Montana Dot Mapper

A Python application for creating dot maps of Montana specimen locations with topographic background.

Features

• Dot Map Visualization: Shows individual specimen locations as red dots on a map
• Topographic Background: Includes terrain features like mountains, rivers, and flat areas using OpenTopoMap
• Species Filtering: Filter data by Family, Genus, and Species
• High-Resolution Export: Save maps as high-quality TIFF files
• User-Friendly Interface: Simple GUI with dropdown selections and file browsing

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• pandas >= 1.3.0
• geopandas >= 0.10.0
• matplotlib >= 3.4.0
• shapely >= 1.7.0
• openpyxl >= 3.0.0
• numpy >= 1.21.0
• contextily >= 1.2.0

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

1. Run the application:

   python montana_dot_mapper.py

2. Load an Excel file containing specimen data with the following columns:

   • lat: Latitude coordinates
   • lat_dir: Latitude direction (N/S)
   • long: Longitude coordinates
   • long_dir: Longitude direction (E/W)
   • family: Taxonomic family
   • genus: Taxonomic genus
   • species: Taxonomic species
   • year: Collection year

3. Select Family, Genus, and Species from the dropdown menus

4. Click "Generate Dot Map" to create a map showing specimen locations

5. Use "Download Dot Map" to save the map as a high-resolution TIFF file

Map Features

• Red Dots: Each dot represents a specimen found at that location
• County Boundaries: Montana county borders are shown in black
• Topographic Background: Terrain features including mountains, rivers, and elevation
• Legend: Shows the total number of specimens found
• Title: Displays the selected taxonomic hierarchy and specimen count

File Structure

MontanaDotMapper/
├── montana_dot_mapper.py      # Main application
├── requirements.txt           # Python dependencies
├── README.md                  # This file
├── app_icon.ico              # Application icon
├── shapefiles/               # Montana county shapefiles
│   ├── cb_2021_us_county_5m.shp
│   ├── cb_2021_us_county_5m.dbf
│   └── ...
└── venv/                     # Virtual environment (if used)

Notes

• The application requires an internet connection to load the topographic background maps
• If the background map fails to load, the application will fall back to a simple county boundary display
• All coordinates are automatically converted to the appropriate coordinate system for display
• The application filters out coordinates that are outside Montana's boundaries

Troubleshooting

• Background map not loading: Check your internet connection
• No dots appearing: Verify that your coordinates are within Montana's boundaries
• Import errors: Make sure all dependencies are installed correctly
• File loading errors: Ensure your Excel file has all required columns

License

This application is provided as-is for educational and research purposes.