The live traffic data in BlitzBuddy comes from official open data. Jams, roadworks, closures and incidents in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, on German motorways and in Istanbul are published by road authorities and traffic centres, and BlitzBuddy reads those feeds directly. This guide goes through them one by one: what each source covers, how often BlitzBuddy refreshes it, and under which licence it may be reused.
Five official live traffic sources at a glance
Every country has its own traffic centre, its own data format and its own rules for reuse. BlitzBuddy uses one official source per region:
| Region | Source | Covers | Refreshed | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | NDW | Dutch roads, plus matrix signs on motorways | Every 2 min, roadworks every 10 min | CC0 1.0 |
| Belgium | Verkeerscentrum Vlaanderen | Flanders: motorways and part of the regional roads | Every 2 min, roadworks every 10 min | Modellicentie Gratis Hergebruik v1.0 |
| France | Bison Futé (Tipi) | State-run national roads: N roads and toll-free A roads | Every minute | Licence Ouverte 2.0 |
| Germany | Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes | Autobahns only | Every 2 min, roadworks every 10 min | Not stated in the API; GovData lists GeoNutzV |
| Türkiye | İBB | Province of Istanbul only | Every 2 min, roadworks every 10 min | İBB Açık Veri Lisansı |
Netherlands: NDW traffic data and matrix signs
NDW, the Nationaal Dataportaal Wegverkeer, is the Dutch national portal for road traffic data. BlitzBuddy uses three of its open feeds:
- Current situation. Jams with their length and delay, accidents, broken-down vehicles and objects on the road, closures, closed lanes and temporary speed limits. Refreshed every two minutes.
- Planning feed. Roadworks and events, kept only when they are active now or start within two hours, together with the temporary speed limits that go with them. Refreshed every ten minutes.
- Matrix sign information. What each overhead sign shows per lane: a speed limit, a red cross for a closed lane, an arrow to change lanes, or the end of restrictions. Refreshed every two minutes.
The Netherlands is the only country where BlitzBuddy shows matrix signs, because NDW is the only one of the five sources that publishes them. For what each symbol means, see our guide to Dutch matrix signs.
Licence: NDW publishes its data under CC0 1.0, so no credit is required. BlitzBuddy credits NDW anyway.
Belgium: live traffic from Verkeerscentrum Vlaanderen
Belgian live traffic comes from the DATEX II feed of Verkeerscentrum Vlaanderen, the traffic centre of the Flemish Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer. It covers Flanders: the motorways and part of the regional roads. Wallonia and Brussels are not in this feed.
The feed contains jams with their queue length, accidents and obstacles such as breakdowns, objects and animals on the road, as well as roadworks, closures, lane restrictions and temporary speed limits. The source publishes a new file every minute; BlitzBuddy reads incidents every two minutes and roadworks every ten.
The feed has no delay and no written description. BlitzBuddy writes a short description from the type of situation and adds the road number, side and kilometre from the official Flemish reference points.
Licence: Modellicentie Gratis Hergebruik v1.0, the Flemish model licence for free reuse. Reuse, including commercial reuse, is allowed with credit to the source and the date of the last update.
France: live traffic from Bison Futé
French live traffic comes from Bison Futé Tipi, the open DATEX II stream published for the Directions Interdépartementales des Routes (DIR). It covers the national road network that the state manages itself: N roads and toll-free A roads. Toll motorways run by concession companies are not included.
Tipi carries jams, accidents and obstacles such as breakdowns, objects and animals, plus roadworks, closures, lane measures, temporary speed limits and events. BlitzBuddy checks it every minute. Tipi gives no delay for jams. The kilometre point and the line along the road come from the reference markers in IGN BD TOPO, the national topographic database.
Licence: Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab). Reuse is allowed with credit to the source and the date of the last update.
German motorways: the Autobahn GmbH traffic API
For Germany, BlitzBuddy uses the Verkehrs-API of Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes, the federal company that runs the Autobahns. The API is open and needs no key. It covers the Autobahns only: Bundesstraßen and other roads are not included.
