covering road, rail, inland waterway, and pipeline transport. The database is built on PXWeb, a standard API framework developed by Statistics Sweden and used by dozens of national statistical institutes across Europe.

API Availability

Aspect	Details
API type	REST API (PXWeb API v1)
Base URL	`https://w3.unece.org/PXWeb2015/api/v1/en/STAT/`
URL pattern	`{base}/api/v1/{lang}/{database}/{levels}/{table}.px`
Methods	`GET` (browse/list tables), `POST` (query data with JSON body)
Response formats	JSON, JSON-stat, JSON-stat2, CSV, XLSX, PC-Axis (.px)
Max values per call	Up to 100,000 data cells per request

API Documentation

PXWeb API general documentation: https://pxdata.stat.fi/api1.html
SCB (Sweden) API description PDF: https://pxdata.stat.fi/API-description_SCB.pdf
PXWebApi 2.0 (newer version, launched Oct 2025 at SCB): https://www.scb.se/en/services/open-data-api/pxwebapi/pxapi-2.0
UNECE Statistical Database portal: https://w3.unece.org/PXWeb/en
UNECE legacy database interface: https://w3.unece.org/PXWeb2015/pxweb/en/STAT/

Authentication

None required. The API is freely accessible without authentication.
Rate limits: PXWebApi 2.0 (at SCB) enforces max 30 requests per 10 seconds and 150,000 data cells per GET. The UNECE instance likely has similar limits but these are not publicly documented.

Key Endpoints / Data Available

Transport data is organized under the path STAT__40-TRTRANS:

Endpoint Path Segment	Data
`02-TRROAD/`	Road transport -- passenger-km, bus/coach statistics, road network length
`05-TRRAIL/`	Rail transport -- freight tonne-km, passenger-km, rail network
`08-TRINLAND/`	Inland waterway transport
`10-TRPIPE/`	Pipeline transport
`12-TRSAFETY/`	Road traffic accidents and fatalities
`15-TRVEHICLE/`	Vehicle fleet statistics

Example API call (browse tables):

GET https://w3.unece.org/PXWeb2015/api/v1/en/STAT/STAT__40-TRTRANS__02-TRROAD

Example API call (query data):

POST https://w3.unece.org/PXWeb2015/api/v1/en/STAT/STAT__40-TRTRANS__02-TRROAD/04_en_TRRoadPassgKm_r.px
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "query": [
    {
      "code": "Country",
      "selection": {
        "filter": "item",
        "values": ["826"]
      }
    }
  ],
  "response": {
    "format": "json-stat2"
  }
}

Direct Download Options

Tables can be exported via the web interface in CSV, XLSX, and PC-Axis formats
The API itself supports CSV and XLSX as response formats (set "format": "csv" in POST body)
No single bulk download of the entire transport statistics database

GitHub Repos / Client Libraries

R package pxweb: https://ropengov.github.io/pxweb/ (CRAN) -- works with any PXWeb API including UNECE
R package PxWebApiData: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/PxWebApiData/ -- simpler wrapper
Python: No official client; use requests library with the REST API directly
PXWeb source (Statistics Sweden): The PXWeb platform is developed by SCB but the UNECE instance source is not publicly available

License

Free for all uses. UNECE statistical data is publicly available without restrictions. Standard UN terms of use apply (attribution expected).

2. Africa Transport Observatory (ATO)

Overview

The Africa Transport Observatory (ATO) at ato.africa is a continental transport data platform operated by the African Union Commission with technical support from the SSATP (Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program) at the World Bank. It aims to be the central repository for transport statistics across all 54 AU member states.

API Availability

Aspect	Details
API type	None available. No public API exists.
Web interface	Dashboard-style portal with maps, charts, and country profiles
Data download	Very limited; some indicators downloadable via the web UI
Programmatic access	Not supported as of February 2026

Important clarification: The domain ato.africa hosts the African Trade Observatory (an AfCFTA trade data instrument run by the African Union and ITC), not a transport observatory. The SSATP-led transport observatory work appears to be folded into corridor-specific monitoring systems rather than a single unified platform.

