8  API

ImportantSuperseded by direct querying + calcofi4r helpers

The Postgres-backed Plumber API at api.calcofi.io is being phased out. CalCOFI data is now published as versioned, public Parquet files that you query directly with DuckDB — no API server, no credentials, no rate limits.

  • To query the data directly (SQL, R, Python), see Data Access.
  • For biological ↔︎ environmental matching (the old zooplankton_biomass, itis_ichthyodata and ichthyodata endpoints), see Matching Helpers — the calcofi4r functions cc_match_zooplankton_biomass(), cc_match_ichthyo_by_taxon() and cc_match_ichthyo_by_name().

The endpoint notes below are retained as a historical reference and a map from each API endpoint to its replacement.

TipTry the new client-side query playground

The three retired bio↔︎env endpoints — and many more queries besides — are now an interactive form at calcofi.io/query/ that runs entirely in your browser. Pick a query from the left-side accordion, fill the form, click Run, see the rows — no server, no credentials, no install. DuckDB-WASM in a worker thread, public Parquet on Google Cloud Storage, the same portable SQL the calcofi4r::cc_match_*() helpers emit.

The raw interface to the legacy Application Programming Interface (API) is available at:

8.1 Endpoint → replacement

Legacy endpoint R helper (calcofi4r) Browser
/variables cc_list_measurement_types() Query → measurement types
/timeseries direct SQL aggregation — see Data Access Query → SQL shell
/cruises cc_read_cruise() Query → cruises
/raster direct SQL + pts_to_rast_idw() —
/cruise_lines, /cruise_line_profile direct SQL against ctd_cast / ctd_thin Query → SQL shell
zooplankton_biomass cc_match_zooplankton_biomass() Query → zoo biomass
itis_ichthyodata cc_match_ichthyo_by_taxon() Query → by taxon
ichthyodata cc_match_ichthyo_by_name() Query → by name

8.2 Legacy endpoint reference

8.2.1 /variables: get list of variables for timeseries

Get list of variables for use in /timeseries.

8.2.2 /species_groups: get species groups for larvae

Not yet working. Get list of species groups for use with variables larvae_counts.count in /timeseries.

8.2.3 /timeseries: get time series data

8.2.4 /cruises: get list of cruises

Get list of cruises with summary stats as CSV table for time (date_beg).

8.2.5 /raster: get raster map of variable

Get raster of variable.

8.2.6 /cruise_lines: get station lines from cruises

Get station lines from cruises (with more than one cast).

8.2.7 /cruise_line_profile

Get profile at depths for given variable of casts along line of stations.