• DATA
  • TRENDS
  • REPORTS
  • HUMAN

How to track economic activity proxies with your AI

Connect this MCP to your AI client to access experimental traffic camera feeds. Your agent then handles the data retrieval and analysis for you.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How do I use traffic data to track economic activity?

Your agent uses the get_traffic_activity tool to pull live vehicle counts and density from UK ONS traffic cameras. This lets you spot real-time changes in commercial or consumer movement. You'll see the specific data points and trends that follow.

The results.

Where your insights land.

The AI processes raw camera feeds into these specific outcomes.

DATA

Live activity feeds

The AI pulls vehicle counts and flow rates from specific camera locations. You get the raw numbers needed for your models.

TRENDS

Movement shifts

Your agent compares current traffic volume against historical baselines. This highlights sudden spikes or drops in activity.

REPORTS

Proxy summaries

The AI turns camera data into text summaries of economic movement. These act as early warning signals for business activity.

HUMAN

Strategic decisions

The AI provides the data, but you make the final calls. You decide how to act on the economic signals provided.

The workflow

What your AI does when the data arrives.

The AI handles the heavy lifting of querying and interpreting the ONS feeds.

  1. Fetch camera data

    The agent queries the ONS database for specific traffic camera locations you want to monitor.

    get_traffic_activity

  2. Analyze flow

    Your AI looks at vehicle volume and density to determine if movement is increasing or decreasing.

    get_traffic_activity

  3. Identify anomalies

    The agent flags unusual patterns in the traffic data that deviate from the norm.

    get_traffic_activity

  4. Summarize findings

    The AI converts the raw numbers into a readable report on economic movement.

    get_traffic_activity

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off your analysis.

Starting points

Replace the bracketed locations with the specific UK regions or camera IDs you want to monitor.

UK ONS Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_t6iRWNzEukKgcf7FJu50KCv0HInxKcx0ZfjquF1K/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — UK ONS capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "uk-ons-trade-international-trade-business-activity-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_t6iRWNzEukKgcf7FJu50KCv0HInxKcx0ZfjquF1K/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Get the latest traffic activity for the M25 corridor to check for changes in commercial movement.

  • Compare today's traffic density at the London port cameras against last week's average.

  • Are there any sudden drops in vehicle activity near the major retail hubs in Manchester?

  • Summarize the traffic flow trends for the last 24 hours using the ONS camera data.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect UK ONS Trade once, then ask.

One connection links your AI client to the ONS data. Your credentials stay encrypted and secure on our side.

Connect UK ONS Trade to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves.

  • 01

    Can the AI change the traffic camera settings?

    No. The AI can only read data from the cameras using the provided tools.

  • 02

    Does the AI automatically send reports to my email?

    No. The AI generates the analysis within your chat interface. You must manually move the data if you want it emailed.

  • 03

    How real-time is the traffic data?

    The data depends on the update frequency of the ONS traffic camera feeds.

  • 04

    Can I use this to track specific license plates?

    No. The tool provides aggregate traffic activity and density, not individual vehicle identification.

  • 05

    Can the AI predict future traffic for next month?

    The AI can analyze historical trends to suggest patterns, but it cannot predict the future with certainty.

  • More questions about UK ONS Trade? The Connector page answers them. See everything the UK ONS Trade Connector can do

Connect UK ONS to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more