A configurable Mastodon bot that posts geotagged aerial imagery of random locations worldwide.
ærialbot is an open-source Python tool that automatically posts geotagged aerial or satellite images to Mastodon. It selects random locations within user-defined geographic boundaries, downloads map tiles from providers like Google Maps, stitches them into an image, and posts it with optional location data. It solves the need for automated, visually engaging geographic content generation.
Developers, hobbyists, and researchers interested in creating automated social media bots, exploring geospatial data, or generating custom map imagery for specific regions.
Developers choose ærialbot for its high configurability, geographic correctness, and ease of self-hosting. It offers a robust alternative to manual image posting, with support for multiple tile sources and shapefiles, making it versatile for both bot operations and map downloading tasks.
A simple yet highly configurable Mastodon bot that posts geotagged aerial imagery of a random location in the world.
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Allows detailed control via INI configuration for shapefiles, tile providers, image dimensions, and post text, as demonstrated in config.sample.ini.
Ensures random points are distributed uniformly by surface area and corrects for latitude-dependent tile calculations, avoiding biases toward the poles.
Uses a threadpool for parallel downloads with a progress indicator, significantly speeding up image generation from map tiles.
Includes sample shapefiles and a guide for preparing custom geographic boundaries, reducing initial setup effort for new users.
Requires installing dependencies like the GEOS library for Shapely and manual configuration of shapefiles and INI files, which can be error-prone for non-experts.
Relies on tile providers like Google Maps that may violate terms of use, with the README admitting this and lacking built-in safeguards against abuse.
Primarily designed for Mastodon with deprecated Twitter support, offering no out-of-the-box options for other platforms like Instagram or Facebook.