The Geocoding Toolbox is being deprecated (2 min)

First, the historyBack in 2014, we released a custom python toolbox for ArcGIS Desktop called the Geocoding Toolbox. It allowed users to geocode Utah addresses using the UGRC API. It was a great tool

Introducing palletjack: Updating AGOL feature services from external sources (6 min)

Do you hate writing the same bits of code over and over again? Do you hate fixing the same thing again and again? Do you think "there's got to be a way to do that, but I don't have time to figure it o

Python Shorts: Loading an Open SGID Layer into pandas (3 min)

There are a myriad of ways you can access data from the Open SGID. However, these all require some form of desktop client application. What if you want programmatic access to our spatial data? Because

Aggregating and Analyzing Point Data with H3 Hexes and Pandas (10 min)

I recently discovered Uber's open-source H3 geospatial indexing system while working on a project with a lot of point data. This is a great tool for aggregating points into regularly-sized polygon geo

Python Shorts: The Benefits of Unit Testing (6 min)

In the realm of programming, "unit testing" is an automated way of testing small, individual "units" of your code to ensure that when given a specific set of inputs they return a specific set of outpu

Python Shorts: Flattening Arrow Code (5 min)

"Arrow Code" refers to a series of nested statements that increase your indentation level at each statement, creating an arrow of whitespace when the s are mirrored by accompanying blocks.While arro

A Brief Tutorial on Exploring the Open SGID with Open Source Python Tools (7 min)

The accompanying Python Notebook for this blog post can be found here on Google Colab.The Open SGIDThe introduction of the Open SGID has opened the door for new ways to explore Utah's GIS data. Before

Automating Next-Generation 911 Law Enforcement Boundaries (3 min)

UGRC has created a Python script for law enforcement boundaries that automatically builds jurisdiction polygons based on existing boundaries (primarily county and municipal boundaries) in the State Ge

Using Jupyter Notebook for UGRC Collaboration (4 min)

At UGRC we greatly value collaboration and sharing ideas. A terrific technology to support these values is the Jupyter Notebook project.Jupyter Notebook consists of a web application tied to an interp

Dumbing Down Terrain with Contour Polygons (4 min)

While technology advances towards products with greater resolution and accuracy, sometimes more data isn’t always better data. Sometimes, being able to see general trends and relative differences pain

The Evolution of a Python Script (7 min)

Python is a very approachable programming language and scripting in python is quick and powerful - Create a file, type some code, and a repeatable script is produced. Python is installed on most compu