Www Nps Gov

NPS Visitor Spending Effects (VSE) API Access Skill

Overview

This skill provides programmatic access to the National Park Service's Visitor Spending Effects (VSE) data through the IRMA Services API. The VSE program measures the economic impact of visitor spending on local, state, and national economies.

Data Available

Economic Metrics

• Jobs: Number of jobs supported by visitor spending
• Visitor Spending: Total non-local visitor spending in dollars
• Labor Income: Wages, salaries, and employee benefits
• Value Added: Contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Economic Output: Total economic activity generated

Spending Sectors (detailed view)

• Camping
• Gas
• Groceries
• Lodging
• Recreation Industries
• Restaurants
• Retail
• Transportation (local)
• Other

Functions

get_national_data

Get USA-wide cumulative economic impact data.

Parameters:

• year (optional, default: 2024): Year of data, 2012-2024
• metric (optional): Filter by specific metric

Example:

{
  "function": "get_national_data",
  "year": 2023
}

get_state_data

Get detailed economic impact data for a specific state.

Parameters:

• state_code (required): 2-letter state code (e.g., "CA", "TX", "NY")
• year (optional, default: 2024): Year of data, 2012-2024
• metric (optional): Filter by specific metric

Example:

{
  "function": "get_state_data",
  "state_code": "CA",
  "year": 2022
}

get_all_states

Get summary economic impact data for all states and territories.

Parameters:

• year (optional, default: 2024): Year of data, 2012-2024

Example:

{
  "function": "get_all_states",
  "year": 2024
}

get_park_data

Get detailed economic impact data for a specific NPS unit.

Parameters:

• park_code (required): 4-letter park code (e.g., "YELL", "YOSE", "GRCA")
• year (optional, default: 2024): Year of data, 2012-2024
• metric (optional): Filter by specific metric

Example:

{
  "function": "get_park_data",
  "park_code": "YELL",
  "year": 2023
}

get_all_parks

Get summary economic impact data for all NPS units (parks, monuments, historic sites, etc.).

Parameters:

• year (optional, default: 2024): Year of data, 2012-2024

Example:

{
  "function": "get_all_parks",
  "year": 2023
}

search_parks

Search for parks by name or code and return their economic data.

Parameters:

• query (required): Search string (matches park name or code)
• year (optional, default: 2024): Year of data, 2012-2024
• limit (optional, default: 20): Maximum number of results

Example:

{
  "function": "search_parks",
  "query": "yellow",
  "year": 2024
}

get_available_years

Get list of years for which VSE data is available.

Example:

{
  "function": "get_available_years"
}

Response Structure

Summary Data (all_parks, all_states)

{
  "query_time": "2024-01-15T12:00:00Z",
  "processing_time_ms": 150.5,
  "count": 402,
  "data": [
    {
      "park_name": "Yellowstone",
      "park_code": "YELL",
      "unit_type": "National Park",
      "latitude": 44.428,
      "longitude": -110.5885,
      "jobs": 8539.0,
      "visitor_spending": 642964000.0,
      "value_added": 776000000.0,
      "labor_income": 320000000.0,
      "economic_output": 1000000000.0,
      "analysis_year": 2024
    }
  ]
}

Detailed Data (single park/state/nation)

{
  "query_time": "2024-01-15T12:00:00Z",
  "processing_time_ms": 380.2,
  "data": {
    "name": "Yellowstone",
    "code": "YELL",
    "unit_type": "National Park",
    "year": 2024,
    "footnotes": [],
    "metrics_by_category": {
      "Economic Output": {
        "Camping": 23165043.0,
        "Gas": 11204785.0,
        "Groceries": 11877443.0,
        "Lodging": 237727179.0,
        "Recreation Industries": 80617588.0,
        "Restaurants": 124597294.0,
        "Retail": 33890187.0
      },
      "Jobs": {
        "Camping": 349.0,
        "Gas": 169.0,
        ...
      }
    }
  }
}

Common Park Codes

Data Source

Data is sourced from the NPS IRMA Services API:

• Base URL: https://irmaservices.nps.gov/vseapi
• API Version: v4
• Documentation: https://irmaservices.nps.gov/vseapi/swagger

Notes

• Data is available for years 2012-2024
• Economic values are in US dollars
• Job counts represent full-time equivalent (FTE) positions
• All data is estimated using the MGM2 economic impact model
• Park unit types include National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas, etc.

Use Cases

• Analyze economic contribution of parks to local economies
• Compare visitor spending across parks or states
• Track economic trends over time
• Research tourism impact on gateway communities
• Support park planning and management decisions
• Calculate return on investment for park infrastructure