chuk-mcp-dem 0.2.3

Digital Elevation Model Discovery, Retrieval & Terrain Analysis MCP Server

Chuk MCP DEM

Digital Elevation Model Discovery, Retrieval & Terrain Analysis MCP Server -- A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for querying DEM sources, fetching elevation data, and computing terrain derivatives.

This is a demonstration project provided as-is for learning and testing purposes.

Features

This MCP server provides access to global elevation data through 6 DEM sources via 25 tools.

All tools return fully-typed Pydantic v2 models for type safety, validation, and excellent IDE support. All tools support output_mode="text" for human-readable output alongside the default JSON.

DEM Sources

Source	Resolution	Coverage	Notes
Copernicus GLO-30 (default)	30m	Global	Void-filled, CC-BY-4.0
Copernicus GLO-90	90m	Global	9x faster downloads, CC-BY-4.0
SRTM v3	30m	60N-56S	May have voids, Public Domain
ASTER GDEM v3	30m	83N-83S	Wider latitude than SRTM, Public Domain
3DEP	10m	USA	LiDAR-derived, highest resolution, Public Domain
FABDEM	30m	Global	Bare-earth (buildings/forests removed), CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0 (non-commercial)

Discovery Tools

1. List Sources (dem_list_sources)

List all available DEM sources:

• 6 sources with resolution, coverage, and void-fill status
• Default source identification (Copernicus GLO-30)

2. Describe Source (dem_describe_source)

Get detailed metadata for a DEM source:

• Resolution, coverage bounds, vertical datum, accuracy
• Acquisition period, sensors, license
• LLM-friendly usage guidance

3. Server Status (dem_status)

Check server configuration:

• Server version, default source, available sources
• Storage provider and artifact store availability
• Current tile cache size

4. Capabilities (dem_capabilities)

List full server capabilities for LLM workflow planning:

• All sources with metadata
• Available terrain derivatives and analysis tools
• Output formats, tool count, usage guidance

Download Tools

5. Fetch Elevation (dem_fetch)

Download elevation data for a bounding box:

• Any of the 6 DEM sources
• Multi-tile merging for areas spanning multiple tiles
• Automatic void filling (nearest-neighbour interpolation)
• Hillshade auto-preview alongside GeoTIFF output
• Stored in chuk-artifacts with enriched metadata

6. Point Elevation (dem_fetch_point)

Get elevation at a single geographic coordinate:

• Three interpolation methods: nearest, bilinear (default), cubic
• Returns elevation with vertical uncertainty estimate
• Fast single-tile read

7. Multi-Point Elevation (dem_fetch_points)

Get elevations at multiple coordinates in one call:

• Batch processing with single tile merge
• Returns per-point elevations and overall range
• Configurable interpolation method
• Automatic input normalization for LLM callers (handles string and flat-list formats)

8. Coverage Check (dem_check_coverage)

Check if a DEM source covers a bounding box:

• Coverage percentage calculation
• Tile enumeration and size estimation
• No pixel data transferred -- pure geometry computation

9. Size Estimation (dem_estimate_size)

Estimate download size before fetching:

• Pixel count and byte size calculation
• Warnings for large downloads (>=500 MB, >=1 GB)
• Optional custom resolution target

Terrain Analysis Tools

10. Hillshade (dem_hillshade)

Compute shaded relief from elevation data:

• Horn's method (1981) with configurable sun azimuth and altitude
• Vertical exaggeration via z-factor
• GeoTIFF or PNG output with auto-preview

11. Slope (dem_slope)

Compute slope steepness:

• Output in degrees or percent
• Horn's method gradient computation
• GeoTIFF or PNG output with green-yellow-red colour ramp

12. Aspect (dem_aspect)

Compute slope direction:

• 0-360 degrees from north, flat areas marked with configurable value
• GeoTIFF or PNG output with HSV colour wheel

13. Curvature (dem_curvature)

Compute surface curvature (rate of change of slope):

