Smithsonian Open Access by Smithsonian Institution
CC0 Smithsonian collection records and 3D models, with a REST API (api.data.gov key) and an alpha 3D API.
Rules for your agent
Copied.
- Smithsonian Open Access (Open and public-domain media, 3D models). CC0 Smithsonian collection records and 3D models, with a REST API (api.data.gov key) and an alpha 3D API. Price: free; commercial use with conditions; no credit needed; ship inside your app with conditions. Connect: API docs https://edan.si.edu/openaccess/apidocs/ (API key needed). Limits: api.data.gov key limits apply (figures not stated on the page read). Rule: Use only items marked CC0; check each media item's usage rights. Rule: Get an API key from api.data.gov. License: https://www.si.edu/openaccess (checked 2026-10-10; details: https://agentgid.com/assets/smithsonian-open-access/)
Paste it into your prompt or AGENTS.md. It is built from the license and API terms below.
License
| License | CC0 (Open Access content) |
|---|---|
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions |
| Credit | No credit needed |
| Inside your app or game | Ship inside your app with conditions |
| Monetized YouTube | Monetized YouTube with conditions |
| AI training | Not stated |
| Bots and bulk downloads | Not stated |
| Rules |
|
Connect it to an agent
| MCP server | None found |
|---|---|
| API | API docs · key needed |
| Limits | api.data.gov key limits apply (figures not stated on the page read). |
| GitHub | Smithsonian/smithsonian-openaccess |
Pricing
| Free | Free; free API key. |
|---|---|
| Paid from | — |
| Usage price | — |
| Good to know | Metadata moved to the AWS Registry of Open Data; the GitHub metadata repo is archived. The 3D API (3d-api.si.edu) is labeled alpha. Official Python module is Apache-2.0. |
Sources
Read on Oct 10, 2026: github.com/Smithsonian/OpenAccess, github.com/Smithsonian/smithsonian-openaccess.
Seen only in search results of official pages (not opened): www.si.edu/openaccess/devtools, www.si.edu/openaccess/updates/21st-century-diffusion, 3d.si.edu/open-source-resources.
Not confirmed: si.edu and 3d.si.edu returned 403 and the API docs render client-side; count of 3D models (2,200+ via search).
Not legal advice. Check the license page before you ship.
Alternatives to Smithsonian Open Access
| Pick for your agent | Source | Price | License | Monetized YouTube | Agent access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonkite Free API and MCP server that searches openly licensed images across Openverse, NASA and three museums, returning license and credit lines. |
Free | Commercial: conditions Credit varies | With conditions | MCP API | |
| Icosa Gallery Open-source community 3D gallery with a public REST API and per-asset Creative Commons licenses. |
Free | Commercial: conditions Credit varies | — | API | |
| NASA Image and Video Library NASA images, video and audio, generally not copyrighted in the US, with a keyless search API. |
Free | Commercial: conditions Credit required | With conditions | API | |
| Openverse Search engine and API for openly licensed and public-domain images and audio. |
Free | Commercial: conditions Credit varies No bots | Unclear | API | |
| Wikimedia Commons Free media repository of photos, SVGs, video and audio under per-file free licenses, with the MediaWiki API. |
Free | Commercial: conditions Credit varies | With conditions | API | |
| NASA 3D Resources Free NASA 3D models, with a GitHub mirror (nasa/NASA-3D-Resources); no API. |
Free | Commercial: conditions Credit required | — | Download |