✈️ IATA-Geo-Core: MCP Aviation Distance Engine

IATA-Geo-Core is a high-precision Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed for aviation-specific geospatial calculations. It provides a reliable interface for AI agents to query airport information and calculate Great Circle distances between thousands of commercial airports globally using 3-letter IATA codes.

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🌟 Key Features

• FFP Industry Standard: Calculates distances in Statute Miles, the universal standard for Airline Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) accruals.
• Curated Dataset: Powered by a refined database of 4,000+ active commercial airports (Large, Medium, and Scheduled Service hubs).
• Precision Math: Implements the Haversine Formula for accurate spherical distance calculation.
• MCP Native: Built to integrate seamlessly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible AI environments.

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📂 Project Structure

IATA-Geo-Core/
├── data/               # Refined airport database (iata_geo_core.csv)
├── scripts/            # Core logic (calculator.py, refine_data.py)
├── mcp_server.py       # MCP Server entry point (STDIO transport)
└── README.md           # Documentation

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🛠️ Installation & Data Setup

1. Initialize Environment

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install mcp pandas

2. Generate Core Data

Run the refinement script to fetch and process the latest global airport data:

python3 scripts/refine_data.py

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🚀 Claude Desktop Configuration

To enable these tools in Claude Desktop, add the following entry to your configuration file:

File Path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iata-geo-core": {
      "command": "/Users/<YOUR_USERNAME>/Documents/IATA-Geo-Core/.venv/bin/python3",
      "args": [
        "/Users/<YOUR_USERNAME>/Documents/IATA-Geo-Core/mcp_server.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/Users/<YOUR_USERNAME>/Documents/IATA-Geo-Core"
      }
    }
  }
}

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🔧 Tools Provided

get_airport_distance

Calculates the Great Circle distance between two airports.

• Input: origin (e.g., "PEK"), destination (e.g., "JFK").
• Returns: Distance in statute miles (float).
• Example Query: "How many miles from London Heathrow to Singapore Changi?"

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📐 Technical Specifications

• Algorithm: Haversine Formula.
• Earth Radius ($r$): Using $3958.8$ miles (Mean radius).
• Formula:

$$d = 2r \arcsin\left(\sqrt{\sin^2\left(\frac{\Delta\phi}{2}\right) + \cos\phi_1 \cos\phi_2 \sin^2\left(\frac{\Delta\lambda}{2}\right)}\right)$$

• Data Source: Refined from OurAirports Open Data.

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📜 License

MIT License. Created for the AeroAccrual Ecosystem.