Python Geospatial Development

Develop sophisticated mapping applications from scratch using Python 3.x's tools for geospatial development

About This Book

• Build web applications based around maps and geospatial data using Python 3.x
• Install and use various toolkits and obtain geospatial data for use in your programs
• This practical, hands-on book will teach you all about geospatial development in Python

Who This Book Is For

This book is for experienced Python developers who want to learn about geospatial concepts, obtain and work with geospatial data, solve spatial problems, and build sophisticated map-based applications using Python.

What You Will Learn

• Access, manipulate, and display geospatial data from within your Python programs
• Master the core geospatial concepts of location, distance, units, projections, and datums
• Read and write geospatial data in both vector and raster format
• Perform complex, real-world geospatial calculations using Python
• Store and access geospatial information in a database
• Use points, lines, and polygons within your Python programs
• Convert geospatial data into attractive maps using Python-based tools
• Build complete web-based mapping applications using Python

In Detail

Geospatial development links your data to places on the Earth's surface. Writing geospatial programs involves tasks such as grouping data by location, storing and analyzing large amounts of spatial information, performing complex geospatial calculations, and drawing colorful interactive maps. In order to do this well, you'll need appropriate tools and techniques, as well as a thorough understanding of geospatial concepts such as map projections, datums, and coordinate systems.

This book provides an overview of the major geospatial concepts, data sources, and toolkits. It starts by showing you how to store and access spatial data using Python, how to perform a range of spatial calculations, and how to store spatial data in a database. Further on, the book teaches you how to build your own slippy map interface within a web application, and finishes with a detailed construction of a geospatial data editor using Geodjango.

By the end of this book, you will be able to write quick utilities to solve geospatial problems, and develop sophisticated web applications based around maps and geospatial data using Python and its libraries/tools.

Erik Westra has been a professional software developer for over 25 years now, and he has worked almost exclusively in Python for the past decade. Erik's early interest in graphical user interface design led to the development of one of the most advanced urgent courier dispatch systems used by messenger and courier companies worldwide. In recent years, Erik has been involved in the design and implementation of systems that match seekers and providers of goods and services across a range of geographical areas, as well as real-time messaging and payments systems. This work has included the creation of real-time geocoders and map-based views of constantly changing data. Erik is based in New Zealand, and works for companies worldwide. Erik is also the author of the titles Python Geospatial Analysis, First Edition; Python Geospatial Analysis, Second Edition, and Building Mapping Applications with QGIS, all published by Packt Publishing.