Retrieving files from an FTP server
Retrieving files from an FTP server for processing is a very common operation for GIS programmers and can be automated with a Python script.
Getting ready
Connecting to an FTP server and downloading a file is accomplished through the ftplib module. A connection to an FTP server is created through the FTP object, which accepts a host, username, and password to create the connection. Once a connection has been opened, you can then search for and download files.
In this recipe, you will connect to the National Interagency Fire Center Incident FTP site and download a PDF file for a wildfire in Colorado. Before you run the following script, you will need to create a username/password through http://gis.nwcg.gov/data_nifcftp.html.
How to do it…
Follow these steps to create a script that connects to an FTP server and downloads a file:
- Open IDLE and create a file called
C:\ArcpyBook\Appendix2\ftp.py. - We'll be connecting to an FTP server at the NIFC. Visit...
