Fotoshi Developer API

Fotoshi publishes a read-only STAC API for public contributed photo observations. It is designed for map tools, research, and applications that need georeferenced, attributable imagery.

Start here

The API is public and does not require an access token. It is read-only.

Quick start

Search for public observations in a small area with STAC Item Search:

curl -X POST 'https://api.fotoshi.com/v1/stac/search' \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "bbox": [-27.27, 38.80, -27.25, 38.81],
    "limit": 20,
    "sortby": ["-datetime"]
  }'

The result is a GeoJSON FeatureCollection of STAC Items. Each item has a point geometry, capture time, contributor username, image dimensions, a 1280px image asset, and a thumbnail asset.

Search

Use GET /v1/stac/search for simple URL-sized searches, or POST /v1/stac/search for geometry and structured filters.

Parameter	Purpose
`bbox`	`minLon,minLat,maxLon,maxLat`; searches are limited to a 2° span on each axis.
`intersects`	A GeoJSON geometry. Use POST for anything more than a very small geometry.
`datetime`	RFC 3339 instant, date, or interval such as `2026-01-01/2026-01-31`.
`filter`	CQL2 JSON or text filter over the fields in Queryables.
`sortby`	Fields prefixed with `+` for ascending or `-` for descending.
`fields`	Select returned `properties.` and `assets.` fields.
`limit` / `offset`	Pagination controls. Follow the `next` link when it is present.

The public CQL2 fields are id, datetime, username, width, and height.

{
  "filter": {
    "op": "and",
    "args": [
      { "op": "=", "args": [{ "property": "username" }, "cbed"] },
      { "op": ">=", "args": [{ "property": "width" }, 3000] }
    ]
  },
  "filter-lang": "cql2-json",
  "fields": { "include": ["properties.datetime", "assets.thumbnail"] }
}

Data contract and privacy

STAC item IDs are public photo identifiers. The API deliberately does not expose Fotoshi place IDs, FIDs, feature links, or a bridge between a photo and a private/internal place record.

The API contains only public photos. Deleted or unavailable photos are excluded.

License and attribution

Fotoshi STAC items are published under CC BY 4.0. Preserve contributor attribution and identify Fotoshi as the source when using images or derived data.

Scope

This is Fotoshi's public developer API. Account, upload, moderation, and operational APIs are authenticated and are not part of this public interface.