Part of the Swiss Public Data MCP Portfolio

swisstopo-mcp

MCP server for Swiss federal geodata -- maps, elevation, geocoding, cadastral extracts, and downloadable datasets via Swisstopo APIs

Deutsche Version

Overview

swisstopo-mcp gives AI assistants access to Switzerland's official geodata infrastructure through 13 tools across 6 API families, all without authentication:

Anchor demo query: "What land-use restrictions apply to the parcel at Musterstrasse 5, Zurich? Show me the location on a map."

Features

• 🗺️ 13 tools across 6 API families (REST, Geocoding, Height, STAC, WMTS, OEREB)
• 🔍 Geocode Swiss addresses and reverse-geocode coordinates
• 🏔️ Query elevation and compute elevation profiles
• 📦 Discover and download geodatasets (orthophotos, 3D buildings, historical maps)
• 🏗️ Identify map features at coordinates across 500+ Swisstopo layers
• 🔗 Generate shareable map.geo.admin.ch links
• 📋 Look up cadastral property IDs (EGRID) and retrieve OEREB extracts
• 🔓 No API key required for 11 of 13 tools
• ☁️ Dual transport -- stdio (Claude Desktop) + Streamable HTTP (cloud)

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• uv (recommended) or pip

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/malkreide/swisstopo-mcp.git
cd swisstopo-mcp

# Install
pip install -e .
# or with uv:
uv pip install -e .

Or with uvx (no permanent installation):

uvx swisstopo-mcp

Quickstart

# stdio (for Claude Desktop)
python -m swisstopo_mcp.server

# Streamable HTTP (port 8000)
python -m swisstopo_mcp.server --http --port 8000

Try it immediately in Claude Desktop:

"Where is Bahnhofstrasse 1, Zurich? Give me the coordinates." "What is the elevation at the Uetliberg summit?" "What buildings are at coordinates 2683500, 1247500 (LV95)?"

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "swisstopo": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "swisstopo_mcp.server"]
    }
  }
}

Or with uvx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "swisstopo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["swisstopo-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Config file locations: - macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Cloud Deployment (SSE for browser access)

For use via claude.ai in the browser (e.g. on managed workstations without local software):

Render.com (recommended): 1. Push/fork the repository to GitHub 2. On render.com: New Web Service -> connect GitHub repo 3. Set start command: python -m swisstopo_mcp.server --http --port 8000 4. In claude.ai under Settings -> MCP Servers, add: https://your-app.onrender.com/sse

Available Tools

REST API (Layer & Feature Queries)

Geocoding

Height Service

STAC Catalog (Geodata Downloads)

WMTS (Map URLs)

OEREB Cadastre

Example Use Cases

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────────────┐
│   Claude / AI   │────▶│  swisstopo-mcp               │────▶│  Swisstopo REST API      │
│   (MCP Host)    │◀────│  (MCP Server)                │◀────│  api3.geo.admin.ch       │
└─────────────────┘     │                              │     ├──────────────────────────┤
                        │  13 Tools                    │────▶│  Geocoding               │
                        │  Stdio | Streamable HTTP     │◀────│  api3.geo.admin.ch       │
                        │                              │     ├──────────────────────────┤
                        │  No authentication required  │────▶│  STAC Catalog            │
                        │  (11 of 13 tools)            │◀────│  data.geo.admin.ch       │
                        │                              │     ├──────────────────────────┤
                        │                              │────▶│  OEREB Cadastre          │
                        │                              │◀────│  (cantonal endpoints)    │
                        └──────────────────────────────┘     └──────────────────────────┘

Project Structure

swisstopo-mcp/
├── src/swisstopo_mcp/
│   ├── __init__.py              # Package version
│   ├── server.py                # MCP server wiring (tool registrations)
│   ├── api_client.py            # Shared HTTP client (httpx + error handling)
│   ├── geocoding.py             # swisstopo_geocode, swisstopo_reverse_geocode
│   ├── rest_api.py              # swisstopo_search_layers, identify, find, get_feature
│   ├── height.py                # swisstopo_get_height, swisstopo_elevation_profile
│   ├── stac.py                  # swisstopo_search_geodata, swisstopo_get_collection
│   ├── wmts.py                  # swisstopo_map_url
│   └── oereb.py                 # swisstopo_get_egrid, swisstopo_get_oereb_extract
├── tests/
│   ├── test_api_client.py
│   ├── test_geocoding.py
│   ├── test_height.py
│   ├── test_oereb.py
│   ├── test_rest_api.py
│   ├── test_stac.py
│   └── test_wmts.py
├── .github/workflows/ci.yml     # GitHub Actions (Python 3.11/3.12/3.13)
├── pyproject.toml
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── LICENSE
├── README.md                    # This file (English)
└── README.de.md                 # German version

Known Limitations

• OEREB tools require a canton parameter; not all cantons expose the same API format
• STAC catalog uses Swisstopo's v0.9 endpoint; some collections may lack complete metadata
• Geocoding covers Swiss addresses only (no Liechtenstein)
• Rate limits are enforced by Swisstopo; high-frequency usage may be throttled

Testing

# Unit tests (no network required)
pytest tests/ -m "not live"

# Integration tests (live API calls)
pytest tests/ -m "live"

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md

License

MIT License -- see LICENSE

Data provided by swisstopo under Open Government Data terms.

Author

Hayal Oezkan · malkreide

Credits & Related Projects

• Swisstopo: www.swisstopo.admin.ch -- Swiss Federal Office of Topography
• Swisstopo APIs: api3.geo.admin.ch / data.geo.admin.ch
• Protocol: Model Context Protocol -- Anthropic / Linux Foundation
• Related: zurich-opendata-mcp -- Zurich city open data
• Related: swiss-transport-mcp -- Swiss public transport
• Related: swiss-cultural-heritage-mcp -- Swiss cultural heritage
• Portfolio: Swiss Public Data MCP Portfolio