The SSATP ecosystem includes several related initiatives, none of which currently offer programmatic access:

Platform	URL	Focus	API
SSATP	https://www.ssatp.org/	African transport policy programme	No
African Road Safety Observatory (ARSO)	via SSATP	Road safety data for Africa	No (Dropbox-based)
Corridor Transport Observatories	Various	Trade corridor performance (Northern Corridor, Maputo, etc.)	No
Africa Information Highway	https://dataportal.opendataforafrica.org/	Pan-African data portal (includes some transport)	Yes -- has API explorer
Data Transport	https://data-transport.org/	African mobility data (GTFS, mapping)	Partial downloads

Best Alternative for Programmatic Access to African Transport Data

The Africa Information Highway Portal (by the African Development Bank) is the closest alternative with an actual API:

API Explorer: https://dataportal.opendataforafrica.org/dev/explorer
Covers energy, transport, ICT, water, and ports across Africa
Includes some transport indicators that would otherwise come from ATO

Documentation

SSATP Corridor Transport Observatory Guidelines (PDF): https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/295971468191647427/pdf/854750NWP0SSAT0Box382155B00PUBLIC0y.pdf
SSATP publications page: https://www.ssatp.org/publications

Authentication

N/A (no API)

Direct Download Options

Country profiles and corridor reports downloadable as PDF from SSATP
Africa Road Safety Observatory data shared via Dropbox
No structured data downloads (CSV/JSON) from a transport-specific observatory

GitHub Repos

None identified for ATO or SSATP transport data platforms

License

Not clearly defined. African Union / World Bank data policies would apply.

Assessment

The ATO/SSATP transport data ecosystem has the weakest programmatic access of all sources reviewed. This represents a significant gap for any global transport intelligence system. Integration would require either:

Web scraping (fragile, not recommended)
Partnership agreement for direct data access
Using the Africa Information Highway API as a proxy for some indicators

3. OpenSky Network (Aviation ADS-B)

Overview

The OpenSky Network is a community-based ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) receiver network that collects and provides aircraft position and flight data. It is the largest open-access source of live and historical aviation tracking data, with 2,500+ volunteer receivers worldwide.

API Availability

Aspect	Details
API type	REST API (v1.4.0)
Base URL	`https://opensky-network.org/api`
Auth server	`https://auth.opensky-network.org/auth/realms/opensky-network/protocol/openid-connect/token`
Response format	JSON
Historical data	Trino SQL interface for bulk historical queries

API Documentation

REST API docs: https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/rest.html
Python API docs: https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/python.html
Full documentation index: https://openskynetwork.github.io/opensky-api/
API landing page: https://opensky-network.org/data/api
Trino historical data: https://opensky-network.org/data/trino

Authentication

Access Level	Method	Details
Anonymous	None	Limited access, reduced resolution
Registered user	OAuth2 client credentials	Free registration; create API client in account settings to get `client_id` and `client_secret`
Active contributor	OAuth2 + ADS-B receiver	Users with an ADS-B receiver that is >= 30% online

OAuth2 token request:

curl -X POST "https://auth.opensky-network.org/auth/realms/opensky-network/protocol/openid-connect/token" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials" \
  -d "client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
  -d "client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"

Note: All accounts created since mid-March 2025 must use OAuth2. Legacy username/password auth is being phased out.

Rate Limits

User Type	API Credits/Day	Data History	Time Resolution
Anonymous	Very limited	Real-time only	10 seconds
Registered	Lower allocation	Up to 1 hour in the past	10 seconds
Active contributor	8,000 credits/day	Up to 1 hour in the past	5 seconds

Header X-Rate-Limit-Remaining shows remaining credits
HTTP 429 returned when limit reached; X-Rate-Limit-Retry-After-Seconds indicates wait time

Key Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
`/states/all`	GET	All aircraft state vectors (position, velocity, heading, altitude)
`/states/own`	GET	State vectors from your own sensors only
`/flights/all?begin={t1}&end={t2}`	GET	All flights within a time interval
`/flights/aircraft?icao24={addr}&begin={t1}&end={t2}`	GET	Flights for a specific aircraft
`/flights/arrival?airport={icao}&begin={t1}&end={t2}`	GET	Arrivals at a specific airport
`/flights/departure?airport={icao}&begin={t1}&end={t2}`	GET	Departures from a specific airport
`/tracks/all?icao24={addr}&time={t}`	GET	Flight track (waypoints) for a specific aircraft

Example -- get all current aircraft states:

curl "https://opensky-network.org/api/states/all" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Example -- get all states in a bounding box (Europe):

curl "https://opensky-network.org/api/states/all?lamin=45.8389&lomin=5.9962&lamax=47.8229&lomax=10.5226"

Direct Download / Bulk Data Options

Method	Access	Description
Trino SQL interface	Registered (research use)	Full historical dataset via SQL-like queries (Trino + Minio)
Zenodo datasets	Public	Curated datasets (e.g., COVID-19 air traffic) -- CC BY licensed
Monday snapshots	Public	Full state vector data for every Monday, 10-second intervals
Data formats	--	CSV, Avro, JSON (hourly files)

