Take a look at:
The Volcano and the Buffer | Desktop GIS - the book
It includes an example that uses CSV, GDAL/OGR VRT, QGIS, and fTools to figure out if I was in danger of being buried in a volcanic ash fall (not much danger but sounds dramatic).
One of the hurdles in developing a QGIS plugin with Python is just getting the basics down. Getting the plugin setup so it is recognized by QGIS and properly adds it’s menu and toolbar items can be a bit of a chore, especially the first time.
To make the process easier, I put together a web tool to generate a plugin that can be used as a starting point. The tool creates a fully functional plugin that can be loaded in QGIS 1.x. The generated plugin contains an icon and a simple dialog with Ok and Cancel buttons.
Give the PyQGIS Plugin Builder a try and feel free to provide comments and suggestions.
The recent release of QGIS 1.0 provides an excellent opportunity for developers looking to create standalone mapping applications with Python.
I recently posted an article on creating a very simple standalone application with Python and QGIS 1.0. Much of the Python efforts thus far have been devoted to creating QGIS plugins. I think now that we have a stable API, you’ll begin to see more custom applications that meet a specialized need.
If you are developing such applications, it would be great to hear from you.
Looks like the ink is dry on Desktop GIS and it should start shipping soon. You can get the full scoop from the Pragmatic Bookshelf.
Update: It’s now shipping. See the announcement.
After a rather long lapse, I had the occasion to write some Java code recently (mainly because it didn’t look like Howard’s PySDE was functional).
I didn’t like it.
Not to start a language flame war, but after using Python almost exclusively for 6 months, I found Java to be cumbersome. I kept thinking “if it were Python I could do it this way”.
Sending an email from Java—frightening. From Python—simple.
Lest you think I’m a Java newbie, I’ve been using it for both desktop and web applications for over 10 years.
Its ease of use and rapid development time, coupled with the fact that Python is the de facto “GIS” scripting language in most arenas, makes it my new favorite language.
Of course the old axiom still stands—To each his own…
This weekend I finished reviewing Pragmatic Version Control Using Git by Travis Swicegood. If you are a git user or interested in learning about the latest in version control for your source code, check it out. The book is available in beta now.
QgisToMapServer converts a saved QGIS project file to a map file, ready to be served with MapServer. A binary preview version for both Mac and Windows is available now. For Linux/Unix users, the source code is available from the Git repository.
QgisToMapServer is different from the plugin in QGIS. It is a standalone Python application providing the following features:
For full details see: http://spatialserver.net/qgis2ms
The book is now available in beta. Excerpts from two of the chapters are available online.
What’s a beta book? Well in this case it’s a lot like software—feature complete and ready for you to give it a spin.
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Well it was a short summer here. Or perhaps we have defeated global warming. This is the view from the deck on Thursday evening:
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Everybody who gets an Eee PC has to write about it—it’s required. I don’t really have much to add to the raft of reviews, except for one small point.
I found myself wanting to print something and, based on my last experience, prepared for the ordeal of setting up a printer. I about fell out of the chair when I opened the Printer configuration and found that the Eee had already found the CUPS printer on my network and added it. Hit print and it works. Nice.
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