AMES, Iowa – May 28, 2026 – Media partners and data integrators who use the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) traffic camera data feeds will notice changes in the URLs used for camera images and video streams.
On May 20, the Iowa DOT transitioned to a new traffic camera video system. Due to an accelerated timetable, we were unable to get a notification out ahead of time. We appreciate the flexibility of our media partners and integrators during this transition.
The migration required updates to both image and video URLs, as well as minor adjustments to the camera descriptions. Additional changes are still underway. In approximately three weeks, additional servers will come online in a load-balancing configuration. When that happens, only the domain prefix in camera video URLs will change - for example, "video4.iowadot.gov" will become "video.iowadot.gov."
Accessing Updated Camera Stream Information
One way to access the current list of camera streams from the ESRI feature service (data feed) is by completing the following steps.
- Go to https://data.iowadot.gov/datasets/IowaDOT::traffic-cameras-3/about
- Click the Download button.
- Select the desired file format (CSV is recommended).
- If prompted, select "Request a new file" to ensure the most current data.
- Open the CSV in Excel or another spreadsheet tool to filter or search for specific cameras and their corresponding video and image URLs.
A complete list of 511 data feeds, formats, and technical resources is available at: https://iowadot.gov/travel-tools/iowa-511/511-data-feeds.
Stay Informed About Data Feed Changes
Because Iowa DOT camera and 511 event feeds are published through an open data portal, we do not have a reliable way to identify or notify all users of our data. To improve future communications, Iowa DOT is creating an email distribution list for integrators and organizations that rely on 511 data. If you would like to be added to the list, please email Sinclair Stolle at sinclair.stolle@iowadot.us.
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For general information about the Iowa DOT’s video camera feeds, please contact Sinclair Stolle, traffic management systems engineer, at 515-239-1933 or sinclair.stolle@iowadot.us.