Trino access is available to university-affiliated researchers, government organizations, and aviation authorities
Zenodo dataset: https://zenodo.org/records/7923702

GitHub Repos

Repository	Description
openskynetwork/opensky-api	Python and Java API bindings + documentation
URL: https://github.com/openskynetwork/opensky-api
pyopensky	Alternative Python library for OpenSky (by Xavier Olive)
URL: https://github.com/open-aviation/pyopensky	Docs: https://mode-s.org/pyopensky/
traffic	Python library for air traffic analysis (uses OpenSky)
URL: https://github.com/open-aviation/traffic

License

API & data: Free for non-commercial / academic use. Commercial use requires agreement.
API client code: GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3)
Zenodo datasets: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)
Terms of use: https://opensky-network.org/about/terms-of-use

4. AISHub / MarineTraffic (Maritime AIS)

4a. AISHub

Overview

AISHub is a community-based AIS data exchange network. Members contribute raw AIS data from their receivers and in return get access to the aggregated worldwide AIS feed from all other contributors. It is the maritime equivalent of the OpenSky model.

API Availability

Aspect	Details
API type	REST API (XML/JSON/CSV webservice)
Base URL	`https://data.aishub.net/ws.php`
Response formats	XML, JSON, CSV
Compression	None, zip, gzip, bzip2

API Documentation

API page: https://www.aishub.net/api
Third-party documentation: https://publicapi.dev/ais-hub-api

Authentication

Aspect	Details
Model	Reciprocal data sharing -- you must contribute AIS data to access the API
API key	Called "username" -- request at aishub@astrapaging.com
Requirements	Own an AIS receiver, contribute raw NMEA data via UDP
Quality threshold	Coverage of >= 10 vessels (7-day avg), >= 90% uptime (7-day avg)
Cost	Free for all qualifying contributors

Rate Limits

Maximum 1 API request per minute

Key Endpoints / Parameters

The API is a single endpoint with parameters:

Parameter	Description
`username`	API key / username
`format`	`1` (XML), `2` (JSON), `3` (CSV)
`output`	`json`, `xml`, `csv`
`compress`	`0` (none), `1` (zip), `2` (gzip), `3` (bzip2)
`latmin`, `latmax`, `lonmin`, `lonmax`	Bounding box filter
`mmsi`	Filter by specific vessel MMSI

Example:

https://data.aishub.net/ws.php?username=YOUR_KEY&format=1&output=json&compress=0&latmin=45&latmax=46&lonmin=-1&lonmax=0

Data Fields

Returns standard AIS position report data: MMSI, timestamp, latitude, longitude, course over ground (COG), speed over ground (SOG), heading, navigation status, vessel name, IMO number, call sign, vessel type, dimensions.

Direct Download

No bulk historical downloads
Real-time data only through API
Raw NMEA feed available to members

GitHub Repos

aishub-api-public: https://github.com/lagersmit/aishub-api-public (community wrapper)

License

Free for contributors; no explicit open data license
Data is shared under the reciprocal contribution model

4b. MarineTraffic (by Kpler)

Overview

MarineTraffic is the world's largest commercial maritime data platform, now part of Kpler. It provides comprehensive vessel tracking, port data, and maritime intelligence via a suite of paid API services.

API Availability

Aspect	Details
API type	REST API
Base URL	`https://services.marinetraffic.com/api/exportvessel/` (varies by endpoint)
Response formats	JSON, XML, CSV
Model	Commercial / paid

API Documentation

Official API docs: https://servicedocs.marinetraffic.com/
API services overview: https://support.marinetraffic.com/en/articles/9552659-api-services
Setup guide: https://help.marinetraffic.com/hc/en-us/articles/205115108-Set-up-your-API-Services

Authentication

API key required (obtained after purchasing a subscription plan)
Key passed as URL parameter: ?v=8&api_key=YOUR_KEY&...

