Applicability of Python-based geospatial analysis for operational assessment of weather station deployment

This paper examines the feasibility of utilizing Python packages such as pandas, elevation, geopy, suncalc, gdal, and others to conduct quick geographical analyses of terrain for various field tasks. The paper explores the capabilities of these packages to obtain SRTM model data, analyze terrain features, and present results in a clear visual format. The focus of the paper is on the analysis of ad hoc weather stations and terrain features such as elevation ratios, slope, exposure, hillshading, and visibility to cardinal directions. A step-by-step timeline of the entire processing is provided, along with code snippets required for each analysis. Although the paper acknowledges the importance of GIS, it offers a practical, license-free alternative for operational use. The provided code has the potential to be utilized in the development of independent tools that could be incorporated into various operational applications for diverse field tasks.