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
GRASS GIS Python bindings and GRASS GIS Python library
QGIS 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

Efforts outside the OSGEO world

satellite imagery -- Discussion on Scipy Mailing list
PySAL: Open Source Library for Spatial Analysis
- STARS
- PySpace
- PyWeights
How Important is Geospatial Data to You? -- Using geodata with Python may be included in future versions of the Software carpentry course

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.

Communication

A new mailing list is created: Unofficial Python GIS SIG

Interested people