GeoMaster

GeoMaster is a comprehensive geospatial science skill covering the full spectrum of geographic information systems, remote sensing, spatial analysis, and machine learning for Earth observation. This skill provides expert knowledge across 70+ topics with 500+ code examples in 7 programming languages.

Installation

Core Python Geospatial Stack

# Install via conda (recommended for geospatial dependencies)
conda install -c conda-forge gdal rasterio fiona shapely pyproj geopandas

# Or via uv
uv pip install geopandas rasterio fiona shapely pyproj

Remote Sensing & Image Processing

# Core remote sensing libraries
uv pip install rsgislib torchgeo eo-learn

# For Google Earth Engine
uv pip install earthengine-api

# For SNAP integration
# Download from: https://step.esa.int/main/download/

GIS Software Integration

# QGIS Python bindings (usually installed with QGIS)
# ArcPy requires ArcGIS Pro installation

# GRASS GIS
conda install -c conda-forge grassgrass

# SAGA GIS
conda install -c conda-forge saga-gis

Machine Learning for Geospatial

# Deep learning for remote sensing
uv pip install torch-geometric tensorflow-caney

# Spatial machine learning
uv pip install libpysal esda mgwr
uv pip install scikit-learn xgboost lightgbm

Point Cloud & 3D

# LiDAR processing
uv pip install laspy pylas

# Point cloud manipulation
uv pip install open3d pdal

# Photogrammetry
uv pip install opendm

Network & Routing

# Street network analysis
uv pip install osmnx networkx

# Routing engines
uv pip install osrm pyrouting

Visualization

# Static mapping
uv pip install cartopy contextily mapclassify

# Interactive web maps
uv pip install folium ipyleaflet keplergl

# 3D visualization
uv pip install pydeck pythreejs

Big Data & Cloud

# Distributed geospatial processing
uv pip install dask-geopandas

# Xarray for multidimensional arrays
uv pip install xarray rioxarray

# Planetary Computer
uv pip install pystac-client planetary-computer

Database Support

# PostGIS
conda install -c conda-forge postgis

# SpatiaLite
conda install -c conda-forge spatialite

# GeoAlchemy2 for SQLAlchemy
uv pip install geoalchemy2

Additional Programming Languages

# R geospatial packages
# install.packages(c("sf", "terra", "raster", "terra", "stars"))

# Julia geospatial packages
# import Pkg; Pkg.add(["ArchGDAL", "GeoInterface", "GeoStats.jl"])

# JavaScript (Node.js)
# npm install @turf/turf terraformer-arcgis-parser

# Java
# Maven: org.geotools:gt-main

Quick Start

Reading Satellite Imagery and Calculating NDVI

import rasterio
import numpy as np

# Open Sentinel-2 imagery
with rasterio.open('sentinel2.tif') as src:
    # Read red (B04) and NIR (B08) bands
    red = src.read(4)
    nir = src.read(8)

    # Calculate NDVI
    ndvi = (nir.astype(float) - red.astype(float)) / (nir + red)
    ndvi = np.nan_to_num(ndvi, nan=0)

    # Save result
    profile = src.profile
    profile.update(count=1, dtype=rasterio.float32)

    with rasterio.open('ndvi.tif', 'w', **profile) as dst:
        dst.write(ndvi.astype(rasterio.float32), 1)

print(f"NDVI range: {ndvi.min():.3f} to {ndvi.max():.3f}")

Spatial Analysis with GeoPandas

import geopandas as gpd

# Load spatial data
zones = gpd.read_file('zones.geojson')
points = gpd.read_file('points.geojson')

# Ensure same CRS
if zones.crs != points.crs:
    points = points.to_crs(zones.crs)

# Spatial join (points within zones)
joined = gpd.sjoin(points, zones, how='inner', predicate='within')

# Calculate statistics per zone
stats = joined.groupby('zone_id').agg({
    'value': ['count', 'mean', 'std', 'min', 'max']
}).round(2)

print(stats)

