AcadGIS: A Single-Import Python Package for Reproducible, Publication-Ready Academic Maps
2026-07-10 • Mathematical Software
Mathematical SoftwareGraphics
AI summaryⓘ
The authors created AcadGIS, a free Python tool that helps researchers make research maps more easily and consistently. Instead of using several complicated programs or manual steps, users can write simple commands in one place to get ready-to-publish maps. AcadGIS also handles data sources, styling, and layouts automatically, making map creation more accessible for those who don't know GIS software well. They show examples of how this tool can simplify making maps for papers or projects.
Python packageGISshapefilescartographythematic mapsEarth observationraster datavector datadata visualizationmap export formats
Authors
Ripon Chandra Malo, Shatabdi Roy, Tong Qiu
Abstract
Academic and project maps are often produced through a fragmented workflow: researchers locate boundaries, manage shapefiles, join tabular data, assemble locator insets, add cartographic decorations, and export figures through desktop GIS or multi-package Python scripts. This creates an accessibility barrier for non-GIS users and a reproducibility problem when data sources, styling choices, and manual edits are not captured in executable form. We present AcadGIS, a free and open-source Python package that creates publication-oriented research maps from high-level commands under one namespace, import acadgis as agis. AcadGIS provides place-name boundary access, automated study-area locator layouts, thematic cartography, raster and vector layers, curated Earth-observation products, terrain and hydrology context, and configurable PNG, PDF, and SVG export without requiring desktop GIS expertise or hand-managed shapefiles. Its design combines one-import access to the scientific-Python stack, publication-oriented defaults with progressive control, local caching, source attribution, and figure specifications based on code, named data, and a pinned package version. Through three representative use cases, we demonstrate how common paper, thesis, and project maps can be expressed as compact, inspectable scripts. Source code: https://github.com/riponcm/AcadGIS.