pyjeo: A Python Package for the Analysis of Geospatial Data

Abstract

A new Python package, pyjeo, that deals with the analysis of geospatial data has been created by the Joint Research Centre (JRC). Adopting the principles of open science, the JRC strives for transparency and reproducibility of results. In this view, it has been decided to release pyjeo as free and open software. This paper describes the design of pyjeo and how its underlying C/C++ library was ported to Python. Strengths and limitations of the design choices are discussed. In particular, the data model that allows the generation of on-the-fly data cubes is of importance. Two uses cases illustrate how pyjeo can contribute to open science. The first is an example of large-scale processing, where pyjeo was used to create a global composite of Sentinel-2 data. The second shows how pyjeo can be imported within an interactive platform for image analysis and visualization. Using an innovative mechanism that interprets Python code within a C++ library on-the-fly, users can benefit from all functions in the pyjeo package. Images are processed in deferred mode, which is ideal for prototyping new algorithms on geospatial data, and assess the suitability of the results created on the fly at any scale and location.

Keywords

• open-source software
• geospatial data
• image processing