Google Earth Engine Time Series

import ee
import pandas as pd

# Initialize Earth Engine
ee.Initialize(project='your-project-id')

# Define region of interest
roi = ee.Geometry.Point([-122.4, 37.7]).buffer(10000)

# Get Sentinel-2 collection
s2 = (ee.ImageCollection('COPERNICUS/S2_SR_HARMONIZED')
      .filterBounds(roi)
      .filterDate('2020-01-01', '2023-12-31')
      .filter(ee.Filter.lt('CLOUDY_PIXEL_PERCENTAGE', 20)))

# Add NDVI band
def add_ndvi(image):
    ndvi = image.normalizedDifference(['B8', 'B4']).rename('NDVI')
    return image.addBands(ndvi)

s2_ndvi = s2.map(add_ndvi)

# Extract time series
def extract_series(image):
    stats = image.reduceRegion(
        reducer=ee.Reducer.mean(),
        geometry=roi.centroid(),
        scale=10,
        maxPixels=1e9
    )
    return ee.Feature(None, {
        'date': image.date().format('YYYY-MM-dd'),
        'ndvi': stats.get('NDVI')
    })

series = s2_ndvi.map(extract_series).getInfo()
df = pd.DataFrame([f['properties'] for f in series['features']])
df['date'] = pd.to_datetime(df['date'])
print(df.head())

Core Concepts

Coordinate Reference Systems (CRS)

Understanding CRS is fundamental to geospatial work:

• Geographic CRS: EPSG:4326 (WGS 84) - uses lat/lon degrees
• Projected CRS: EPSG:3857 (Web Mercator) - uses meters
• UTM Zones: EPSG:326xx (North), EPSG:327xx (South) - minimizes distortion

See coordinate-systems.md for comprehensive CRS reference.

Vector vs Raster Data

Vector Data: Points, lines, polygons with discrete boundaries

• Shapefiles, GeoJSON, GeoPackage, PostGIS
• Best for: administrative boundaries, roads, infrastructure

Raster Data: Grid of cells with continuous values

• GeoTIFF, NetCDF, HDF5, COG
• Best for: satellite imagery, elevation, climate data

Spatial Data Types

OGC Standards

Key Open Geospatial Consortium standards:

• WMS: Web Map Service - raster maps
• WFS: Web Feature Service - vector data
• WCS: Web Coverage Service - raster coverage
• WPS: Web Processing Service - geoprocessing
• WMTS: Web Map Tile Service - tiled maps

Common Operations

Remote Sensing Operations

#### Spectral Indices Calculation

import rasterio
import numpy as np

def calculate_indices(image_path, output_path):
    """Calculate NDVI, EVI, SAVI, and NDWI from Sentinel-2."""
    with rasterio.open(image_path) as src:
        # Read bands: B2=Blue, B3=Green, B4=Red, B8=NIR, B11=SWIR1
        blue = src.read(2).astype(float)
        green = src.read(3).astype(float)
        red = src.read(4).astype(float)
        nir = src.read(8).astype(float)
        swir1 = src.read(11).astype(float)

        # Calculate indices
        ndvi = (nir - red) / (nir + red + 1e-8)
        evi = 2.5 * (nir - red) / (nir + 6*red - 7.5*blue + 1)
        savi = ((nir - red) / (nir + red + 0.5)) * 1.5
        ndwi = (green - nir) / (green + nir + 1e-8)

        # Stack and save
        indices = np.stack([ndvi, evi, savi, ndwi])
        profile = src.profile
        profile.update(count=4, dtype=rasterio.float32)

        with rasterio.open(output_path, 'w', **profile) as dst:
            dst.write(indices)

# Usage
calculate_indices('sentinel2.tif', 'indices.tif')

#### Image Classification

from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestClassifier
import geopandas as gpd
import rasterio
from rasterio.features import rasterize
import numpy as np

def classify_imagery(raster_path, training_gdf, output_path):
    """Train Random Forest classifier and classify imagery."""
    # Load imagery
    with rasterio.open(raster_path) as src:
        image = src.read()
        profile = src.profile
        transform = src.transform