Pricing

Commercial, subscription-based. Prices vary by:
- Endpoint / service type
- Response detail level (simple / extended / full)
- AIS data source (terrestrial / satellite)
- Number of tracked vessels
- Request frequency
Volume discounts available (e.g., 25+ vessels)
No free tier for API access (the website has a free tier for manual browsing)
Contact sales for pricing: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/online-services/plans/comparison-list

Key API Services (Endpoints)

Service Code	Name	Description
PS01	Vessel Historical Track	Historical position data for a vessel
PS02	Fleet Vessel Positions	Current positions of a defined fleet
PS06	Vessel Positions in Area	All vessels in a bounding box
PS07	Single Vessel Positions	Current position of a single vessel
VD02	Vessel Particulars	Static vessel data (name, type, dimensions, flag)
EV01	Port Calls	Port call events (arrivals/departures)
VI06	Port Congestion	Vessel congestion metrics at ports

Example:

https://services.marinetraffic.com/api/exportvessel/v:8/YOUR_API_KEY/timespan:60/protocol:json

Direct Download

No bulk data downloads via API (query-based only)
Historical data available as paid data products
MarineTraffic Data Services (via Kpler): https://www.kpler.com/product/maritime/data-services

GitHub Repos

Marine-Traffic-API (Python): https://pypi.org/project/Marine-Traffic-API/ / https://github.com/amphinicy/marine-traffic-client-api
MarineTraffic.NET (C#): https://github.com/sandrock/MarineTraffic.NET

License

Proprietary / commercial. All data subject to MarineTraffic/Kpler terms of service. Not open data.

Maritime AIS Comparison

Feature	AISHub	MarineTraffic
Cost	Free (contribute data)	Paid (subscription)
Coverage	Depends on contributors (~thousands of stations)	Global (terrestrial + satellite AIS)
Historical data	No	Yes (paid)
Satellite AIS	No (terrestrial only)	Yes
Rate limit	1 req/min	Depends on plan
Data richness	Basic AIS fields	Enriched (port calls, voyages, ETA, risk)
Reliability	Community-dependent	Enterprise SLA

5. GBFS Feeds (Shared Mobility)

Overview

The General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS) is the open data standard for shared mobility (bikeshare, scooter share, car share, etc.). It defines a set of JSON endpoints that operators publish to make real-time availability data publicly accessible. GBFS is maintained by MobilityData and is used by 900+ shared mobility systems worldwide.

API Availability

GBFS is not a single API but a specification that each operator implements. Access is decentralized.

Aspect	Details
Spec type	REST / JSON feeds (read-only)
Current version	v3.0 (also widely deployed: v2.3, v2.2)
Discovery	Each system publishes a `gbfs.json` auto-discovery file
Authentication	Typically none -- feeds are public by design
Rate limits	Varies by operator; data should not be stale by more than 5 minutes

Documentation

GBFS specification (current): https://gbfs.org/documentation/reference/
GBFS spec on GitHub: https://github.com/MobilityData/gbfs/blob/master/gbfs.md
Get started guide: https://gbfs.org/learn/guide/
v3.0 spec: https://github.com/MobilityData/gbfs/blob/v3.0/gbfs.md
FAQ: https://gbfs.org/learn/faq/

Feed Discovery -- The systems.csv Catalog

The master catalog of all known GBFS feeds worldwide is maintained by MobilityData:

Resource	URL
systems.csv (raw)	https://github.com/MobilityData/gbfs/blob/master/systems.csv
systems.csv (direct download)	https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MobilityData/gbfs/master/systems.csv
Mobility Database website	https://mobilitydatabase.org/
Mobility Database API	https://api.mobilitydatabase.org/v1/metadata

The systems.csv file contains columns:

Country Code, Name (system name), Location (city), System ID, URL (operator website), Auto-Discovery URL (the gbfs.json endpoint)

Authentication

GBFS feeds: No authentication required for most feeds. The specification mandates public access.
Mobility Database API: Requires a free access token (sign up at mobilitydatabase.org)

Key GBFS Endpoints (per system)

Each GBFS system publishes a gbfs.json file that links to the following feeds:

Endpoint	Required?	Description
`gbfs.json`	Yes	Auto-discovery file listing all available feeds
`system_information.json`	Yes	System name, operator, timezone, license, contact
`station_information.json`	If docked	All stations: ID, name, lat/lon, capacity
`station_status.json`	If docked	Real-time: available bikes/docks per station
`vehicle_status.json` (v3.0) / `free_bike_status.json` (v2.x)	If dockless	Real-time: all available dockless vehicles with location
`vehicle_types.json`	If applicable	Vehicle type definitions (e-bike, scooter, etc.)
`system_regions.json`	Optional	Geographic regions within the system
`system_pricing_plans.json`	Optional	Pricing information
`geofencing_zones.json`	Optional	Operating zones, no-ride zones, speed zones

Example -- discover a system's feeds (Citi Bike NYC):

curl https://gbfs.citibikenyc.com/gbfs/gbfs.json

Example -- get station status:

curl https://gbfs.citibikenyc.com/gbfs/en/station_status.json

Direct Download Options

systems.csv can be downloaded directly from GitHub for the full catalog
Individual feeds are JSON and can be polled/scraped
No single bulk download of all feeds (each system is independent)
The Mobility Database API provides a programmatic way to discover and catalog feeds

