nmaipy 3.5.0

Nearmap AI Python Library for extracting AI features from aerial imagery

nmaipy - Nearmap AI Python Library

Extract building footprints, vegetation, damage assessments, and other AI features from Nearmap's aerial imagery using simple Python code.

What is nmaipy?

nmaipy (pronounced "en-my-pie") is a Python library that makes it easy for data scientists to access Nearmap's AI-powered geospatial data. Whether you're analyzing a few properties or processing millions of buildings across entire cities, nmaipy handles the complexity so you can focus on your analysis.

Quick Start for Data Scientists

1. Install

Option A: Using pip

pip install -e .

Option B: Using conda

Minimal installation (core features only):

conda env create -f environment-minimal.yaml
conda activate nmaipy

Full installation (includes development and notebook tools):

conda env create -f environment.yaml
conda activate nmaipy

Option C: Install into existing conda environment

conda install -c conda-forge geopandas pandas numpy pyarrow psutil pyproj python-dotenv requests rtree shapely stringcase tqdm
pip install -e .

Additional options

For running notebooks with pip:

pip install -e ".[notebooks]"

For development with pip:

pip install -e ".[dev]"

2. Set your API key

export API_KEY=your_api_key_here

3. Run your first extraction

from nmaipy.exporter import AOIExporter

# Extract building and vegetation data
exporter = AOIExporter(
    aoi_file='my_parcels.geojson',  # Your areas of interest
    output_dir='results',            # Where to save outputs
    country='au',                     # au, us, nz, or ca
    packs=['building', 'vegetation'], # What features to extract
    processes=4                       # Parallel processing
)

exporter.run()

That's it! Your results will be saved as CSV or Parquet files in the output directory.

Common Use Cases

🏢 Urban Planning

Extract comprehensive data about buildings, vegetation coverage, and surface materials:

exporter = AOIExporter(
    aoi_file='city_blocks.geojson',
    output_dir='urban_analysis',
    country='au',
    packs=['building', 'vegetation', 'surfaces', 'solar'],
    save_features=True,  # Get individual features, not just summaries
    include_parcel_geometry=True  # Keep boundaries for GIS analysis
)

🌊 Disaster Response

Assess damage after natural disasters like hurricanes or floods:

exporter = AOIExporter(
    aoi_file='affected_areas.geojson',
    output_dir='damage_assessment',
    country='us',
    packs=['damage'],
    since='2024-07-08',  # Date range of the event
    until='2024-07-11',
    rapid=True,  # Use rapid post-catastrophe imagery
    save_features=True
)

🌳 Environmental Analysis

Study vegetation coverage and tree canopy:

exporter = AOIExporter(
    aoi_file='study_area.geojson',
    output_dir='vegetation_study',
    country='au',
    packs=['vegetation'],
    save_features=True  # Get individual tree polygons
)

🏊 Market Research

Find properties with pools or solar panels:

exporter = AOIExporter(
    aoi_file='suburbs.geojson',
    output_dir='market_analysis',
    country='au',
    packs=['pools', 'solar'],
    include_parcel_geometry=True
)

Available AI Features

Some of the more common AI packs are below - there are more and growing, available via API request or on the Nearmap help.nearmap.com page.

Pack	Description	Example Use Cases
building	Building footprints and heights	Urban planning, property analysis
vegetation	Trees and vegetation coverage	Environmental studies, urban forestry
surfaces	Ground surface materials	Permeability studies, heat mapping
pools	Swimming pool detection	Compliance, market research
solar	Solar panel detection	Renewable energy assessment
damage	Post-disaster damage classification	Insurance, emergency response
building_characteristics	Detailed roof types, materials	Detailed property analysis

Input Data Formats

nmaipy accepts areas of interest (AOIs) in several formats:

• GeoJSON: Standard geospatial format with polygons
• Parquet: Efficient columnar format for large datasets
• CSV: Simple format with lat/lon coordinates or WKT geometries

Your input file should contain polygon geometries representing the areas you want to analyze (parcels, census blocks, suburbs, etc.).

Output Data

Results are saved as CSV or Parquet files containing:

• Rollups: Summary statistics per AOI (counts, areas, percentages)
• Features: Individual AI features with geometries (when save_features=True)
• Metadata: Survey dates, data quality metrics

Examples

Check out examples.py for complete working examples of different use cases.

For a minimal example, see run.py.

Working with Large Areas

nmaipy automatically handles large areas by:

• Splitting them into manageable grid cells
• Processing in parallel
• Combining results seamlessly

For areas larger than 1 sq km, the library will automatically use gridding:

exporter = AOIExporter(
    aoi_file='large_region.geojson',
    output_dir='large_area_results',
    country='us',
    packs=['building'],
    aoi_grid_inexact=True,  # Allow mixing survey dates if needed
    processes=16  # Use more processes for speed
)

Performance Tips

1. Use parallel processing: Set processes to the number of CPU cores
2. Process in chunks: Use chunk_size for very large datasets
3. Cache results: Reuse cached API responses with cache_dir
4. Filter by date: Use since and until to get specific time periods

API Documentation

For detailed API documentation and advanced options, see the API Reference.

Getting Help

• Examples: See examples.py for common use cases
• Notebooks: Check the notebooks/ directory for Jupyter notebook tutorials
• Issues: Report bugs or request features on GitHub

Requirements

• Python 3.11+
• Nearmap API key (contact Nearmap for access)
• 4GB+ RAM recommended for large extractions

Advanced: Building a Conda Package

For system administrators who want to create a local conda package:

conda build conda.recipe
conda install --use-local nmaipy

This will create a conda package that can be shared internally or uploaded to a conda channel.

License

See LICENSE file for details.