Python and R scripts to generate random study plot locations.
Random Point Generator program (version 0.1, April 11, 2007)
Generates a point shapefile of random points inside a polygon boundary. Three random selection methods are available: Simple Random: Random x and y values designate a point; the exact number of points specified are returned. Systematic Grid: Starting at an arbitrary (random) location, points are generated on an fixed x and y spacing. The spacing is determined by the number of points requested and the area of the boundary polygon. The number of points returned is approximately that requested. Randomized Grid: Same as the systematic grid method except x and y random offsets equal to the point spacing are added to each grid point. The number of points returned is approximately that requested.
Limitations:
- The program uses the first polygon in the shapefile as the area of interest (aoi) boundary.
This program was written by Jeff Walton USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Syracuse, NY http://nrs.fs.fed.us/4952/
Licensing: Since this program was written by a U.S. Government employee on government time, it is in the Public Domain and can be freely distributed.
This program requires the open source GDAL library http://www.gdal.org GDAL and its Python bindings are available on Debian-based Linux distributions through the 'python-gdal' package. On Windows, use the FWTools kit (http://fwtools.maptools.org/), which will install a Python interpreter and all of the required files. Run this program in the 'FWTools Shell'.
Run at the command line: python RPG.py -n 200 aoiBoundary.shp randomPoints.shp