USGS Elevation (3DEP)

Live

Point elevation queries from USGS 3D Elevation Program — 1/3 arc-second national coverage.

What is USGS Elevation (3DEP)?

Access the USGS Elevation Point Query Service backed by the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). Get precise elevation data at any coordinate in the US. Essential for grading plans, drainage analysis, and site engineering.

Available Tools

getElevation
Get elevation at a latitude/longitude point

Requirements

No authentication required
Free USGS public API — no API key needed

Quick Setup Guide

Follow these steps to connect your AI agents to this connector

This is a free public API with no authentication.

Ask about elevation at any coordinate in the United States.

Connect to Your AI Assistant

Choose your AI assistant below for specific setup instructions

Follow these steps to connect USGS Elevation (3DEP) to Claude:

Step 1: Open Claude Settings

Launch Claude → Click the profile button (bottom left) → Navigate to Settings

Step 2: Access Connectors

Scroll down to the Connectors tab → Navigate to the bottom → Click “Add Custom Connector”

Step 3: Name Your Connector

Enter any name you'd like for this connector

Step 4: Get the Connector URL

Step 5: Add the Connector

Paste the URL in the “Remote MCP Server URL” text box → Click Add

Step 6: Start Using

Your connector is now ready to use in Claude

Follow these steps to connect USGS Elevation (3DEP) to ChatGPT:

Step 1: Enable Developer Mode

Go to Settings → Connectors → Advanced → Enable Developer mode

Step 2: Create New Connector

Go back to Connectors page → Click “Create” (top right)

Step 3: Name Your Connector

Enter any name you'd like for this connector (descriptions are optional)

Step 4: Get the Connector URL

Step 5: Add the URL

Paste the URL in the “MCP Server URL” text box

Step 6: Set Authentication

Click the authentication dropdown → Select “No authentication” (PatchOps handles authentication internally)

Step 7: Create the Connector

Click “I understand and want to continue” checkbox → Press Create

Step 8: Using the Connector

Start a new chat → Click the + button (left of text box) → Open dropdown → Hover over three dots labeled “More” → Select your connector

Instructions for connecting USGS Elevation (3DEP) to GitHub Copilot:

Coming Soon

Detailed setup instructions for GitHub Copilot will be added here.

For other MCP-compatible platforms:

Step 1: Get the Connector URL

Step 2: Add to Configuration

Add this configuration to your MCP settings file. Replace the URL with your specific connector URL from the /mcp page:

"USGS Elevation (3DEP)-MCP": {
  "url": "https://patchops.ai/api/mcp/...",
  "type": "http"
}

Example Configuration

Here’s an example using PatchOps MCP:

"PatchOps-MCP": {
  "url": "https://patchops.ai/api/mcp/...",
  "type": "http"
}