Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python: Edition 2

Joel Lawhead

Dec 2015 · Packt Publishing Ltd

About this ebook

An effective guide to geographic information systems and remote sensing analysis using Python 3About This BookConstruct applications for GIS development by exploiting PythonThis focuses on built-in Python modules and libraries compatible with the Python Packaging Index distribution system—no compiling of C libraries necessaryThis practical, hands-on tutorial teaches you all about Geospatial analysis in PythonWho This Book Is For

If you are a Python developer, researcher, or analyst who wants to perform Geospatial, modeling, and GIS analysis with Python, then this book is for you. Familarity with digital mapping and analysis using Python or another scripting language for automation or crunching data manually is appreciated.

What You Will LearnAutomate Geospatial analysis workflows using PythonCode the simplest possible GIS in 60 lines of PythonMold thematic maps with Python toolsGet hold of the various forms that geospatial data comes inProduce elevation contours using Python toolsCreate flood inundation modelsApply Geospatial analysis to find out about real-time data tracking and for storm chasingIn Detail

Geospatial Analysis is used in almost every field you can think of from medicine, to defense, to farming. This book will guide you gently into this exciting and complex field. It walks you through the building blocks of geospatial analysis and how to apply them to influence decision making using the latest Python software.

Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python, 2nd Edition uses the expressive and powerful Python 3 programming language to guide you through geographic information systems, remote sensing, topography, and more, while providing a framework for you to approach geospatial analysis effectively, but on your own terms. We start by giving you a little background on the field, and a survey of the techniques and technology used. We then split the field into its component specialty areas: GIS, remote sensing, elevation data, advanced modeling, and real-time data.

This book will teach you everything you need to know about, Geospatial Analysis from using a particular software package or API to using generic algorithms that can be applied. This book focuses on pure Python whenever possible to minimize compiling platform-dependent binaries, so that you don't become bogged down in just getting ready to do analysis. This book will round out your technical library through handy recipes that will give you a good understanding of a field that supplements many a modern day human endeavors.

Style and approach

This is a practical, hands-on tutorial that teaches you all about Geospatial analysis interactively using Python.

Ratings and reviews

This book is good book on geospatial analysis. The writer gives an good overview on those common geospatial tools and analysis skill set. Each chapters focus on a specific topic and it is suggest to follow one by one. At the end, you will complete geospatial analysis program using all the skill you acquire through this book. The only bad thing is first 100 pages is too much detail. Trimming it to 50 pages would be better.

About the author

Joel Lawhead is a project management institute-certified Project Management Professional (PMP), certified GIS Professional (GISP), and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of NVision Solutions Inc., an award-winning firm that specializes in geospatial technology integration and sensor engineering. Joel began using Python in 1997 and started combining it with geospatial software development in 2000. He is the author of the first edition of Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python and QGIS Python Programming Cookbook, both by Packt Publishing. His Python cookbook recipes were featured in two editions of Python Cookbook, O'Reilly Media. He is also the developer of the widely-used, open source Python Shapefile Library (PyShp). He maintains the geospatial technical blog http://geospatialpython.com/ and the Twitter feed, @SpatialPython, which discusses the use of the Python programming language in the geospatial industry. In 2011, Joel reverse-engineered and published the undocumented shapefile spatial indexing format and assisted fellow geospatial Python developer, Marc Pfister, in reversing the algorithm used, allowing developers around the world to create better-integrated and more robust geospatial applications. Joel serves as the lead architect, project manager, and co-developer for geospatial applications used by U.S. government agencies, including NASA, FEMA, NOAA, the U.S. Navy, and many other commercial and non-profit organizations. In 2002, he received the international Esri Special Achievement in GIS award for his work on the Real-Time Emergency Action Coordination Tool (REACT), for emergency management using geospatial analysis.