    # Extract training data
    X_train, y_train = [], []

    for _, row in training_gdf.iterrows():
        mask = rasterize(
            [(row.geometry, 1)],
            out_shape=(profile['height'], profile['width']),
            transform=transform,
            fill=0,
            dtype=np.uint8
        )
        pixels = image[:, mask > 0].T
        X_train.extend(pixels)
        y_train.extend([row['class_id']] * len(pixels))

    X_train = np.array(X_train)
    y_train = np.array(y_train)

    # Train classifier
    rf = RandomForestClassifier(n_estimators=100, max_depth=20, n_jobs=-1)
    rf.fit(X_train, y_train)

    # Predict full image
    image_reshaped = image.reshape(image.shape[0], -1).T
    prediction = rf.predict(image_reshaped)
    prediction = prediction.reshape(profile['height'], profile['width'])

    # Save result
    profile.update(dtype=rasterio.uint8, count=1)
    with rasterio.open(output_path, 'w', **profile) as dst:
        dst.write(prediction.astype(rasterio.uint8), 1)

    return rf

Vector Operations

import geopandas as gpd
from shapely.ops import unary_union

# Buffer analysis
gdf['buffer_1km'] = gdf.geometry.to_crs(epsg=32633).buffer(1000)

# Spatial relationships
intersects = gdf[gdf.geometry.intersects(other_geometry)]
contains = gdf[gdf.geometry.contains(point_geometry)]

# Geometric operations
gdf['centroid'] = gdf.geometry.centroid
gdf['convex_hull'] = gdf.geometry.convex_hull
gdf['simplified'] = gdf.geometry.simplify(tolerance=0.001)

# Overlay operations
intersection = gpd.overlay(gdf1, gdf2, how='intersection')
union = gpd.overlay(gdf1, gdf2, how='union')
difference = gpd.overlay(gdf1, gdf2, how='difference')

Terrain Analysis

import rasterio
from rasterio.features import shapes
import numpy as np

def calculate_terrain_metrics(dem_path):
    """Calculate slope, aspect, hillshade from DEM."""
    with rasterio.open(dem_path) as src:
        dem = src.read(1)
        transform = src.transform

    # Calculate gradients
    dy, dx = np.gradient(dem)

    # Slope (in degrees)
    slope = np.arctan(np.sqrt(dx**2 + dy**2)) * 180 / np.pi

    # Aspect (in degrees, clockwise from north)
    aspect = np.arctan2(-dy, dx) * 180 / np.pi
    aspect = (90 - aspect) % 360

    # Hillshade
    azimuth = 315
    altitude = 45
    azimuth_rad = np.radians(azimuth)
    altitude_rad = np.radians(altitude)

    hillshade = (np.sin(altitude_rad) * np.sin(np.radians(slope)) +
                 np.cos(altitude_rad) * np.cos(np.radians(slope)) *
                 np.cos(np.radians(aspect) - azimuth_rad))

    return slope, aspect, hillshade

Network Analysis

import osmnx as ox
import networkx as nx

# Download street network
G = ox.graph_from_place('San Francisco, CA', network_type='drive')

# Add speeds and travel times
G = ox.add_edge_speeds(G)
G = ox.add_edge_travel_times(G)

# Find shortest path
orig_node = ox.distance.nearest_nodes(G, -122.4, 37.7)
dest_node = ox.distance.nearest_nodes(G, -122.3, 37.8)
route = nx.shortest_path(G, orig_node, dest_node, weight='travel_time')

# Calculate accessibility
accessibility = {}
for node in G.nodes():
    subgraph = nx.ego_graph(G, node, radius=5, distance='time')
    accessibility[node] = len(subgraph.nodes())

Detailed Documentation

Comprehensive reference documentation is organized by topic:

