Geospatial analysis implementation with Python scripts in Linux OS
Alen Mangafić · Repozitorij Univerze v Ljubljani (Univerze v Lgubljani) · 2014
Hardware and software represent basic tools for performance of various tasks in all fields of engineering. This is particularly true today, as available technologies offer considerably more than they used to in the past. The GIS technology and engineering software namely, represent particularly expensive products, which offer an excellent start-up and support for any company knowledgeable in their use. In addition to commercial products, there is also a wide spectrum of open source solutions, which offer same quality of service and meet the professional standards of use. The situation is similar when it comes to free and open source operating systems, the Linux family systems for example. Performance of spatial analysis in a fully open source system is tested in the thesis from the point of view of algorithm content, which was carried out in Python programming language. Python has become the standard scripting language for the requirements of GIS and for designing plug-ins in programmes such as ArcGIS (ESRI, Arcpy) and QGIS. Programming language uniformity provides the link among various programming tools as well as among various system platforms. The exchange of scripts and plug-ins is thus completely compatible, including in the cases of transit and use of the same script among different operating systems and among various GIS tools. The simplicity of language enables the engineers to focus on solutions of engineering tasks without having to spend too much time on the process of programming. Focus on programming is however required by more complex programming languages such as C++ and Java. The process from the initial installation the Linux Mint operating system until installation of Python development environments and their use is described in the thesis. The thesis provides tests of selected scripts for performing spatial analysis in various operating systems (in Linux Mint 17 Qiana and in Windows 8.1 operating systems) and gives qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the results.