• Positive values = convex surfaces (ridges), negative = concave (valleys)
• Zevenbergen-Thorne second derivative method
• GeoTIFF or PNG output with diverging blue-white-red ramp

14. Terrain Ruggedness (dem_terrain_ruggedness)

Compute Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI):

• Mean absolute elevation difference from 8 neighbours (Riley et al. 1999)
• Values in metres with standard classification (level to extremely rugged)
• GeoTIFF or PNG output with green-yellow-red ramp

15. Contours (dem_contour)

Generate contour lines at specified elevation intervals:

• Configurable contour interval (default 100m)
• Sign-change detection for precise contour placement
• GeoTIFF or PNG output with terrain background and contour overlay

16. Watershed (dem_watershed)

Compute flow accumulation for hydrological analysis:

• D8 single-flow-direction algorithm
• High accumulation values indicate streams and drainage channels
• GeoTIFF or PNG output with log-scaled blue ramp for stream visualisation

Profile & Viewshed Tools

17. Elevation Profile (dem_profile)

Extract elevation cross-section between two points:

• Configurable number of sample points (default 100)
• Returns per-point elevation, distance, total gain and loss
• Three interpolation methods

18. Viewshed (dem_viewshed)

Compute visible area from an observer point:

• DDA ray-casting algorithm for line-of-sight analysis
• Configurable observer height and radius (up to 50 km)
• Returns visibility percentage and raster artifact

View Tools

Interactive visualisation tools that return structured view content for MCP clients that support rich UI rendering (e.g. Claude Desktop with mcp-views). These tools return structuredContent rather than JSON strings and do not accept output_mode.

19. Elevation Profile Chart (dem_profile_chart)

Render an elevation profile as an interactive chart:

• Same profile computation as dem_profile with gain/loss statistics in the title
• Returns a ProfileContent view with labelled x/y axes and filled area
• Rendered as an interactive line chart in supporting MCP clients

20. DEM Map (dem_map)

Display a DEM analysis area on an interactive map:

• Renders the bounding box as a GeoJSON polygon overlay on a tiled basemap
• Configurable basemap: terrain (default), satellite, osm, dark
• Auto-calculates zoom level from bbox extent
• Useful for verifying coverage before fetching elevation data

ML-Enhanced Analysis Tools

Tier 2 tools that recognise terrain features using existing terrain derivatives as input. Install with pip install chuk-mcp-dem[ml] for Isolation Forest support.

21. Landform Classification (dem_classify_landforms)

Classify terrain into geomorphological types:

• 9 landform classes: plain, ridge, valley, plateau, escarpment, depression, saddle, terrace, alluvial fan
• Rule-based classification using slope, curvature, and TRI thresholds
• Returns dominant landform and class distribution percentages

22. Anomaly Detection (dem_detect_anomalies)

Detect terrain anomalies using Isolation Forest:

• Stacks slope, curvature, TRI, and roughness into feature vectors
• scikit-learn Isolation Forest identifies outlier terrain
• Returns anomaly score map and labelled anomaly regions with confidence

23. Temporal Change (dem_compare_temporal)

Compute elevation change between two DEM sources:

• Pixel-aligned subtraction with significance thresholding
• Volume gained/lost calculation in cubic metres
• Labelled change regions with mean/max change and gain/loss type

24. Feature Detection (dem_detect_features)

CNN-inspired geomorphological feature detection:

• Multi-angle hillshade (8 azimuths) with Sobel edge filters
• Classifies pixels into peak, ridge, valley, cliff, saddle, channel
• Morphological cleanup and connected component labelling
• No torch required -- uses scipy convolutional filters only

LLM Interpretation Tool

25. Terrain Interpretation (dem_interpret)

Send any terrain artifact to the calling LLM via MCP sampling for interpretation:

• Converts GeoTIFF or PNG artifacts to images for the LLM
• 6 interpretation contexts: general, archaeological survey, flood risk, geological, military history, urban planning
• Optional specific question about the terrain
• Requires an MCP client that supports sampling (e.g., Claude Desktop)
• No additional dependencies -- uses the MCP SDK already installed

Public Server

A hosted instance is available at https://dem.chukai.io/mcp — no installation required.

