GeoTap MCP Server

Connect Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and other AI tools to 80+ US federal environmental and infrastructure data sources.

GeoTap aggregates data from FEMA, USGS, EPA, NOAA, USDA, USFWS, DOT, Census, and more — accessible through the MCP (Model Context Protocol).

Web App: geotapdata.com — no code required, draw on a map and explore data visually.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later) — download here
• An email address to register for your API key

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Go to geotapdata.com/developers and register with your email to get a free API key.

Your API key will be sent to your email. Save it — you'll need it in the next step.

Step 2: Set Up the MCP Server

Choose your AI tool below and follow the instructions. The MCP server is installed automatically via npx — no manual download needed.

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<details open> <summary><strong>Claude Desktop</strong></summary>

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Developer → Edit Config
3. This opens your claude_desktop_config.json file. Add the following (replace your-api-key-here with your actual key):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geotap": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "geotap-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GEOTAP_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Config file location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

4. Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen)
5. You should see a hammer icon (🔨) in the chat input — that means GeoTap is connected

</details>

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<details> <summary><strong>Claude Code (CLI)</strong></summary>

Run this command to add GeoTap to your Claude Code MCP servers:

claude mcp add geotap -- npx -y geotap-mcp-server

Then set your API key as an environment variable. Add this to your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, etc.):

export GEOTAP_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Restart your terminal, then start Claude Code. GeoTap tools will be available automatically.

</details>

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<details> <summary><strong>Cursor</strong></summary>

1. Open Cursor
2. Go to Settings (⌘ + , on Mac, Ctrl + , on Windows) → search for "MCP"
3. Click "Edit in settings.json" or add to your .cursor/mcp.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geotap": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "geotap-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GEOTAP_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Restart Cursor
5. Open the AI chat panel — GeoTap tools will appear in the available tools list

</details>

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<details> <summary><strong>Windsurf</strong></summary>

1. Open Windsurf
2. Go to Settings → MCP Servers (or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json directly)
3. Add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "geotap": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "geotap-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GEOTAP_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Restart Windsurf

</details>

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<details> <summary><strong>Other MCP-Compatible Clients</strong></summary>

For any MCP client, the server can be run directly:

# Install globally
npm install -g geotap-mcp-server

# Run with your API key
GEOTAP_API_KEY=your-api-key-here geotap-mcp

The server communicates over stdio — point your MCP client to the geotap-mcp command with the GEOTAP_API_KEY environment variable set.

</details>

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Step 3: Start Asking Questions

Once connected, ask your AI assistant to pull data for any US site. GeoTap collects from all 80+ federal sources at once — just give it a location and then ask whatever you want:

"Collect site data for 123 Main St, Austin TX"

Once the data comes back (~60-120 seconds), you can ask follow-up questions like:

• "Is this site in a flood zone?"
• "What soil types are here and what's the curve number?"
• "Are there any contamination concerns nearby?"
• "What's the 100-year rainfall?"
• "What permits would I need to develop this site?"
• "Summarize the key environmental risks"

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Server won't start / "GEOTAP_API_KEY is required"	Make sure your API key is set in the env block of your MCP config
"npx: command not found"	Install Node.js (v18+), which includes npx
Tools don't appear in Claude Desktop	Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit + reopen, not just close the window)
Rate limit errors	Wait a moment and retry — burst limits are per-minute

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Data Sources

Agency	Data Available
FEMA	Flood zones, FIRM panels, flood insurance rate maps, floodway boundaries
USGS	Elevation (3DEP at 1m/10m/30m), geology, streamgages, groundwater, land use (NLCD), StreamStats, National Streamflow Statistics (NSS)
EPA	Water quality (ATTAINS), Superfund sites, brownfields, TRI toxic releases, USTs, NPDES outfalls
NOAA	Rainfall (Atlas 14), IDF curves, tide stations, climate projections (CMIP6), weather stations, radar
USDA/NRCS	Soils (SSURGO), curve numbers, hydrologic soil groups, TR-55 parameters
USFWS	Wetlands (NWI), endangered species, critical habitat
DOT	Bridges, tunnels, National Bridge Inventory
Census	Demographics, boundaries, TIGER geographic data
USACE	Dams, levees, navigation channels
NHD	Stream flowlines, hydrography, watershed boundaries (HUC-8/10/12)
Other	Power plants, mines, tribal lands, building footprints, and more

Every response includes source attribution — the federal agency, dataset name, and reference URL.

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Configuration

Variable	Description	Required
GEOTAP_API_KEY	Your API key from registration	Yes
GEOTAP_API_URL	Custom API endpoint (advanced)	No

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Use Cases

Civil & Environmental Engineering

• Stormwater design: rainfall (Atlas 14, IDF curves, hyetographs), curve numbers, time of concentration, peak discharge
• Flood analysis: Bulletin 17C flood frequency, flow duration curves, regional regression estimates
• Watershed delineation and hydrologic modeling inputs (HEC-HMS, SWMM)
• Low-flow analysis for NPDES permits (7Q10, 7Q2, harmonic mean flow)
• Climate-adjusted design storms for infrastructure resilience

Real Estate & Development

• Environmental due diligence for property transactions
• Site feasibility and developability scoring (0-100 scale)
• Flood zone, wetland, and contamination screening
• Permit pathway analysis (Section 404, NPDES, floodplain development)

Environmental Consulting

• Phase I ESA desktop data gathering (EPA sites, water quality)
• Wetland delineation support (NWI + soils + hydrology)
• Endangered species habitat screening (USFWS critical habitat)
• Water quality impairment assessment (EPA ATTAINS 303(d) list)

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Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or pull request.

License

MIT

Links

• Web App: geotapdata.com
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• npm: geotap-mcp-server