Installation#

Install Python#

To use ecodata, you must first have Python and the conda package manager installed. There are two options for this:

  • Install Anaconda: This is the recommended option for those who are new to Python. Anaconda comes with the Spyder IDE, which provides an interface similar to RStudio and MATLAB, and Jupyter Notebook, which can be used to run interactive Python notebooks such as those in ecodata’s examples. It also includes a graphical interface (Anaconda Navigator) for launching applications and managing conda environments without using the command line. To install Anaconda, see directions for installing Anaconda.

  • Install Miniconda: If you want a more minimal installation without any extra packages, would prefer to handle installing a Python IDE yourself, and would prefer to work from the command line instead of using the graphical interface provided by Anaconda Navigator, you might prefer to install Miniconda rather than Anaconda. Miniconda is a minimal version of Anaconda that includes just conda, its dependencies, and Python. To install Miniconda, see directions for installing Miniconda.

Install ecodata#

After Anaconda/Miniconda is installed, you can install ecodata in a new conda environment.

Download ecodata#

Clone the ecodata repository from ecodata’s GitHub page.

Install ecodata and its dependencies#

These instructions will build and install ecodata in editable mode in a new conda environment, which will let you access the package using import ecodata as you would with any other Python package, without needing to worry about where the source code directory is located.

  • Note: Since ecodata is in the early stages of development, you will need to install the package from the command line. Once the project is a bit further along, it will be published on conda-forge and you will also have the option to install it using Anaconda Navigator’s graphical interface.

To install using the command line:

  1. Use cd to navigate into the ecodata directory that you cloned from GitHub.

  2. Create ecodata’s conda environment:

    conda env create --file ecodata-env.yml

    This will build and install ecodata in editable mode in a new conda environment.

  3. To activate the conda environment, run:

    conda activate ecodata-env

    See this cheat sheet for working with conda for a helpful list of conda commands.

  • Note: If you are already using pip to manage your Python packages, note that it is recommended to use conda instead of pip to install the required packages for ecodata. If you use pip the dependencies might not be installed correctly. See here for more information.

Install the test data bundle#

To install the test data bundle:

import ecodata as eco
eco.install_test_datasets()

The test data bundle can also be downloaded directly here