A library and a command line client for querying cells stored in Apple's Location Service database.
You can query for nearby cells using the command line client:
# Install pipenv
pip3 install pipenv
# Create virtual environment and sync all dependencies
pipenv sync
# ./als_cli.py [-h] {gsm,scdma,umts,lte,nr,cdma} country network area cell
# Search for nearby UMTS / LTE cell towers of a cell tower in Germany (262)
# from Vodafone (2) in area 46452 with the cell tower id 15669002.
pipenv run python3 als_cli.py lte 262 2 46452 15669002
# Search for nearby GSM cell towers of a cell tower in Germany (262)
# from Vodafone (2) in area 566 with the cell tower id 4461.
pipenv run python3 als_cli.py gsm 262 2 566 4461The Python library for accessing Apple's Location Service can be found in the lib folder.
An experiment comparing Apple's Location Service database with open cell databases can be found in the experiment folder.
For development, install the Python dependencies using pipenv as shown above.
If you want to edit the Protocol Buffer file, you'll also need Google's Protobuf compiler protoc:
- Linux:
apt install protobuf-compiler - Mac:
brew install protoc - Windows:
scoop install protobuf
Once, you've installed everything, you can run the proto script to update the generated Python files.
pipenv run protoGood resources on Protocol Buffers:
- https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/proto
- https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/pythontutorial
The iOS app CellGuard also depends on the Apple Location Service and therefore makes use of the protobuf file.
In order to generate the related Swift file, a additional protoc plugin for Swift must be installed. More information can be found at apple/swift-protobuf.
# Install the additional Swift protobuf plugin
brew install swift-protobuf
# Generate the Swift in the folder swift
protoc --swift_out=swift core-location-als.protoThe directory cellguard contains a Python script to evaluate cell files exported by the CellGuard iOS app.