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dem": {
      "url": "https://dem.chukai.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Installation

Using uv (Recommended)

# Install from PyPI
uv pip install chuk-mcp-dem

# Or clone and install from source
git clone <repository-url>
cd chuk-mcp-dem
uv sync --dev

Using pip

pip install chuk-mcp-dem

Environment Setup

# Storage backend (optional, defaults to memory)
export CHUK_ARTIFACTS_PROVIDER=memory    # or: filesystem, s3

# For filesystem storage
export CHUK_ARTIFACTS_PATH=/tmp/dem-artifacts

# For S3 storage
export BUCKET_NAME=my-bucket
export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=...
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...

Usage

With Claude Desktop

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

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

Or if installed locally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dem": {
      "command": "chuk-mcp-dem"
    }
  }
}

Standalone

# STDIO mode (default, for MCP clients)
uv run chuk-mcp-dem

# HTTP mode (for web access)
uv run chuk-mcp-dem http

Example Queries

Once configured, you can ask Claude questions like:

• "What DEM sources are available?"
• "What is the elevation of Mount Rainier's summit?"
• "Download elevation data for the Grand Canyon area"
• "Check if Copernicus 30m covers this bounding box"
• "How big would a 30m DEM download be for the entire state of Colorado?"
• "Get elevation for these 5 mountain peaks"
• "Describe the FABDEM source -- how is it different from Copernicus?"
• "Generate a hillshade map for Mount Rainier"
• "What's the slope along the trail from A to B?"
• "Show me what's visible from this viewpoint within 5 km"
• "Show me an elevation profile chart for a hike from A to B"
• "Show the Grand Canyon bounding box on a map before I download it"
• "Compute watershed flow accumulation for this mountain area"
• "Classify the landforms in this bounding box"
• "Detect terrain anomalies near Hoover Dam"
• "Compare elevation between GLO-90 and GLO-30 for Mount St. Helens"
• "Detect geomorphological features in the Grand Canyon"

Tool Reference

All tools accept an optional output_mode parameter ("json" default, or "text" for human-readable output).

Tool	Description	Key Parameters
dem_list_sources	List all DEM sources	--
dem_describe_source	Detailed source metadata	source
dem_status	Server status	--
dem_capabilities	Full capabilities listing	--
dem_fetch	Download elevation for a bbox	bbox, source, fill_voids
dem_fetch_point	Elevation at a point	lon, lat, interpolation
dem_fetch_points	Elevation at multiple points	points, interpolation
dem_check_coverage	Check source coverage	bbox, source
dem_estimate_size	Estimate download size	bbox, source, resolution_m
dem_hillshade	Compute shaded relief	bbox, azimuth, altitude, z_factor
dem_slope	Compute slope steepness	bbox, units, output_format
dem_aspect	Compute slope direction	bbox, flat_value, output_format
dem_curvature	Compute surface curvature	bbox, source, output_format
dem_terrain_ruggedness	Terrain Ruggedness Index	bbox, source, output_format
dem_contour	Generate contour lines	bbox, source, interval_m, output_format
dem_watershed	Flow accumulation analysis	bbox, source, output_format
dem_profile	Elevation cross-section	start, end, num_points
dem_viewshed	Visibility analysis	observer, radius_m, observer_height_m
dem_profile_chart	Interactive elevation profile chart (view)	start, end, num_points
dem_map	Interactive DEM analysis area map (view)	bbox, source, basemap
dem_classify_landforms	Landform classification	bbox, source, method
dem_detect_anomalies	Anomaly detection (Isolation Forest)	bbox, source, sensitivity
dem_compare_temporal	Elevation change detection	bbox, before_source, after_source
dem_detect_features	Feature detection (CNN-inspired)	bbox, source, method
dem_interpret	LLM terrain interpretation (MCP sampling)	artifact_ref, context, question

