🇨🇭 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

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Overview

swisstopo-mcp gives AI assistants access to Switzerland's official geodata infrastructure through 20 tools, all without authentication:

| Source | Data | API | |--------|------|-----| | Swisstopo REST API | 500+ geodata layers (buildings, boundaries, land use) | REST/JSON | | Geocoding | Official addresses, place names, postal codes | REST/JSON | | Height Service | Elevation above sea level, elevation profiles | REST/JSON | | STAC Catalog | Orthophotos, elevation models, 3D buildings | STAC 0.9 | | WMTS | National maps, aerial images, zoning maps | URL builder | | OEREB Cadastre | Public-law restrictions, parcels | REST/JSON (cantonal) | | geodienste.ch | Interkantonale Basisgeodaten (cadastral survey, contaminated sites, hazard maps, …) | OGC API Features / WMS / WFS | | OpenStreetMap | Points of interest (schools, playgrounds, pharmacies, …) | Overpass API (ODbL) | | OpenPLZ API | Administrative address level: postal codes → commune (BFS number) → district → canton | REST/JSON (BFS + swisstopo OGD) |

Anchor demo query: "Which communes are in the Uster district, and what are their BFS numbers for joining with BFS statistics data?" (The BFS commune number is the official join key to swiss-statistics-mcp and zurich-opendata-mcp — this is what turns a geodata wrapper into a semantic connector at the commune level.) → More use cases by audience →

Demo

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Features

• 🗺️ 20 tools (REST, Geocoding, Height, STAC, WMTS, OEREB, geodienste.ch, OpenStreetMap/Overpass, OpenPLZ)
• 🏛️ Resolve the administrative address level (PLZ → commune/BFS number → district → canton) via OpenPLZ
• 🔍 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 all tools (OEREB extract needs a supported canton)
• ☁️ Dual transport -- stdio (Claude Desktop) + Streamable HTTP (cloud)

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Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• uv (recommended) or pip

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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

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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)?"

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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

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Available Tools

REST API (Layer & Feature Queries)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_map_query | The national map catalogue (api3.geo.admin.ch). One operation per call — see the five below | | swisstopo_zoning_at | Harmonised building zone at a coordinate — one call, no layer lookup (not legally binding) | | swisstopo_municipality_at | Municipality, canton and official BFS number at a coordinate |

swisstopo_map_query operations

| operation | Answers | Required arguments | |-------------|---------|--------------------| | search_layers | Which layers exist for a keyword? (500+ catalogue) | query | | layer_info | What fields can I query on this layer, and what is its legend? | layer | | features_at_point | What is at this coordinate? | layers + a point (lat/lon or easting/northing) | | features_by_attribute | Which features carry this value? (e.g. buildings by EGID) | layer, search_field, search_text | | feature_by_id | Give me this one feature in full, with geometry | layer, feature_id |

Arguments belonging to a different operation are rejected, not ignored — the error names the ones the chosen operation accepts. Silently dropping a misplaced search_field would return a plausible answer to a question nobody asked, which is the failure mode the whole envelope design is against.

Geocoding

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_geocode | Convert Swiss addresses, place names, or postal codes to coordinates | | swisstopo_reverse_geocode | Find the nearest address for given coordinates |

Height Service

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_get_height | Get elevation above sea level (m a.s.l.) at a coordinate | | swisstopo_elevation_profile | Compute an elevation profile along a line | | swisstopo_convert_coordinates | Official WGS84 ↔ LV95 conversion via the swisstopo REFRAME service |

STAC Catalog (Geodata Downloads)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_search_geodata | Search the STAC catalog for downloadable geodatasets | | swisstopo_get_collection | Get details and download links for a STAC collection |

WMTS (Map URLs)

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_map_url | Generate a map.geo.admin.ch URL for browser display |

OEREB Cadastre

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_get_egrid | Resolve a cadastral property ID (EGRID) from coordinates | | swisstopo_get_oereb_extract | Retrieve public-law land-use restrictions (OEREB) for a parcel |

Consolidated Geodata Façade

One façade over several map/layer sources, kept under the 25-tool budget (see docs/geodaten-erweiterung-phase1.md):

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_list_available_layers | Discover layer keys for swisstopo_query_geodata (strassenverzeichnis, oereb-verfuegbarkeit, geodienste:<topic>:<canton>); filters to contract-free geodienste datasets | | swisstopo_query_geodata | Query a chosen layer by point / bbox / commune — amtliches Strassenverzeichnis, interkantonale geodienste.ch data (OGC API Features), or ÖREB availability | | swisstopo_query_osm_features | OpenStreetMap POIs (schools, playgrounds, pharmacies, …) around a point via Overpass — separate source, ODbL (© OpenStreetMap contributors) |

Administrative Address Level (OpenPLZ)

The amtliche address hierarchy PLZ → commune → district → canton, served by the OpenPLZ API (data: BFS municipal directory + swisstopo street directory, Swiss OGD — a separate source and licence from the swisstopo geodata above). Every commune-bearing response exposes bfs_commune_number as a named top-level field: the official join key to BFS statistics (swiss-statistics-mcp) and zurich-opendata-mcp.

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | swisstopo_lookup_postal_code | Resolve a Swiss postal code → locality, commune (+BFS number), district, canton | | swisstopo_find_commune | Resolve a commune both directions (name ↔ bfs_number) or list all communes of a canton / district. Accepts canton abbreviation (ZH) or key (1); resolution happens server-side | | swisstopo_search_address | Full-text search over Swiss streets and localities, returning commune + BFS number per hit |

Example Use Cases

| Query | Tool | |-------|------| | "Where is Bahnhofstrasse 1, Zurich?" | swisstopo_geocode | | "What is the elevation at the Uetliberg summit?" | swisstopo_get_height | | "What buildings are at coordinates 2683500, 1247500?" | swisstopo_map_query (operation='features_at_point') | | "Find orthophoto datasets for download" | swisstopo_search_geodata | | "Show me a map of Bern at zoom level 10" | swisstopo_map_url | | "What restrictions apply to parcel at Musterstrasse 5?" | swisstopo_oereb_at | | "Which schools are within 500 m of Bederstrasse 109, 8002 Zürich, and which streets lead there?" | swisstopo_query_osm_features + swisstopo_query_geodata (strassenverzeichnis) | | "Which contaminated-sites data is free for canton ZH?" | swisstopo_list_available_layers + swisstopo_query_geodata (geodienste:kataster_belasteter_standorte:ZH) | | "Which communes are in the Uster district and what are their BFS numbers?" | swisstopo_find_commune (district=109) | | "Which commune and canton does postal code 8001 belong to?" | swisstopo_lookup_postal_code | | "What is the BFS number of Winterthur (to join with BFS statistics)?" | swisstopo_find_commune (name=Winterthur) |

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Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────────────┐
│   Claude / AI   │────▶│  swisstopo-mcp               │────▶│  Swisstopo REST API      │
│   (MCP Host)    │◀────│  (MCP Server)                │◀────│  api3.geo.admin.ch       │
└─────────────────┘     │                              │     ├──────────────────────────┤
                        │  20 Tools                    │────▶│  Geocoding               │
                        │  Stdio | Streamable HTTP     │◀────│  api3.geo.admin.ch       │
                        │                              │     ├──────────────────────────┤
                        │  No authentication required  │────▶│  STAC Catalog            │
                        │  (all tools; OEREB canton opt) │◀────│  data.geo.admin.ch       │
                        │                              │     ├──────────────────────────┤
                        │                              │────▶│  OEREB Cadastre          │
                        │                              │◀────│  (cantonal endpoints)    │
                        │