Converting a Shapefile (vector) to a GeoTiff (raster)

Moving data from format to format also includes moving it from vector to raster or the other way round. In this recipe, we move data from a vector (Shapefile) to a raster (GeoTiff) with the Python gdal and ogr modules.

Getting ready

We need to be inside our virtual environment again, so fire it up so that we can access the gdal and ogr Python modules that we installed in Chapter 1, Setting Up Your Geospatial Python Environment.

As usual, enter your Python virtual environment with the workon pygeoan_cb command or this command:

$ source venvs/pygeoan_cb/bin/activate

A Shapefile is also needed, so be sure to download the source and access the /ch03/geodata folder (https://github.com/mdiener21/python-geospatial-analysis-cookbook/archive/master.zip).

How to do it...

Let's dive in and convert our golf course polygon Shapefile into a GeoTif; here comes the code:

1. Import the libraries ogr and gdal, and then define our output pixel size along with a...