Book Image

Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python

By : Joel Lawhead
4 (1)
Book Image

Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python

4 (1)
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. 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.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Creating a flood inundation model


In this next example, we'll begin to enter the world of hydrology. Flooding is one of the most common and devastating natural disasters which affects nearly every population on the globe. Geospatial models are a powerful tool in estimating the impact of a flood and mitigating that impact before it happens. We often hear on the news that a river is reaching flood stage. But that information is meaningless if we can't understand the impact. Hydrological flood models are expensive to develop and can be infinitely complex. These models are essential for engineers building flood control systems. However, first responders and potential flood victims are only interested in the impact of an impending flood.

We can begin to understand the flooding impact in an area using a very simple and easy-to-comprehend tool called a flood inundation model. This model starts with a single point and floods an area with the maximum volume of water that a flood basin can hold at...