I am excited to announce that I have just released the database configuration and intake code for my APRS mapping project, aprsdb, on Github. It runs on Python 3 and Postgres with the PostGIS extension. So far I have it working on Linux (Debian Stretch), but the tools are all cross-platform so it presumably could be made to work on other operating systems.
APRS, the automatic packet reporting system, is an amateur protocol which exchanges SMS-like messages that often include location data. Because these packets include information about where they came from and how they traveled, analysis of this data can yield insight into propagation conditions. This project was significantly inspired by the work of Jon, NG0E, on the Mountain Lake APRS website, but removes the need for any internet connection. All the data collection and analysis is entirely local, and unlike the APRS Internet Service, no duplicate-filtering is performed.
Work is still underway to create a reasonably portable web front-end for it. I have a proof-of-concept version working that currently displays some static data from mid-July, 2018, when VHF radio propagation was extremely good in the Upper Midwest.
The Inquisitive Rockhopper 