• [Core Libraries](references/core-libraries.md) - GDAL, Rasterio, Fiona, Shapely, PyProj, GeoPandas fundamentals
• [Remote Sensing](references/remote-sensing.md) - Satellite missions, optical/SAR/hyperspectral analysis, image processing
• [GIS Software](references/gis-software.md) - QGIS/PyQGIS, ArcGIS/ArcPy, GRASS, SAGA integration
• [Scientific Domains](references/scientific-domains.md) - Marine, atmospheric, hydrology, agriculture, forestry applications
• [Advanced GIS](references/advanced-gis.md) - 3D GIS, spatiotemporal analysis, topology, network analysis
• [Programming Languages](references/programming-languages.md) - R, Julia, JavaScript, C++, Java, Go geospatial tools
• [Machine Learning](references/machine-learning.md) - Deep learning for RS, spatial ML, GNNs, XAI for geospatial
• [Big Data](references/big-data.md) - Distributed processing, cloud platforms, GPU acceleration
• [Industry Applications](references/industry-applications.md) - Urban planning, disaster management, precision agriculture
• [Specialized Topics](references/specialized-topics.md) - Geostatistics, optimization, ethics, best practices
• [Data Sources](references/data-sources.md) - Satellite data catalogs, open data repositories, API access
• [Code Examples](references/code-examples.md) - 500+ code examples across 7 programming languages

Common Workflows

End-to-End Land Cover Classification

import rasterio
import geopandas as gpd
from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestClassifier
import numpy as np

# 1. Load training data
training = gpd.read_file('training_polygons.gpkg')

# 2. Load satellite imagery
with rasterio.open('sentinel2.tif') as src:
    bands = src.read()
    profile = src.profile
    meta = src.meta

# 3. Extract training pixels
X, y = [], []
for _, row in training.iterrows():
    mask = rasterize_features(row.geometry, profile['shape'])
    pixels = bands[:, mask > 0].T
    X.extend(pixels)
    y.extend([row['class']] * len(pixels))

# 4. Train model
model = RandomForestClassifier(n_estimators=100, max_depth=20)
model.fit(X, y)

# 5. Classify image
pixels_reshaped = bands.reshape(bands.shape[0], -1).T
prediction = model.predict(pixels_reshaped)
classified = prediction.reshape(bands.shape[1], bands.shape[2])

# 6. Save result
profile.update(dtype=rasterio.uint8, count=1, nodata=255)
with rasterio.open('classified.tif', 'w', **profile) as dst:
    dst.write(classified.astype(rasterio.uint8), 1)

# 7. Accuracy assessment (with validation data)
# ... (see references for complete workflow)

Flood Hazard Mapping Workflow

# 1. Download DEM (e.g., from ALOS AW3D30, SRTM, Copernicus)
# 2. Process DEM: fill sinks, calculate flow direction
# 3. Define flood scenarios (return periods)
# 4. Hydraulic modeling (HEC-RAS, LISFLOOD)
# 5. Generate inundation maps
# 6. Assess exposure (settlements, infrastructure)
# 7. Calculate damage estimates

# See references/hydrology.md for complete implementation

Time Series Analysis for Vegetation Monitoring

import ee
import pandas as pd
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Initialize GEE
ee.Initialize(project='your-project')

# Define ROI
roi = ee.Geometry.Point([x, y]).buffer(5000)

# Get Landsat collection
landsat = ee.ImageCollection('LANDSAT/LC08/C02/T1_L2')\
    .filterBounds(roi)\
    .filterDate('2015-01-01', '2024-12-31')\
    .filter(ee.Filter.lt('CLOUD_COVER', 20))

# Calculate NDVI time series
def add_ndvi(img):
    ndvi = img.normalizedDifference(['SR_B5', 'SR_B4']).rename('NDVI')
    return img.addBands(ndvi)

landsat_ndvi = landsat.map(add_ndvi)

