Book Image

Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python

By : Joel Lawhead
Book Image

Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python

By: Joel Lawhead

Overview of this book

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.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python Second Edition
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Chapter 9. Real-Time Data

A common saying among geospatial analysts is, A map is outdated as soon as it's created. This saying reflects the fact that the Earth and everything on it is constantly changing. For most of the history of geospatial analysis and through most of this book, geospatial products are relatively static. Raw datasets are typically updated from a few months to a few years. Data currency has traditionally not been the primary focus because of the time and expense needed to collect data.

Web mapping, wireless cellular modems, and low-cost GPS antennae have changed this focus. It is now logistically feasible and even quite affordable to monitor a rapidly changing object or system and broadcast these changes to millions of people online. This change is revolutionizing geospatial technology and taking it in new directions. The most direct evidence of this revolution is web mapping mash-ups using systems such as Google Maps or OpenLayers and web accessible data formats.

The term...