British Columbia Data

How to Use This API

1. List All Dataset Packages

Returns an array of all dataset IDs in the catalogue:

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_list

2. Search Datasets by Keyword

Full-text search across dataset titles, descriptions, and tags. Supports pagination with rows and start:

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_search?q=forestry&rows=10

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_search?q=health+facilities&rows=20&start=0

3. Get Dataset Details

Retrieve full metadata for a specific dataset by its ID:

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_show?id=bc-airports

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_show?id=bc-school-locations

4. List Available Tags

Browse all tags used across the catalogue to discover related datasets:

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/tag_list

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/tag_list?all_fields=true

5. Get Resource Details

Each dataset contains one or more resources (CSV files, Shapefiles, etc.). Get direct download URLs:

https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/resource_show?id={resource_id}

6. Response Format

The CKAN API returns a standard JSON envelope:

{
  "help": "https://...",
  "success": true,
  "result": {
    "count": 42,
    "results": [
      {
        "id": "abc-123",
        "name": "bc-airports",
        "title": "BC Airports",
        "notes": "Locations of airports in British Columbia",
        "organization": {"name": "ministry-of-transportation"},
        "resources": [
          {
            "id": "res-1",
            "name": "BC Airports CSV",
            "format": "CSV",
            "url": "https://.../download.csv"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

7. JavaScript — Search and Display Results

fetch('https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_search?q=parks&rows=5')
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(d => {
    if (!d.success) throw new Error('CKAN error');
    d.result.results.forEach(ds => {
      console.log(ds.title);
      console.log(`  Updated: ${ds.metadata_modified}`);
      console.log(`  Formats: ${ds.resources.map(r => r.format).join(', ')}`);
    });
  });

8. Python — List All Dataset Names

import requests

resp = requests.get(
    'https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_list'
)
data = resp.json()
if data['success']:
    print(f"Total datasets: {len(data['result'])}")
    for name in data['result'][:20]:
        print(f"  \u2022 {name}")

9. Python — Search with Pagination

import requests

all_results = []
start = 0
page_size = 100

while True:
    resp = requests.get(
        'https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/api/3/action/package_search',
        params={'q': 'water', 'rows': page_size, 'start': start}
    )
    data = resp.json()
    results = data['result']['results']
    if not results:
        break
    all_results.extend(results)
    start += page_size

print(f"Found {len(all_results)} water-related datasets")