BlitzBuddy reads two parts of it. Warnings, meaning jams with their delay, accidents and obstacles, are refreshed every two minutes. Closures and roadworks, including closed lanes and the speed limit at the works, are refreshed every ten minutes. Only situations that are active now or start within two hours are kept.
Licence: the API itself does not state one. The German open data catalogue GovData lists the dataset under the GeoNutzV, which allows use, including commercial use, with credit. BlitzBuddy credits it as "Datenquelle: Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes".
Istanbul: live traffic from İBB
In Türkiye, live traffic comes from İBB, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, through its Transport Management Centre (Ulaşım Yönetim Merkezi). It covers the province of Istanbul only; there is no live traffic layer elsewhere in Türkiye.
BlitzBuddy combines two of its services. The announcements report accidents, breakdowns, vehicle fires, closures, heavy traffic and roadworks. Jams are built from the traffic density per road segment: neighbouring congested segments are joined into one jam with a line and a length. Because the source has no free-flow speed to compare against, there is no delay. Announcements are refreshed every two minutes, roadworks every ten.
Licence: İBB Açık Veri Lisansı, the İBB open data licence. Use in an app, including commercial use, is allowed with credit and, where possible, a link to the licence.
What BlitzBuddy changes, and what it leaves alone
BlitzBuddy does not add or invent situations. It only prepares the official data for the road you are on:
- It keeps what is active now or starts within two hours, and drops items the source itself marks as removed.
- It drops official incidents that are out of date or that other drivers have voted away.
- It converts coordinates, orients each line in the direction of travel and merges records that describe the same roadworks.
- It writes a short, uniform description, because some feeds have no text at all.
- Where a source gives no delay, BlitzBuddy shows none rather than estimating one.
Where drivers fill the gaps
Official feeds do not see everything. In BlitzBuddy, drivers can report jams, accidents, breakdowns and objects on the road, and votes from other drivers keep those reports fresh. Keep your attention on the road: leave reporting to a passenger, or report once you have stopped safely.
Credits and licences
These are the credit lines BlitzBuddy uses for live traffic:
- Netherlands: NDW (CC0 1.0).
- Belgium: Bron: Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer / Verkeerscentrum Vlaanderen, DATEX II (Modellicentie Gratis Hergebruik).
- France: Bison Futé / DIR, Licence Ouverte 2.0; placement: IGN, BD TOPO.
- Germany: Datenquelle: Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes.
- Istanbul: Kaynak: İBB Ulaşım Yönetim Merkezi (İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Açık Veri).
For everything else BlitzBuddy does, from speed limits to average speed checks, see the BlitzBuddy home page.
Sources
- NDW open data: opendata.ndw.nu; copyright: ndw.nu/service/copyright
- Verkeerscentrum Vlaanderen: verkeerscentrum.be; licence: Modellicentie Gratis Hergebruik
- Bison Futé Tipi dataset: transport.data.gouv.fr; licence: Licence Ouverte 2.0
- Die Autobahn GmbH Verkehrs-API: autobahn.api.bund.dev; GeoNutzV: gesetze-im-internet.de/geonutzv
- İBB open data portal: data.ibb.gov.tr; licence: data.ibb.gov.tr/license
Frequently asked questions
Does BlitzBuddy show live traffic in all of Belgium?
No. The Belgian live data comes from Verkeerscentrum Vlaanderen and covers Flanders: the motorways and part of the regional roads. Wallonia and Brussels are not in this feed.
Why do some jams show a delay and others do not?
Only NDW in the Netherlands and Die Autobahn GmbH in Germany publish a delay. Verkeerscentrum Vlaanderen, Bison Futé and İBB do not, and BlitzBuddy does not estimate one.
Are French toll motorways included?
No. Bison Futé Tipi covers the national roads managed by the state: N roads and toll-free A roads. Toll motorways run by concession companies are not in this open feed.
How often is the live traffic updated?
It depends on the source. In the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Istanbul, BlitzBuddy refreshes incidents every two minutes and roadworks every ten. France is checked every minute.
Can I see matrix signs outside the Netherlands?
No. Overhead matrix signs per lane come from NDW, so BlitzBuddy shows them only on Dutch roads.
