LocatePy

LocatePy is a lightweight, fast reverse-geolocation utility for Python.
It maps latitude/longitude coordinates to administrative boundaries using a prebuilt SQLite database with R-Tree spatial indexing and compressed WKB geometries for exact geometry verification.

This project is designed to be:

• Fast — minimal dependencies, only Shapely
• Lightweight — SQLite + compressed geometries
• Offline-first — no API calls, no internet required

Features

• Reverse geolocation from (lat, lon) → Country / District / Municipal
• Spatial lookup via SQLite R-Tree
• Geometry checks powered by Shapely
• Compressed WKB for efficient storage
• Simple API
• Data for geolocation provided by geoboundaries.org

Usage

Basic Example

from locatepy.locatepy import LocatePy

locator = LocatePy()
result = locator.locate(lat=43.6532, lon=-79.3832)

print(result.country) # Canada
print(result.district) # Ontario
print(result.municipal) # Toronto

Returned Object

locate() returns a LocateResult dataclass:

LocateResult(
    country: str,    # ADM0
    district: str,   # ADM1
    municipal: str   # ADM2
)

If no match is found:

LocateResult("UNKNOWN", "UNKNOWN", "UNKNOWN")

Installation

pip install locatepy

Dependencies

LocatePy requires:

• Python 3.9+
• shapely
• Ships with a prebuilt SQLite database

Geometry Storage

• Municipal geometries stored as zlib-compressed WKB
• Bounding boxes stored in the R-Tree (minx, maxx, miny, maxy)

How It Works

1. A Point(lon, lat) is created using Shapely
2. The SQLite R-Tree is queried for candidate municipalities
3. Candidate geometries are:
   • Decompressed from zlib
   • Loaded from WKB
4. A precise shapely covers test determines containment
5. The matching admin hierarchy is returned

This approach avoids expensive full-table scans and keeps memory usage low.

Performance Notes

• R-Tree bounding box filtering reduces geometry checks dramatically
• Geometry decompression occurs only for candidate matches
• No internet connection required

Limitations

• Resolution and accuracy depend entirely on the source boundary data provided by geoboundaries.org
• Does not currently support:
  • Reverse geocoding to street/address level
  • Multi-match results
  • Assumes WGS84

License

MIT License

LocatePy — simple, fast, offline reverse geolocation.