Do I need an API key?

No! GDACS data is completely free and open. No authentication required. Just subscribe and start monitoring disasters.

What do the alert levels mean?

GDACS uses three alert levels: Green (low impact, local effects), Orange (medium impact, significant regional effects), Red (high impact, potentially catastrophic with international response needed).

How far back can I search for events?

You can search events from the past 1 to 30 days using the period or date_from/date_to parameters. For historical analysis, use date_from and date_to with specific dates.

GDACS MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 12 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: GDACS
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

Built by Vinkius GDPR 12 Tools IDE

GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude Open in Perplexity

Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

RecommendedModern Approach — Zero Configuration

Vinkius Desktop App

The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install GDACS and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

Download Free Open SourceNo signup required

Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gdacs": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Fully ManagedVinkius Servers

60%Token savings

High SecurityEnterprise-grade

IAMAccess control

EU AI ActCompliant

DLPData protection

V8 IsolateSandboxed

Ed25519Audit chain

<40msKill switch

Stream every event to Splunk, Datadog, or your own webhook in real-time

* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About GDACS MCP Server

Connect to GDACS (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System) and monitor worldwide disaster activity through natural conversation — no API key needed.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings GDACS data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 12 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Earthquake Tracking — Monitor earthquakes worldwide with magnitude filtering, depth data and impact estimates
Cyclone Monitoring — Track tropical cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons with categories, wind speeds and forecast tracks
Flood Alerts — Monitor flood events with affected population estimates and severity levels
Volcanic Activity — Track volcanic eruptions with ash plume data and alert levels
Wildfire Monitoring — Monitor wildfires with burned area estimates and affected populations
Drought Tracking — Track drought events with severity levels and population impact
Impact Estimates — Get population exposure, estimated fatalities and economic losses for each event
Alert Levels — View color-coded alerts (red=high, orange=medium, green=low)

The GDACS MCP Server exposes 12 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect GDACS to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the GDACS MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Create MCP config

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above

Enable Agent mode

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown

Start using GDACS

Ask Copilot: "Using GDACS, help me...". 12 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the GDACS MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with GDACS through the Model Context Protocol.

VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor

Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access

Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop

GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services

GDACS + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the GDACS MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step

DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review

Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses

Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples

GDACS MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (12)

These 12 tools become available when you connect GDACS to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

get_alert_detail

Get details for a specific alert

get_alerts

Alerts are color-coded: red (high impact), orange (medium impact), green (low impact). Supports filtering by event type and time period. Get disaster alerts

get_event_detail

Get details for a specific disaster event

get_event_geojson

Returns geographic boundaries, affected areas and population exposure polygons. Get GeoJSON data for a disaster event

get_event_list

Supports filtering by event type (EQ=earthquake, TC=cyclone, FL=flood, VO=volcano, WF=wildfire, DR=drought), date range, and time period. Returns event names, types, magnitudes, alert levels, start dates and affected countries. Search disaster events

get_impacts

Returns estimated population affected, fatalities, economic losses and confidence levels. Get impact estimates for a disaster event

get_latest_cyclones

Returns cyclone names, categories, wind speeds, locations, alert levels and forecast tracks. Get latest tropical cyclones worldwide

get_latest_droughts

Returns drought locations, start dates, severity levels, alert levels and affected populations. Get latest drought events worldwide

get_latest_earthquakes

Returns magnitude, depth, location, alert level and affected countries. Optionally filter by minimum magnitude and number of days. Get latest earthquakes worldwide

get_latest_floods

Returns flood locations, start dates, alert levels, affected populations and severity estimates. Get latest floods worldwide

get_latest_volcanoes

Returns volcano names, locations, eruption types, alert levels and ash plume information. Get latest volcanic activity worldwide

get_latest_wildfires

Returns fire locations, start dates, burned areas, alert levels and affected populations. Get latest wildfires worldwide

Example Prompts for GDACS in VS Code Copilot

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with GDACS immediately.

"What earthquakes happened in the last 7 days?"

"Are there any active cyclones right now?"

"Show me flood alerts for the last 3 days."

Troubleshooting GDACS MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting GDACS to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCP tools not available

Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.

GDACS + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating GDACS MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Which VS Code version supports MCP?

MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.

How do I switch to Agent mode?

Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.

Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?

Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.

Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?

Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.