Hey fellow surveying and GIS enthusiasts!
I’ve been diving deep into how Python can supercharge everyday surveying engineering tasks lately, and I wanted to share some insights, tools, and project ideas with this community—plus swap notes with anyone else who’s been experimenting with the same combo.
First off, let’s talk about the game-changing libraries. For data processing and calculation, NumPy and Pandas are lifesavers for organizing survey datasets (think coordinate lists, traverse measurements, or elevation points). When it comes to spatial data handling, PyQGIS lets you automate QGIS workflows right from Python scripts, while Fiona and Shapely make reading/writing shapefiles and performing geometric operations (like distance calculations or polygon overlays) a breeze. And if you’re dealing with LiDAR data? Laspy is a must-have for parsing and processing LAS/LAZ files to extract ground points or generate DEMs.
I recently built a small script to automate traverse closure calculations—something that used to take me hours of manual number-crunching in Excel. The script imports raw field data (from a CSV export of my total station), runs the closure error checks, adjusts coordinates using the Bowditch method, and outputs a clean report with all the adjusted values. It’s saved me so much time on my class projects and fieldwork!
But I know I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’m curious: What Python projects have you built for surveying engineering? Have you found any underrated libraries that deserve more attention? Or are there any pain points you’re still trying to solve with code (like automating CAD exports, or validating geodetic datum transformations)?
Whether you’re a beginner just starting to learn Python for surveying, or a pro with a toolkit of custom scripts, let’s share our wins, fails, and tips!
Looking forward to the discussion!
Top comments (1)
Great share—this hits so close to home! I’ve also sunk hours manually calculating traverse closures in Excel, so that script you built sounds like a total game-changer (I’m absolutely going to adapt that for my upcoming fieldwork).
I’ve messed around with PyQGIS to automate basic map workflows, but I’ve struggled to streamline CAD exports from spatial datasets—have you (or anyone in the community) found a smoother workflow or library for that? Also, for geodetic datum transformations: I’ve used pyproj, but hit snags with older local datums; any underrated tools you’d flag for those edge cases?
Your library breakdown is spot-on too—Laspy was one I hadn’t prioritized, but I’ve got a LiDAR processing task lined up, so that’s perfect timing. Thanks for kicking off this convo—super valuable for folks blending Python and surveying!