Python Automated map production with QGIS

This post shows how to use QGIS and python to automate map exports to PDF.

Purpose

I needed to create create standardised PDF maps on a regular basis. For this I usually use a template set up in QGIS then export PDFs using the atlas feature. However… I found this can be entirely automated so you don’t even need to open the QGIS program to export the product. This can be used to automate map production as a scheduled job or batch produce maps when new data is available.

How it works

Using python the QGIS libraries can be imported and executed. This process can be triggered in windows using a batch file which runs the python script. There’s some guidance for linux too in the super useful qgis cookbook.

I modified the python script from Tim Sutton to be specific to my qpt template. I also added a way to specify coords to focus the map canvas on and apply a filter to a layer. Layers which are added to the

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.qgs

I thought this was worth saving and sharing so the files are available here with an explanation of how to get these example files working on windows in the readme.

Example uses

• Use psycopg2 to check for new data to export to PDF.
• Add more layers to the

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  .qgs

  file or load and style the directly in the script. They will be printed to the PDF.
• Modify the script to accept variables and make a map requester with FME