# Extract time series
ts = landsat_ndvi.getRegion(roi, 30).getInfo()
df = pd.DataFrame(ts[1:], columns=ts[0])
df['date'] = pd.to_datetime(df['time'])

# Analyze trends
from scipy import stats
slope, intercept, r_value, p_value, std_err = stats.linregress(
    range(len(df)), df['NDVI']
)

print(f"Trend: {slope:.6f} NDVI/year (p={p_value:.4f})")

Multi-Criteria Suitability Analysis

import geopandas as gpd
import rasterio
import numpy as np
from sklearn.preprocessing import MinMaxScaler

# 1. Load criteria rasters
criteria = {
    'slope': rasterio.open('slope.tif').read(1),
    'distance_to_water': rasterio.open('water_dist.tif').read(1),
    'soil_quality': rasterio.open('soil.tif').read(1),
    'land_use': rasterio.open('landuse.tif').read(1)
}

# 2. Reclassify (lower is better for slope/distance)
weights = {'slope': 0.3, 'distance_to_water': 0.2,
           'soil_quality': 0.3, 'land_use': 0.2}

# 3. Normalize (0-1, using fuzzy membership)
normalized = {}
for key, raster in criteria.items():
    if key in ['slope', 'distance_to_water']:
        # Decreasing suitability
        normalized[key] = 1 - MinMaxScaler().fit_transform(raster.reshape(-1, 1))
    else:
        normalized[key] = MinMaxScaler().fit_transform(raster.reshape(-1, 1))

# 4. Weighted overlay
suitability = sum(normalized[key] * weights[key] for key in criteria)
suitability = suitability.reshape(criteria['slope'].shape)

# 5. Classify suitability levels
# (Low, Medium, High, Very High)

# 6. Save result
profile = rasterio.open('slope.tif').profile
profile.update(dtype=rasterio.float32, count=1)
with rasterio.open('suitability.tif', 'w', **profile) as dst:
    dst.write(suitability.astype(rasterio.float32), 1)

Performance Tips

1. Use Spatial Indexing: R-tree indexes speed up spatial queries by 10-100x

   gdf.sindex  # Automatically created by GeoPandas

1. Chunk Large Rasters: Process in blocks to avoid memory errors

   with rasterio.open('large.tif') as src:
       for window in src.block_windows():
           block = src.read(window=window)

1. Use Dask for Big Data: Parallel processing on large datasets

   import dask.array as da
   dask_array = da.from_rasterio('large.tif', chunks=(1, 1024, 1024))

1. Enable GDAL Caching: Speed up repeated reads

   import gdal
   gdal.SetCacheMax(2**30)  # 1GB cache

1. Use Arrow for I/O: Faster file reading/writing

   gdf.to_file('output.gpkg', use_arrow=True)

1. Reproject Once: Do all analysis in a single projected CRS
2. Use Efficient Formats: GeoPackage > Shapefile, Parquet for large datasets
3. Simplify Geometries: Reduce complexity when precision isn't critical

   gdf['geometry'] = gdf.geometry.simplify(tolerance=0.0001)

1. Use COG for Cloud: Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF for remote data
2. Enable Parallel Processing: Most libraries support n_jobs=-1

Best Practices

1. Always Check CRS before any spatial operation

   assert gdf1.crs == gdf2.crs, "CRS mismatch!"

1. Use Appropriate CRS:

• Geographic (EPSG:4326) for global data, storage
• Projected (UTM) for area/distance calculations
• Web Mercator (EPSG:3857) for web mapping only

1. Validate Geometries before operations

   gdf = gdf[gdf.is_valid]
   gdf['geometry'] = gdf.geometry.make_valid()

1. Handle Missing Data appropriately

   gdf['geometry'] = gdf['geometry'].fillna(None)

1. Document Projections in metadata
2. Use Vector Tiles for web maps with many features
3. Apply Cloud Masking for optical imagery
4. Calibrate Radiometric Values for quantitative analysis
5. Preserve Lineage for reproducible research
6. Use Appropriate Spatial Resolution for your analysis scale