GitHub Repos

Repository	Description
MobilityData/gbfs	GBFS specification + systems.csv catalog
https://github.com/MobilityData/gbfs
MobilityData/gbfs-validator	GBFS feed validator tool
https://github.com/MobilityData/gbfs-validator
MobilityData/mobility-feed-api	Mobility Database website and API source code
https://github.com/MobilityData/mobility-feed-api

License

GBFS specification: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY 3.0)
GBFS validator: Apache License 2.0
Individual feed data: Varies by operator. If license_id and license_url are blank in system_information.json, data defaults to Creative Commons Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0). The specification recommends open data licensing.
systems.csv catalog: CC BY 3.0

6. Comparison Matrix

Access Model Comparison

Source	API Available	Auth Required	Free Access	Real-Time	Historical
UNECE PXWeb	Yes (REST)	No	Yes	No (annual stats)	Yes (time series)
ATO / SSATP	No	N/A	N/A	No	No
OpenSky Network	Yes (REST)	Yes (OAuth2)	Yes (with limits)	Yes	Yes (Trino)
AISHub	Yes (REST)	Yes (contribute data)	Yes (reciprocal)	Yes	No
MarineTraffic	Yes (REST)	Yes (API key)	No (paid only)	Yes	Yes (paid)
GBFS	Yes (per-system)	No (mostly)	Yes	Yes	No (current state only)

Data Richness Comparison

Source	Transport Mode	Coverage	Update Frequency	Data Format
UNECE PXWeb	Road, rail, waterway, pipeline	56 countries (Europe, C. Asia, N. America)	Annual	JSON-stat, CSV, XLSX
ATO / SSATP	All modes (aspirational)	54 African countries	Irregular	Dashboard only
OpenSky Network	Aviation	Global (ADS-B coverage)	Real-time (5-10 sec)	JSON, CSV, Avro
AISHub	Maritime	Global (terrestrial AIS)	Real-time (1 min polling)	JSON, XML, CSV
MarineTraffic	Maritime	Global (terrestrial + satellite AIS)	Real-time	JSON, XML, CSV
GBFS	Shared mobility (bike, scooter, car)	900+ systems worldwide	Real-time (< 5 min)	JSON

Integration Effort Estimate

Source	Effort	Notes
UNECE PXWeb	Low	Standard PXWeb API; well-documented; existing R/Python tooling
ATO / SSATP	High	No API; requires partnership or alternative data sources
OpenSky Network	Low-Medium	Well-documented REST API; OAuth2 setup; rate limits to manage
AISHub	Medium	Requires AIS receiver contribution; simple API once access granted
MarineTraffic	Low (but costly)	Well-documented commercial API; budget required
GBFS	Medium	Simple per-feed access; challenge is aggregating 900+ systems

This document complements the platform profiles in /research/databases-platforms/ by focusing specifically on programmatic access patterns for real-time and near-real-time data sources that could feed into a Global Transport Intelligence System.

Programmatic Data Access

Programmatic Access to Transport Data Sources

Table of Contents

1. UNECE Transport Statistics (PXWeb)

Overview

API Availability

API Documentation

Authentication

Key Endpoints / Data Available

Direct Download Options

GitHub Repos / Client Libraries

License

2. Africa Transport Observatory (ATO)

Overview

API Availability

Related Platforms and Data Sources

Best Alternative for Programmatic Access to African Transport Data

Documentation

Authentication

Direct Download Options

GitHub Repos

License

Assessment

3. OpenSky Network (Aviation ADS-B)

Overview

API Availability

API Documentation

Authentication

Rate Limits

Key Endpoints

Direct Download / Bulk Data Options

GitHub Repos

License

4. AISHub / MarineTraffic (Maritime AIS)

4a. AISHub

Overview

API Availability

API Documentation

Authentication

Rate Limits

Key Endpoints / Parameters

Data Fields

Direct Download

GitHub Repos

License

4b. MarineTraffic (by Kpler)

Overview

API Availability

API Documentation

Authentication

Pricing

Key API Services (Endpoints)

Direct Download

GitHub Repos

License

Maritime AIS Comparison

5. GBFS Feeds (Shared Mobility)

Overview

API Availability

Documentation

Feed Discovery -- The systems.csv Catalog

Authentication

Key GBFS Endpoints (per system)

Direct Download Options

GitHub Repos

License

6. Comparison Matrix

Access Model Comparison

Data Richness Comparison

Integration Effort Estimate