OSGeo Python Library

Motivation

Several OSGeo software projects support Python. However, a global abstraction layer is lacking which would help to do "OSGeo Python programming". We think of well documented bindings to the various software projects which are handled as plugins (or whatever appropriate).

Functionality

Shared functions may include

Import/Export of data
Linking to external data sources
Reprojection tools
GIS analysis
Plotting and printing

Programming Language

Python
SWIG
...

Existing code to be recycled

http://fwtools.maptools.org and http://openev.sourceforge.net
GDAL/OGR Python bindings
Mapserver Python bindings
QGIS Python bindings
GRASS SWIG Python bindings
PCL and PrimaGIS
Python GIS Working on a pile of GIS programs in Python. Mostly they make maps, but targetting a total replacement of GRASS, so calling it Python GIS.
- Currently in development:
  - pygps, a Python GPS
  - mapview, a Python map viewer
  - LatLongUTMconversion, a Python library to convert between Lat/Lon and UTM
...

Architecture

Draft concept:

 +----------------------------------------------------------------+
 |                                                                |
 |                      OSGeo Python Library                      |   User API
 |                                                                |
 +---------+------------+-------------+-----------+---------+-----+
 |         |            |             |           |         |     |
 | File IO | Streams IO | Projections | Analytics |  Print  | ... |   Abstraction Layer
 |         |            |             |           |         |     |
 +---------+------------+-------------+-----------+---------+-----+
 |                      |             |           |         |     |
 |        GDAL/xxx      |   PROJ4     |   GRASS   |  QGIS   | ... |   OSGeo and related projects
 |                      |             |           |Mapserver|     |   with Python bindings
 |                      |             |           |         |     |
 +----------------------+-------------+-----------+---------+-----+

License

It is proposed to license the OSGeo Python Library under ... TBD. Certainly OSI compliant.

Interested people