UK Data for Agents

air_quality_stations_near

Read-onlyIdempotent

Lists the official Defra AURN air quality monitoring sites near a UK point, nearest first, with the headline pollutants each currently measures (NO2, ozone, PM2.5, PM10). Every UK-AIR station id is checked against its latest reading and marked current, not_reporting or retired, so you know which id to pass to air_pollutant_history; sites with only retired records are left out. A starting point for "where is air pollution measured near me" for residents, schools, researchers and property buyers. Covers only the national automatic network, not local council diffusion tubes or low-cost sensors. (cost: 1 credit)

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "air_quality_stations_near"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`lat`	No	number, required, latitude (UK, 49 to 61)
`lon`	No	number, required, longitude (UK, -9 to 2.5)
`limit`	No	integer, optional, most sites to return, default 10, max 10
`radius_km`	No	number, optional, search radius in km, default 10, max 50

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

AddedNov 5, 2026

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover safety (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, openWorld), so the bar is lower, yet the description still adds real behavior: each id is checked against its latest reading and tagged current/not_reporting/retired, and retired-only sites are excluded from results. It also discloses the credit cost, which no annotation conveys.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose and ordering are front-loaded, followed by the status-tagging mechanism, the sibling hand-off, and audience framing. It is dense but each clause carries information; the audience list ('residents, schools, researchers and property buyers') is the one mildly expendable element.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With no output schema, the description carries the return-shape burden and does so: it names the station id, current status values, and pollutants covered. Coverage limits and cost are also stated, so an agent has everything needed to call it and interpret the result correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, with lat/lon ranges, limit default 10/max 10, and radius default 10/max 50 all documented in the schema. The description adds only the implicit notion of nearest-first ordering from the point; it contributes no extra meaning about limit or radius trade-offs beyond the schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Lists the official Defra AURN air quality monitoring sites near a UK point') plus ordering ('nearest first') and payload ('headline pollutants each currently measures'). It also scopes the source network explicitly, which separates it from generic pollution-index or single-pollutant siblings.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives an explicit downstream use ('so you know which id to pass to air_pollutant_history') and an audience framing for 'where is air pollution measured near me'. It also states a when-not: only the national automatic network, not local council diffusion tubes or low-cost sensors. It stops short of contrasting with the closest sibling, air_quality_index_near, leaving the agent to infer station-discovery vs index-value.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All UK Data for Agents tools Inspect

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