About the traffic map

About the data

The Traffic Map provides citizens with information about road travel information.

Traffic Cameras

There are approximately 275 traffic cameras installed along City of Ottawa roadways. Images from these cameras are available for display on the Traffic Map website. The resolution and quality of the images vary and depend on the type of camera equipment and network capabilities. Images are updated approximately every five seconds. The cameras are manipulated from the Traffic Operations Center, so the camera field of views will change over time.

Data

Several types of data are reported on the traffic map, including:

  • Traffic Cameras - City of Ottawa operated traffic cameras. Images are updated approximately every 5-15 seconds.
  • MTO Cameras - Ministry of Transportation traffic cameras. Images are updated approximately every 1-2 minutes.
  • Incidents - Road events managed in real-time based on observed conditions affecting roadways. Incidents include events like collisions, emergency road closures, unplanned construction, poor road conditions.
  • Construction - Planned construction events are entered ahead of time on the website. Where possible details about the effects, detours, and schedules are captured.
  • Special Events - Special events (e.g. parades, demonstrations, etc) are entered ahead of time on the website. Where possible details about the effects, detours, and schedules are captured.
  • Red Light Cameras - Locations of red light cameras.
  • Parking Lots - Locations of City Parking Lots. Some parking lots are equipped with parking guidance systems and the number of available spaces is reported. Please see the Parking section of the City of Ottawa website for detailed parking information
  • Park and Rides - Locations of OC Transpo Park and Rides. Please see the OC Transpo website for further information.
  • Live Traffic - Traffic flow information provided by the map service provider.

3rd party data

The traffic map will relay information from external sources, such as the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) event feed.

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure that all information presented via Traffic Map is accurate and timely. However no guarantee is given that the data is complete or accurate, including information relayed from third parties.

Help

Using the map:

The following icons are available on the map:
Search location map widget icon Enter an address, intersection, or place name to have the map center on the location.
Zoom map widget icon Zoom the map in or out.
Focus on current location map widget icon Focuses on the current location of the user based on information from the user's phone, computer or devices. Result accuracy depends on the user's device and settings.
Fullscreen map widget icon Click to make the map fullscreen.
Feature selection and filter map widget icon Click to bring up a form to select the type of data visible in the map. See the section Filtering Event Data on the Map for more information.
Near me map widget icon Click to expand a near me form. The Near Me form searches for events within a user specified radius (1000m to 2km) and presents the results in a table. The tool searches around a center determined by:
  • The address entered by the user in the location search field.
  • The location of the user determined by the current location tool.
  • A point selected by the user clicking at a point on the map.

Filtering Event Data on the Map

The three traffic events data types (Incidents, Special Events, and Construction) can be filtered by criteria, including:

  • Severity - Only events with a severity matching or more severe than the selected level will be displayed. Events with unknown severity will also be displayed.
  • Traveller Type - Only events that match the given transportation type (e.g. cars, bicyclists). Events with unspecified impacts will also be displayed.
  • Filter by Date - Can be set to filter events:
    • Active - currently active events
    • Upcoming - scheduled for the future
    • All - both active and upcoming events
  • Source - Displays all events by default, but can be set to only display events entered by City of Ottawa staff or third party events.

Filtering Event Data on the Events List page

The three traffic events data types (Incidents, Special Events, and Construction) can be filtered by criteria, including:

  • Severity - Only events with a severity matching the selected levels will be displayed. Events with unknown severity will also be displayed.
  • Traveller Type - Only events that match the selected transportation types (e.g. cars, bicyclists) will be displayed. Events with unspecified impacts will also be displayed.
  • Filter by Date - Can be set to filter events:
    • Active - currently active events
    • Upcoming - scheduled for the future
    • Active On Date - Allows to search for events on a specific upcoming date
    • Active Any Time - both active and upcoming events
  • Source - Only displays events generated by the selected sources.