Chapter 4. Geospatial Python Toolbox

The first three chapters of this book covered the history of geospatial analysis, the types of geospatial data used by analysts, and the major software and libraries found within the geospatial industry. We used some simple Python examples here and there to illustrate certain points but we focused mainly on the field of geospatial analysis independent of any specific technology.

Starting here, we will be using Python to conquer geospatial analysis and we will continue with that approach for the rest of the book. In this chapter, we'll discover the Python libraries used to access the different types of data found in the Vector data and Raster data sections of Chapter 2, Geospatial Data. Some of these libraries are pure Python and some are bindings to the different software packages found in Chapter 3, The Geospatial Technology Landscape.

We will examine pure Python solutions whenever possible. Python is a very capable programming language...