The University of Graz has made a free web service available for calculating greenhouse gas emissions in the field of mobility. The service is freely available to all organisations, institutions and private individuals and can be used after registering at https://carbontracer.uni-graz.at. Once they have registered, users receive a unique API key that is required to retrieve data via the web service. The API key can be changed at any time in the user portal and a certain quota of queries per minute or per day is available for each API key. The precise quotas can be found in these Terms of Use or on the website. An overview of the quotas used is available for each user in the user portal.
The web service allows greenhouse gas emissions to be calculated for the following modes of transport (types):
In addition, the web service also provides a geocoding function, which is based both on the town/city or location level as well as on the address level:
Registration at https://carbontracer.uni-graz.at is required for use of the web service. Once registered, each user receives a unique API key that can be used to execute queries. Only one account can be registered per e-mail address.
Use of the web service is limited. A maximum of 40 requests per minute can be made with each valid API key. The daily query limit (from 00:00 to 23:59) is limited to 2,000 requests.
If there are multiple e-mail addresses registered for the same domain (e.g. @uni-graz.at), the operators of the web service reserve the right to block individual e-mail addresses or to restrict the quotas.
Any requests that exceed the quota will result in a corresponding error message. If requests are made on a regular basis that significantly exceed the quota, these accounts will be blocked by the web service operators.
Please contact the web service operators if the quota available is not adequate for your specifications.
Use of the service is free of charge. An active internet connection is required in order to use the service. This may result in additional charges for users depending on the applicable tariff and internet quotas.
The web service and the features are constantly undergoing further development and any bug fixes are implemented on a continuous basis. Notification of planned maintenance windows is provided with a lead time of at least one week. The service may also only be available to a limited extent or may be offline without prior notice in the event of urgent maintenance work or updates that are absolutely necessary. It is possible that the web service may not return a valid response during these periods.
The operators of the service will endeavour to ensure that these maintenance windows are as short as possible.
The web service is based on data and services that are to the greatest extent freely available. These include in particular the following:
1. OpenStreetMap (https://www.openstreetmap.org/)All pathways and hubs required to calculate and display the route are provided based on OpenStreetMap. Data related to train travel was uploaded to the server once with this before being calculated. Data resulting from these calculations is stored locally on the server in a database. Road travel data is loaded directly from the server from a local Docker instance.
2. OpenRouteService (ORS) (https://openrouteservice.org)The ORS routing engine is operated locally on the server via a Docker instance. Requests are processed locally by the server.
3. Geonames (https://www.geonames.org)Data sets for all major towns, cities and locations are stored locally on the server and processed to enable structured request options. Requests are processed locally on the server.
4. Pelias (https://github.com/pelias/pelias)Pelias is an opensource geocoder and is operated locally on the server via a Docking instance. The encoder enables geocoding at the address level
Based on the data, services and information listed under point f., calculations are made regarding distances travelled, greenhouse gas emissions and routing via rail and air travel.
The start and destination addresses for calculating the route can be submitted to the web service in different formats (see API description for details):
Text entries (see point a.) are translated internally into geocoordinates using an internal geocoder and may not deliver the results expected. The operators do not therefore accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the translation.
The web service provides the following internal calculations
1. Routing via air travelCalculations for the flight route were developed in-house and are based on the “great-circle distance” formula.
2. Routing via rail travelCalculations for the rail route were developed in-house and are based on the data sets from OpenStreetMap. The only check made here is whether a corresponding route is possible for the train service, but not whether corresponding trains and/or connections also exist. The operators cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy of these calculations.
3. Route calculation in generalCorresponding routes are calculated depending on the mode of transport selected (train, plane, road). In addition to the calculated distance, individual waypoints (latitude and longitude) are also provided so that the route can also be displayed if required.
4. Greenhouse gas emissionsGreenhouse gas emission values are stored depending on the mode of transport selected. These are multiplied by the routing result (see point 3) and made available (in kg). In the case of routing via rail travel, the greenhouse gas emissions stored differ depending on the country.
5. GeocodingThe web service provides a geocoding function for the internal translation as well as verification of the place names and/or addresses stated. The algorithm for translating address data and/or names of towns and cities was developed in-house and may not provide the results expected.
The web service was developed by the university and is therefore also protected by copyright. By using this service, employees undertake to comply with the applicable legal provisions, in particular the copyright and data protection regulations applicable in each case.
The HR Applications department and the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change use their best efforts to operate the web service with maximum care. No guarantee is provided that the web service will operate continuously and without interruption. The University of Graz also assumes no liability in this regard. Furthermore, the University of Graz does not assume any liability for the confidentiality, availability or integrity of the data stored.
The university will be indemnified and held harmless in relation to the users for any damage caused by them or in the event that claims are made against the university by third parties. This also applies to the costs of any possible prosecution.
The university makes no guarantees regarding the availability, reliability, functionality or suitability of the web service for your purposes. This also includes any damage or harm that may arise in a random or consequential manner from downloading or using the content. The university assumes liability solely for disruptions to services and damage to the hardware or software used by the users that arise or are caused by grossly negligent and intentional breaches of duty. The university assumes no liability for the loss of data.
The university reserves the right to modify these Terms of Use at any time without providing any reasons for doing so. The modifications will be marked clearly in the text.