Getting tweets with geo location data

[dgenerate_dave]

I’ve come back to start using the API again and have found that I can no longer get tweets with geo location data. Way back in 2012 when I first used it, I was able to get tweets with geo location data. I did a sample query:

https://api.twitter.com/1.1/search/tweets.json?q=at+home

This returns tweets but the geo and coordinates fields are blank and there seems to be no location data. Surely every tweet that someone has posted where they are ‘at home’ or ‘just got home’ can’t be without some geo location data? I know there are people out there that are silly enough to share their location when they have just got back home or even are out at a restaurant etc. Anyone have any ideas or am I using the wrong API, I don’t know how to use the other API’s to get tweets with geo location data if there is indeed a way.

I will make a good point here though, since there was those two sites (Please Rob Me, We know Your House) that were disclosing people’s locations including a map/street view etc based on tweets of ‘at home’ or ‘home’, I can understand that Twitter would tighten up on security and people using geo location data for this purpose.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[andypiper]

It is possible to search for Tweets with coordinate / geocode data, but since the new places-based UI was introduced the lat/lon (“share my precise location”) toggle is further down the UI and this may account for fewer Tweets having lat/lon coordinates. You’re also doing a text-based search and hoping for some Tweets to have coordinates attached, rather than looking for Tweets by coordinate. Note that location sharing defaults to off so users have to specifically decide to share their location when posting new Tweets (these may be places, or lat/lon if the user chooses the “precise location” toggle).