maps

Maps Skill

Location intelligence using free, open data sources. 8 commands, 44 POI categories, zero dependencies (Python stdlib only), no API key required.

Data sources: OpenStreetMap/Nominatim, Overpass API, OSRM, TimeAPI.io.

This skill supersedes the old find-nearby skill — all of find-nearby's functionality is covered by the nearby command below, with the same --near "<place>" shortcut and multi-category support.

When to Use

• User sends a Telegram location pin (latitude/longitude in the message) → nearby
• User wants coordinates for a place name → search
• User has coordinates and wants the address → reverse
• User asks for nearby restaurants, hospitals, pharmacies, hotels, etc. → nearby
• User wants driving/walking/cycling distance or travel time → distance
• User wants turn-by-turn directions between two places → directions
• User wants timezone information for a location → timezone
• User wants to search for POIs within a geographic area → area + bbox

Prerequisites

Python 3.8+ (stdlib only — no pip installs needed).

Script path: ~/.hermes/skills/maps/scripts/maps_client.py

Commands

MAPS=~/.hermes/skills/maps/scripts/maps_client.py

search — Geocode a place name

python $MAPS search "Eiffel Tower"
python $MAPS search "1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC"

Returns: lat, lon, display name, type, bounding box, importance score.

reverse — Coordinates to address

python

Returns: full address breakdown (street, city, state, country, postcode).

nearby — Find places by category

46 categories: restaurant, cafe, bar, hospital, pharmacy, hotel, guest_house, camp_site, supermarket, atm, gas_station, parking, museum, park, school, university, bank, police, fire_station, library, airport, train_station, bus_stop, church, mosque, synagogue, dentist, doctor, cinema, theatre, gym, swimming_pool, post_office, convenience_store, bakery, bookshop, laundry, car_wash, car_rental, bicycle_rental, taxi, veterinary, zoo, playground, stadium, nightclub.

Each result includes: name, address, lat/lon, distance_m, maps_url (clickable Google Maps link), directions_url (Google Maps directions from the search point), and promoted tags when available — cuisine, hours (opening_hours), phone, website.

distance — Travel distance and time

Modes: driving (default), walking, cycling. Returns road distance, duration, and straight-line distance for comparison.

directions — Turn-by-turn navigation

Returns numbered steps with instruction, distance, duration, road name, and maneuver type (turn, depart, arrive, etc.).

timezone — Timezone for coordinates

Returns timezone name, UTC offset, and current local time.

area — Bounding box and area for a place

Returns bounding box coordinates, width/height in km, and approximate area. Useful as input for the bbox command.

bbox — Search within a bounding box

Finds POIs within a geographic rectangle. Use area first to get the bounding box coordinates for a named place.

Working With Telegram Location Pins

When a user sends a location pin, the message contains latitude: and longitude: fields. Extract those and pass them straight to nearby:

Present results as a numbered list with names, distances, and the maps_url field so the user gets a tap-to-open link in chat. For "open now?" questions, check the hours field; if missing or unclear, verify with web_search since OSM hours are community-maintained and not always current.

Workflow Examples

"Find Italian restaurants near the Colosseum":

1. nearby --near "Colosseum Rome" --category restaurant --radius 500 — one command, auto-geocoded

"What's near this location pin they sent?":

1. Extract lat/lon from the Telegram message
2. nearby LAT LON cafe --radius 1500

"How do I walk from hotel to conference center?":

1. directions "Hotel Name" --to "Conference Center" --mode walking

"What restaurants are in downtown Seattle?":

1. area "Downtown Seattle" → get bounding box
2. bbox S W N E restaurant --limit 30

Pitfalls

• Nominatim ToS: max 1 req/s (handled automatically by the script)
• nearby requires lat/lon OR --near "<address>" — one of the two is needed
• OSRM routing coverage is best for Europe and North America
• Overpass API can be slow during peak hours; the script automatically falls back between mirrors (overpass-api.de → overpass.kumi.systems)
• distance and directions use --to flag for the destination (not positional)
• If a zip code alone gives ambiguous results globally, include country/state

Verification