# GeospatialPython/pyshp

This library reads and writes ESRI Shapefiles in pure Python.

Repository: https://github.com/GeospatialPython/pyshp
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pyshp
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-18T09:17:02+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 97/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 95, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4565, "days_push": 15, "days_rel": 39, "gap_med": 3, "n_releases_24m": 26}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1153, forks 261 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:47.479409+00:00)

## What it is
PyShp is a pure Python library for reading and writing ESRI Shapefiles without any external dependencies. It supports geometry and attribute records, zip and URL sources, filtering, and 3D/M measurement geometry types.

## Use cases
- read shapefiles in python
- write shapefiles in python
- convert shapefile data to other formats
- read shapefiles from a url or zip archive
- filter shapefile attributes or spatial extent
- edit or merge existing shapefiles

## When to choose
- you need shapefile I/O in pure Python with no compiled dependencies
- you want a lightweight alternative to GDAL/OGR for simple shapefile tasks
- you need to read shapefiles from files, zips, URLs, or file-like objects

## When to avoid
- you need advanced geoprocessing like reprojection or topology operations
- you work primarily with GeoPackage, GeoJSON, or other modern formats
- you need high-performance processing of massive geospatial datasets

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: file-system, parser, geospatial
- domain: files, developer-tools
- platform: python, cross-platform
- tags: shapefile, gis, esri, pure-python, no-dependencies, geospatial

## Member repositories
- GeospatialPython/pyshp (main) score 97

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:47.479409+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:33:25.144681+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/GeospatialPython/pyshp (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:47.479409+00:00, sha 9b13052ce1d4)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/pyshp/json (fetched 2026-08-29T12:37:51.195696+00:00, sha 036ec67082cc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.