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Leafmap Python Package for Interactive GIS Maps

Interactive mapping has emerged as a key component for spatial data visualization, geographic analysis, and decision-making in the rapidly developing field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). One of the most effective tools for producing interactive GIS maps inside Python settings is the Leafmap Python package, which provides a smooth combination of mapping, geospatial data processing, and analysis.


The technical features of the Leafmap Python package, as well as its integration with open-source libraries and best practices for sophisticated geospatial workflows, are examined in this article.


Leafmap Python Package
Leafmap Python Package

What is Leafmap?


An open-source Python module called Leafmap was created to make interactive mapping and the viewing of geospatial data easier. It expands upon pre-existing frameworks for visualization, including.


  • Using ipyleaflet, Leaflet.js

  • Folium

  • Whitebox Tools

  • Python API for Earth Engine

  • Rasterio and the Geopandas


Through the integration of these frameworks, Leafmap offers developers, data analysts, and scientists a single interface to:


  • Bring in vector and raster data.

  • Connect to geospatial cloud services such as Google Earth Engine.

  • Execute geoprocessing tasks.

  • Create dynamic GIS apps without requiring a deep understanding of JavaScript.


Key Features of Leafmap


  1. Interactive Map Creation


import leafmap


# Create an interactive map

m = leafmap.Map(center=[20, 78], zoom=4)

m.add_basemap("Esri.WorldImagery")

m


  • Supports a variety of basemaps, including Google, Carto, OpenStreetMap, and Esri.

  • Offers layer control widgets for visibility switching.


  1. Raster and Vector Data Integration


# Add a GeoJSON layer

m.add_geojson("india_states.geojson", layer_name="States")


# Add a raster layer

m.add_raster("landsat_image.tif", colormap="viridis", layer_name="Landsat")


  • Open GeoTIFF, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and NetCDF directly.

  • Advanced raster visualization using colormaps from Matplotlib


  1. Integration with Google Earth Engine (GEE)


import ee

ee.Initialize()


m = leafmap.Map(center=[20, 78], zoom=5)

dataset = ee.ImageCollection("COPERNICUS/S2") \

.filterDate("2022-01-01", "2022-03-01") \

.median()

m.add_ee_layer(dataset, {"bands": ["B4", "B3", "B2"], "min": 0, "max": 3000}, "Sentinel-2")

m


  • Petabytes of Earth observation data are available.

  • Carry out land cover categorization, NDVI, NDWI, and cloud masking.


  1. WhiteboxTools Geoprocessing


leafmap.whitebox.run_tool("ClipRasterToPolygon", {

"input": "dem.tif",

"polygons": "study_area.shp",

"output": "clipped_dem.tif"

})


  • Perform DEM analysis, hydrological modelling, terrain processing, etc.


  1. Interactive Widgets & Dashboards


  • Directly on the map, draw and modify lines, points, and polygons.

  • Drawn features can be exported as Shapefile, GeoJSON, and KML.

  • Create unique geographic dashboards with JupyterLab or Notebook.


Comparison with Other GIS Tools


Feature

Leafmap

Folium

ipyleaflet

QGIS Python

ArcGIS API for Python

Interactive maps

✅

✅

✅

✅

✅

Raster support

✅

Limited

Limited

✅

✅

GEE integration

✅

❌

❌

✅ (via plugin)

✅

WhiteboxTools integration

✅

❌

❌

❌

❌

Cloud-native workflows

✅

❌

❌

Partial

✅


Why Use Leafmap for Interactive GIS?


  • Connects Python with GIS without the need for front-end programming

  • Scalable for huge data and tiny initiatives, Workflows for Earth observation

  • Cross-platform: compatible with cloud environments, Google Colab, and Jupyter

  • Open-source with substantial community involvement


For researchers, developers, and geospatial professionals who want to create interactive GIS maps and carry out sophisticated spatial analysis in Python, the Leafmap Python package is revolutionary. One of the most flexible options in the geospatial ecosystem is its connection with raster/vector processing libraries, WhiteboxTools, and Earth Engine.


With Leafmap, users can do sophisticated analytics, speed up geospatial operations, and develop interactive dashboards in a Python environment.


For more information or any questions regarding the GIS Maps, please don't hesitate to contact us at


USA (HQ): (720) 702–4849


(A GeoWGS84 Corp Company)

 
 
 

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