basemap-data
Data assets for matplotlib basemap
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you are using basemap for map projections in matplotlib. This is a required data package with no alternatives; install it as a dependency of basemap rather than standalone. Low friction, actively maintained, and free of known vulnerabilities. The copyleft license (LGPL-3.0-or-later on geographic data) is standard for such datasets and poses no practical barrier for most users.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later (supports_current); intended as a dependency of basemap rather than direct use
- Low install friction with a pure Python wheel distribution.
- Actively maintained as of 2026-05-04 with stable production status.
License · maintenance · safety
LGPL-3.0-or-later (copyleft) — Dual-licensed under LGPL-3.0-or-later (for GSHHG-derived geographic data) and MIT (for other assets including EPSG data). Copyleft treatment means derivative works must comply with LGPL terms; MIT portions have no such restriction.
last release 2025-06-13 (427 days) · last repo commit 2026-05-04 · 815 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 97,718 downloads/mo, #13,132 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install basemap-data
# basemap-data provides data files; typical use requires basemap package
# which imports and uses these assets internally- Whether basemap itself is installed separately or whether this package can be used standalone
- The exact size and disk footprint of the installed data assets
- Whether the GSHHG version 2.3.6 data is current for typical cartographic use cases
What it is and what it does
basemap-data is a data-only support package that bundles geographic datasets needed by the basemap library. It contains coastline, political boundary, lake, river, and land-sea mask data extracted from the GSHHG dataset (version 2.3.6) via GMT, plus EPSG coordinate reference system definitions. The package itself provides no Python API; instead, it installs data files that basemap consults at runtime to render map projections with geographic features.
This is a pure-data package with zero runtime dependencies, designed to be installed alongside basemap to enable map visualization in matplotlib. It targets scientific and educational users who need to plot data on geographic map projections with accurate coastlines and political boundaries.
Use it for
- Installing as a dependency when setting up basemap for plotting data on map projections with coastlines
- Providing geographic boundary and coastline data for cartographic visualization in scientific research
- Supporting educational applications that require accurate political and geographic boundaries in matplotlib plots
- Enabling GIS-style map rendering in data analysis workflows that use basemap for geospatial visualization
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you are using basemap for map projections in matplotlib.
This is a required data package with no alternatives; install it as a dependency of basemap rather than standalone. Low friction, actively maintained, and free of known vulnerabilities. The copyleft license (LGPL-3.0-or-later on geographic data) is standard for such datasets and poses no practical barrier for most users.
Install
basemap-data on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a pure Python wheel distribution. Actively maintained as of 2026-05-04 with stable production status.
Requires Python 3.9 or later (supports_current); intended as a dependency of basemap rather than direct use
License in practice
Dual-licensed under LGPL-3.0-or-later (for GSHHG-derived geographic data) and MIT (for other assets including EPSG data). Copyleft treatment means derivative works must comply with LGPL terms; MIT portions have no such restriction.
Quickstart
pip install basemap-data
# basemap-data provides data files; typical use requires basemap package
# which imports and uses these assets internallyVerify before relying
- Whether basemap itself is installed separately or whether this package can be used standalone
- The exact size and disk footprint of the installed data assets
- Whether the GSHHG version 2.3.6 data is current for typical cartographic use cases
Package facts
| License | LGPL-3.0-or-later copyleft |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release <4,>=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 427 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 97,718 / month, #13,132 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: EducationIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: VisualizationTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: basemap_data-2.0.0-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “basemap data assets”
- basemap-dataProvides geographic data assets (coastlines, political boundaries,…
- basemapBasemap renders geographic data on matplotlib figures using map…
- xyzservicesProvides a Python API and JSON database of XYZ tile service providers…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Python Modules packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
PyYAML parses and emits YAML 1.1 data format, enabling serialization and deserialization of configuration files and Python objects to and from human-readable YAML text.
Pydantic validates Python data structures against type hints, coercing and checking input at runtime to ensure it matches a declared schema.
Provides reusable metadata objects for use with PEP-593 `typing.Annotated` to express common constraints like bounds, collection sizes, and predicates on types.
Install it if you use or build libraries that need to express type constraints in a standardized, inspectable way—or if you want to annotate your own types with…
Provides runtime tools to inspect and introspect Python type annotations, enabling programmatic examination of type hints at execution time.
See also basemap · contextily · Cartopy · plotbin · cmocean · splot · global-land-mask · cmap · matplotlib · pyproj