bbox_from_place
Obtain a bounding box for any place name, returning coordinates in EPSG:4326 for use with geospatial tools like DEM fetch or STAC search.
Instructions
Get a bounding box for a place, suitable for DEM/STAC tools.
Returns bbox as [west, south, east, north] in EPSG:4326, compatible
with dem_fetch, stac_search, dem_slope, and other geospatial tools.
Args:
query: Place name to get bbox for (e.g. "Palm Jumeirah, Dubai")
padding: Fractional padding to expand bbox (0.1 = 10% on each side, default 0.0)
output_mode: "json" (default) or "text"
Returns:
Bounding box [west, south, east, north], center point, and approximate area
CRITICAL — LLM retry workflow when no results are found:
If the query returns no results, you MUST retry automatically — do
NOT ask the user. Simplify the query progressively:
1. Remove specific landmarks/features, keep the broader place.
"Strood Causeway, Mersea Island" → "Mersea Island"
2. Drop region/country qualifiers if still no results.
"Mersea Island, Essex, UK" → "Mersea Island"
3. Try alternative or official names for the place.
4. If using a broader place, consider adding padding to cover the
area of interest (e.g. padding=0.1 for 10% expansion).
Always retry at least twice before reporting failure.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| query | Yes | ||
| padding | No | ||
| output_mode | No | json |