Learning Geospatial Analysis With Python - Softcover

Lawhead, Joel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1783281138 ISBN 13: 9781783281138

Publisher: Packt Pub Ltd, 2013

Synopsis

If you know Python and would like to use it for Geospatial Analysis this book is exactly what you've been looking for. With an organized, user-friendly approach it covers all the bases to give you the necessary skills and know-how.

Overview

• Construct applications for GIS development by exploiting Python
• Focuses on built-in Python modules and libraries compatible with the Python Packaging Index distribution system- no compiling of C libraries necessary
• This is a practical, hands-on tutorial that teaches you all about Geospatial analysis in Python

In Detail

Geospatial analysis is used in almost every field you can think of from medicine, to defense, to farming. It is an approach to use statistical analysis and other informational engineering to data which has a geographical or geospatial aspect. And this typically involves applications capable of geospatial display and processing to get a compiled and useful data.

"Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python" uses the expressive and powerful Python programming language to guide you through geographic information systems, remote sensing, topography, and more. It explains how to use a framework in order to approach Geospatial analysis effectively, but on your own terms.

"Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python" starts with a background of the field, a survey of the techniques and technology used, and then splits the field into its component speciality areas: GIS, remote sensing, elevation data, advanced modelling, and real-time data.

This book will teach you everything there is to know, from using a particular software package or API to using generic algorithms that can be applied to Geospatial analysis. 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.

"Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python" will round out your technical library with handy recipes and a good understanding of a field that supplements many a modern day human endeavors.

What you will learn from this book

• Automate Geospatial analysis workflows using Python
• Code the simplest possible GIS in 60 lines of Python
• Mold thematic maps with Python tools
• Get a hold of the various forms the geospatial data comes in
• Produce elevation contours using Python tools
• Create flood inundation models
• Learn Real-Time Data tracking and apply it in storm chasing

Approach

This is a tutorial-style book that helps you to perform Geospatial and GIS analysis with Python and its tools/libraries. This book will first introduce various Python-related tools/packages in the initial chapters before moving towards practical usage, examples, and implementation in specialized kinds of Geospatial data analysis.

Who this book is written for

This book is for anyone who wants to understand digital mapping and analysis and who uses Python or another scripting language for automation or crunching data manually.This book primarily targets Python developers, researchers, and analysts who want to perform Geospatial, modeling, and GIS analysis with Python.

About this title

About the Author

Joel Lawhead

Joel Lawhead is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for NVisionSolutions.com, an award-winning firm specializing in geospatial technology integration and sensor engineering.

He began using Python in 1997 and began combining it with geospatial software development in 2000. He has been published in two editions of the Python Cookbook by O'Reilly. He is also the developer of the widely used open source Python Shapefile Library (PyShp) and maintains the geospatial technical blog GeospatialPython.com and Twitter feed @SpatialPython discussing the use of the Python programming language within the geospatial industry.

In 2011, he 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 involving shapefiles.

He has served as the lead architect, project manager, and co-developer for geospatial applications used by US government agencies including NASA, FEMA, NOAA, the US Navy, as well as many commercial and non-profit organizations. In 2002, he received the international "Esri Special Achievment in GIS" award for work on the Real-time Emergency Action Coordination Tool (REACT) for emergency management using geospatial analysis.

Edition details

• Publisher: Packt Pub Ltd
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1783281138
• ISBN 13: 9781783281138
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 346