Introducing GeoManim: Animated Maps with Python

I'm excited to share GeoManim, an open-source Python library I've been building for creating animated geospatial visualizations using the Manim animation engine.

Why GeoManim?

Creating animated maps typically requires either:

• Video editing software: Manual, time-consuming, not reproducible
• JavaScript libraries: D3.js, Leaflet - great for web, but complex for video export
• GIS tools: ArcGIS/QGIS animations - steep learning curve, limited styling

I wanted something that:

1. Works with a single line of Python
2. Produces beautiful, publication-quality animations
3. Handles common geospatial formats (GeoJSON, Shapefiles, CSV)
4. Integrates with the mathematical animation ecosystem (Manim)

Quick Start

Install from GitHub (PyPI coming soon):

pip install git+https://github.com/Kamol-Roy/geomanim

Create an animated world map:

from geomanim import animate

animate("countries.geojson")

That's it. One line.

Features

Choropleth Maps

Color regions by data values with automatic legends:

animate("countries.geojson", column="population")

Ordered Animations

Control which regions appear first based on any data column:

# Countries appear by GDP, richest first
animate("world.geojson", column="gdp", order="gdp", reverse_order=True)

Route Animations

Animate paths, migrations, or any line geometries:

animate(
    "routes.geojson",
    column="route_name",
    order="order",
    basemap="OpenStreetMap.Mapnik",
    stroke_width=5,
)

Dynamic Basemaps

Automatically fetch OpenStreetMap tiles for your data bounds:

animate("data.geojson", basemap="light")

Categorical Coloring

Auto-detect and color categorical data with legends:

animate("regions.geojson", column="category")

Example: Cross-Country Routes

Here's an animated visualization of driving routes from Seattle to Miami to NYC:

from geomanim import animate

animate(
    file_path="routes.geojson",
    column="route_name",
    order="order",
    basemap="OpenStreetMap.Mapnik",
    stroke_width=5,
    quality="high",
)

The library fetches route geometry from OSRM, overlays it on OpenStreetMap tiles, and renders a smooth animation.

Advanced Usage

For more control, use the GeoMap class directly in Manim scenes:

from manim import *
from geomanim import GeoMap, load_geojson

class CustomMapScene(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        data = load_geojson("countries.geojson")

        geo_map = GeoMap(
            data,
            fill_color=BLUE,
            stroke_color=WHITE,
            stroke_width=1,
        )

        self.play(Create(geo_map), run_time=3)
        self.wait()

This gives you full access to Manim's animation primitives - morphing, camera movements, custom easing, and more.

Technical Details

GeoManim is built on:

• Manim: The mathematical animation engine (same one used by 3Blue1Brown)
• GeoPandas: For reading and processing geospatial data
• Shapely: For geometry operations
• pyproj: For coordinate transformations

The library handles coordinate system conversions, bounding box calculations, and scaling automatically.

What's Next

I'm actively working on:

• PyPI release: pip install geomanim coming soon
• More projections: Beyond Mercator - Robinson, Albers, etc.
• 3D terrain: Elevation-aware visualizations
• Time series: Animate data changes over time
• Better legends: More customization options

Try It Out

The code is open source on GitHub:

• Repository: github.com/Kamol-Roy/geomanim
• Install: pip install git+https://github.com/Kamol-Roy/geomanim

Contributions, issues, and feature requests welcome!

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GeoManim is part of my broader work on geospatial tools. Check out GeoTasker.ai for AI-powered geospatial video generation - where you describe a topic and get a complete narrated video with maps and visualizations.