# Data.gov Catalog MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > Data.gov Catalog. This Connector gives you direct access to the official US Government open data catalog. Search through thousands of datasets from agencies like NASA, NOAA, and the Census Bureau. Use your AI agent to find specific federal records, spatial data, and metadata without leaving your workspace. ## Overview - **Category:** data-analytics - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_f564VZunubaqnMfft1dIIxySnAafP9NKhpaI9WS5/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** open-data, federal-data, dataset-discovery, spatial-data, public-records, data-catalog ## Description This Connector connects you to the official US Government open data catalog. Instead of digging through endless pages on the Data.gov website, you can just tell your agent what you need. It handles the heavy lifting of searching thousands of datasets from agencies like NASA, NOAA, and the Census Bureau. You'll find it's a huge time saver when you're looking for specific records or spatial data. Since Vinkius hosts this, you can plug it into your existing setup and start querying the federal catalog immediately. It's built for people who need accuracy and official metadata without the friction of manual searching. You can quickly identify trends by looking at common keywords or pull specific GeoJSON boundaries for geographic filtering. Whether you're a researcher looking for policy data or a developer building a public data app, this tool puts the entire federal repository at your fingertips. It also allows you to grab the raw source payloads or the structured records, making it easy to move data into your own databases or analysis tools without the usual headache of manual scraping. You can filter results by organization or keyword, ensuring you only see the relevant government files you actually need for your project. ## Tools ### get_location_geometry This tool retrieves the GeoJSON boundary for a specific location ID. Use it to get precise geographic shapes for your maps. ### get_harvest_record_raw This tool pulls the original, unmodified source payload for a harvest record. It's perfect for when you need the raw data exactly as it was submitted. ### get_harvest_record This tool pulls metadata about how a dataset was originally ingested into the catalog. It helps you understand the source history of a specific record. ### get_harvest_record_transformed This tool retrieves the transformed DCAT-US payload for a specific harvest record. It provides structured data that's ready for use in most common applications. ### get_keywords This tool pulls commonly used keywords and their associated dataset counts. Use it to see what topics are currently trending in the government data. ### get_organizations This tool retrieves a complete list of all publishing organizations. It helps you quickly identify which agencies are providing the data you need. ### search_locations This tool provides an autocomplete search for location names. Use it to find the correct IDs needed for spatial filtering. ### search_datasets This tool searches the entire catalog using keywords, filters, and sorting. It's the primary way to find specific federal datasets. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Find NASA datasets about ocean temperatures. ``` **Response:** ``` I found several NASA datasets related to ocean temperatures. Notable results include **Global Surface Temperature Analysis** and **Climate Model Outputs**. Would you like the full metadata for any of these? ``` **Prompt:** ``` List all government organizations that publish data here. ``` **Response:** ``` I've retrieved the list of publishing organizations. There are over 1,200 entities, including major agencies like **NOAA**, **NASA**, and the **Department of Education**. Which one would you like to explore? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get the GeoJSON boundary for 'Los Angeles' to filter my search. ``` **Response:** ``` I've found the location ID for Los Angeles. Retrieving the GeoJSON geometry now... Done. You can now use this boundary to filter datasets using the search_datasets tool. ``` ## Capabilities ### Search datasets with filters Find specific federal data by applying keywords, organization filters, and custom sorting. ### Find locations by name Use autocomplete to find the correct location names for spatial queries. ### Get GeoJSON boundaries Retrieve precise geographic boundaries for specific locations to use in mapping. ### List government agencies Get a full list of all publishing organizations to narrow down your search. ### Pull raw metadata Grab the original, unmodified source payloads for specific harvest records. ### View keyword trends See which keywords are most common and how many datasets are linked to them. ## Use Cases ### Climate Research Analysis A scientist asks for NASA datasets related to ocean temperatures and gets a list of relevant records and their metadata. ### Urban Planning Map Building A developer needs the GeoJSON boundary for Los Angeles to filter local data and uses get_location_geometry to get it. ### Policy Metadata Extraction A researcher pulls all Census Bureau harvest records for a specific year to analyze official government data trends. ### Public Data App Development A developer uses get_keywords to see which federal datasets have the most associated data before building a new dashboard. ## Benefits - Stop manual browsing. Use search_datasets to find specific federal records in seconds instead of clicking through pages. - Get precise boundaries. Use get_location_geometry to pull GeoJSON for any location to use in your own mapping tools. - Identify data trends. Use get_keywords to see what topics are currently trending in the federal catalog. - Access raw records. Pull unmodified source payloads with get_harvest_record_raw when you need the original data exactly as submitted. - Filter by agency. Use get_organizations to target specific government departments and ignore the noise from other agencies. - Faster data ingestion. Use get_harvest_record_transformed to get records that are already structured for your applications. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get direct, natural language access to the entire US federal open data repository. 1. Subscribe to the Data.gov Catalog MCP through the Vinkius marketplace. 2. Enter your API key or set your proxy to PUBLIC in your client settings. 3. Ask your agent to search for specific federal datasets or spatial boundaries. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can I find NASA data with the Data.gov Catalog?** Yes. You can search for specific datasets from NASA, NOAA, and other federal agencies directly through your agent. **Does the Data.gov Catalog provide spatial data?** It does. You can retrieve GeoJSON boundaries for specific locations to use in your own spatial analysis. **How do I find specific government agencies?** You can ask your agent to list all publishing organizations or filter by specific agency slugs. **Can I get the raw metadata for a dataset?** Yes. The Connector allows you to pull both the raw source payloads and the transformed DCAT-US records. **Is this for finding local city data?** It's for US federal data. You can find location boundaries for cities, but the datasets themselves are from federal agencies. **Can I see what topics are most popular?** You can use the keyword tool to see common terms and how many datasets are associated with each one. **Can I search for datasets within a specific geographic area?** Yes! Use `search_locations` to find a location ID, then `get_location_geometry` to get the GeoJSON. Finally, pass that to `search_datasets` with the `spatial_geometry` parameter. **How do I find datasets from a specific agency like NASA?** Use the `search_datasets` tool and provide 'nasa' in the `org_slug` parameter. You can combine this with a search query `q` for more specific results. **What is the difference between raw and transformed harvest records?** The `get_harvest_record_raw` tool returns the original metadata from the source agency, while `get_harvest_record_transformed` returns the data mapped to the standard DCAT-US schema used by Data.gov.