# mcp-civic-data
**Access free government and open data APIs through Claude**
[](LICENSE)
[](#-tool-catalog)
[](#-included-apis)
[](https://python.org)
[Quick Start](#-quick-start) | [Tool Catalog](#-tool-catalog) | [Configuration](#-configuration) | [Examples](#-examples)
---
## š What is this?
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives Claude access to **7 free government and open data APIs** - weather forecasts, census demographics, NASA imagery, economic indicators, and more. No API keys required for most features.
> Part of the [Claude Code Plugin Marketplace](https://github.com/EricGrill/agents-skills-plugins) ecosystem.
---
## š Quick Start
**Add to Claude Desktop:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"civic-data": {
"command": "python",
"args": ["-m", "mcp_govt_api"],
"env": {
"OPENWEATHER_API_KEY": "optional-for-global-weather",
"NASA_API_KEY": "optional-for-higher-limits"
}
}
}
}
```
**Or install manually:**
```bash
pip install mcp-civic-data
```
---
## š” Included APIs
| API | Coverage | Key Required |
|-----|----------|--------------|
| **NOAA Weather** | US forecasts, alerts, radar | No |
| **OpenWeather** | Global weather conditions | Yes |
| **US Census** | Population, demographics, housing | No |
| **NASA** | APOD, Mars rovers, image library | No (optional) |
| **World Bank** | GDP, poverty, country indicators | No |
| **Data.gov** | 300,000+ US government datasets | No |
| **EU Open Data** | European Union datasets | No |
---
## š” Why Use This?
| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **Zero config** | Works immediately - most APIs need no keys |
| **Graceful fallback** | Missing keys? Those tools just won't appear |
| **Real data** | Live government sources, not cached or stale |
| **22 tools** | From quick lookups to raw API access |
| **Well-documented** | Every tool has clear parameters and examples |
---
## š¦ Tool Catalog
| Category | Tools | What You Can Do |
|----------|-------|-----------------|
| **Weather** | 5 | US forecasts, alerts, global conditions |
| **Census** | 4 | Population, demographics, housing stats |
| **NASA** | 4 | Astronomy photos, Mars rovers, image search |
| **Economics** | 3 | Country GDP, poverty, comparisons |
| **Data.gov** | 3 | Search/explore US government datasets |
| **EU Data** | 3 | Search/explore European datasets |
---
## š§ All Tools
### Weather (NOAA + OpenWeather)
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_weather_forecast` | 7-day forecast for US coordinates |
| `get_weather_alerts` | Active alerts by state (CA, TX, NY...) |
| `get_global_weather` | Current weather for any city worldwide |
| `query_noaa` | Raw NOAA API access |
| `query_openweather` | Raw OpenWeather API access |
### US Census
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_population` | Population by state or county |
| `get_demographics` | Age, race, income breakdown |
| `get_housing_stats` | Home values, rent, vacancy rates |
| `query_census` | Raw Census API with custom variables |
### NASA
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_astronomy_photo` | Astronomy Picture of the Day |
| `get_mars_rover_photos` | Curiosity, Perseverance photos |
| `search_nasa_images` | Search NASA's image/video library |
| `query_nasa` | Raw NASA API access |
### World Bank Economics
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `get_country_indicators` | GDP, population, poverty for any country |
| `compare_countries` | Compare indicators across countries |
| `query_worldbank` | Raw World Bank API access |
### Data.gov
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `search_datasets` | Search 300,000+ US government datasets |
| `get_dataset_info` | Metadata and download links |
| `query_datagov` | Raw CKAN API access |
### EU Open Data
| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `search_eu_datasets` | Search European Union datasets |
| `get_eu_dataset_info` | Dataset details and distributions |
| `query_eu_data` | Raw EU Data Portal API access |
---
## āļø Configuration
### Environment Variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|----------|----------|-------------|
| `OPENWEATHER_API_KEY` | For global weather | [Get free key](https://openweathermap.org/api) |
| `NASA_API_KEY` | Optional | Higher rate limits (1000/hr vs 30/hr) |
| `API_TIMEOUT` | Optional | Request timeout in seconds (default: 30) |
### API Availability on Startup
```
API Availability:
ā NOAA (no key required)
ā Census (no key required)
ā NASA (no key, limited to 30 req/hour)
ā OpenWeather (OPENWEATHER_API_KEY not set)
ā World Bank (no key required)
ā Data.gov (no key required)
ā EU Open Data (no key required)
```
---
## š Examples
### Get weather forecast
```
"What's the weather forecast for Washington DC?"
ā Uses get_weather_forecast(38.8894, -77.0352)
```
### Check demographics
```
"What's the population and median income in California?"
ā Uses get_demographics("CA")
```
### Explore Mars
```
"Show me recent photos from the Perseverance rover"
ā Uses get_mars_rover_photos(rover="perseverance")
```
### Compare economies
```
"Compare GDP between USA, China, and India"
ā Uses compare_countries(["USA", "CHN", "IND"])
```
### Find government data
```
"Find datasets about climate change on Data.gov"
ā Uses search_datasets("climate change")
```
---
## šļø Development
```bash
# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/EricGrill/mcp-civic-data.git
cd mcp-civic-data
pip install -e .
# Run locally
python -m mcp_govt_api
```
---
## š¤ Contributing
1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing`)
3. Commit changes (`git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'`)
4. Push to branch (`git push origin feature/amazing`)
5. Open a Pull Request
---
## š License
MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
---
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