dem_fetch

{
  "bbox": [-121.8, 46.7, -121.6, 46.9],     # [west, south, east, north]
  "source": "cop30",                          # optional (default: cop30)
  "fill_voids": true,                         # optional (default: true)
  "resolution_m": null,                       # optional: target resolution in metres
  "output_crs": null                          # optional: output CRS
}

dem_fetch_point

{
  "lon": -121.7603,                           # longitude
  "lat": 46.8523,                             # latitude
  "source": "cop30",                          # optional
  "interpolation": "bilinear"                 # optional: nearest, bilinear, cubic
}

dem_fetch_points

{
  "points": [                                 # nested array of [lon, lat] numeric pairs
    [-121.7603, 46.8523],
    [-105.6836, 40.2548],
    [-112.1871, 36.0544]
  ],
  "source": "cop30",                          # optional
  "interpolation": "bilinear"                 # optional
}

dem_check_coverage

{
  "bbox": [-121.8, 46.7, -121.6, 46.9],
  "source": "srtm"                            # check SRTM coverage for this area
}

dem_estimate_size

{
  "bbox": [-109.05, 37.0, -102.05, 41.0],    # Colorado
  "source": "cop30",
  "resolution_m": 90                          # optional: coarser for faster download
}

Architecture

server.py                         # CLI entry point (sync)
  +-- async_server.py             # Async server setup, tool registration
       +-- tools/discovery/       # list_sources, describe, status, capabilities
       +-- tools/download/        # fetch, fetch_point, fetch_points, coverage, size
       +-- tools/analysis/        # hillshade, slope, aspect, curvature, tri, contour, watershed, profile, viewshed, profile_chart, map, landforms, anomalies, temporal, features
       +-- core/dem_manager.py    # Cache, URL construction, download pipeline
            +-- core/raster_io.py # COG read, merge, sample, terrain, PNG

Built on top of chuk-mcp-server, this server uses:

• Async-First: Native async/await with sync rasterio wrapped in asyncio.to_thread()
• Type-Safe: Pydantic v2 models with extra="forbid" for all responses
• Efficient I/O: Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) reading via S3
• Smart Caching: LRU tile cache (100 MB total, 10 MB per item)
• Multi-Tile Merging: Automatic merge for bounding boxes spanning multiple 1-degree tiles
• Void Filling: Nearest-neighbour interpolation for SRTM/ASTER voids
• Interpolation: Nearest, bilinear, and bicubic methods for point queries
• Auto-Preview: Hillshade PNG auto-generated alongside every GeoTIFF fetch
• Artifact Storage: Pluggable storage via chuk-artifacts (memory, filesystem, S3)
• Retry with Backoff: Tenacity-based retry (3 attempts, exponential backoff)
• Dual Output: All tools support output_mode="text" for human-readable responses
• License Warnings: Automatic warnings when using FABDEM (CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0 non-commercial)
• View Tools: Interactive profile charts and maps via chuk-view-schemas for MCP clients that support rich UI

See ARCHITECTURE.md for design principles and data flow diagrams. See SPEC.md for the full tool specification with parameter tables. See ROADMAP.md for development status and planned features.

Development

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd chuk-mcp-dem

# Install with uv (recommended)
uv sync --dev

# Or with pip
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Running Tests

make test              # Run 1231 tests
make test-cov          # Run tests with coverage
make coverage-report   # Show coverage report

Code Quality

make lint      # Run linters
make format    # Auto-format code
make typecheck # Run type checking
make security  # Run security checks
make check     # Run all checks (lint, typecheck, security, test)

Building

make build         # Build package
make docker-build  # Build Docker image
make docker-run    # Run Docker container

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

Apache License 2.0 -- See LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

• Copernicus DEM for the GLO-30 and GLO-90 datasets
• rasterio for raster data I/O
• Model Context Protocol for the MCP specification
• Anthropic for Claude and MCP support