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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

Data Sources

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

Configuration

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)

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or pull request.

License

MIT

Links

• Web App: geotapdata.com

• Issues: GitHub Issues

• npm: geotap-mcp-server