Installing GDAL / OGR for Python on Windows

Installing GDAL/OGR for Python on Windows is now even easier!

Python and Spatialite (32-bit) on 64-bit Windows

For some reason it is insanely difficult to use Spatialite from Python on Windows. In theory the following should create and connect to an in-memory database, then load the Spatialite extension (after mod_spatialite and friends have been put somewhere and added to your system Path):

import sqlite3

with sqlite3.connect(':memory:') as conn:

	conn.enable_load_extension(True)

	conn.execute("SELECT load_extension('mod_spatialite')")

However, this fails stating: OperationalError: The specified module could not be found.

A simple CherryPy RESTful JSON server

A simple CherryPy RESTful JSON server

I have recently been working with CherryPy. It seems really cool, but it is quite hard to find simple and clear online examples for some things. In this case I wanted to set up a RESTful server that can accept POST requests containing JSON/GeoJSON, and return JSON/GeoJSON, with the request coming from JavaScript in a web page (no jQuery).

Fresh look, updated content, new posts in the pipelines!

Python, GIS and stuff has just been revamped with a more modern theme (check the sidebar for top posts and details on how to subscribe for new posts)! I have also gone over every single post to make sure the information is as clear and as accurate as possible, and work has started on new tutorial posts for Python GIS basics – watch this space!

Enable Python installations that were not installed by ArcGIS to access Arcpy functionality

ArcGIS installs its own version of Python that is not officially registered with the system but can in reality be used just like a normal install. I personally prefer just to use this as my primary Python, but it is not always possible. The instructions below can help you let a different Python install access and use Arcpy

Using Arcpy with multiprocessing – Part 3

The following post builds upon the script and methods developed in Part 1 and Part 2, so read them first!

The purpose of this series is not to give you a one line example that you can copy and paste to your code, but step through the process and make the underlying principles clear.

Parallelised Composite Geocoding script

The code below is an implementation of a Composite Address Locator for geocoding that has multiprocessor parallelisation capabilities and can be resumed if interrupted.