Lab 1: Python Environments & Flowcharts

 Hello and welcome to the first week of GIS Programming! I am very excited to document my process as I learn all about using Python for GIS!

For our first lab, I created a Flowchart, shown below, using Draw.io for a formula that converts radians to degrees. I used the conventional flowchart shapes and symbols that are practically the same since the flowchart was originally invented back during the industrial revolution!

formula: degrees = radians*180/pi

As a part of this lab, we organized our course folders in our student files. To do this, I learned how to run a Python script that is simply given to you and written by someone else. I used the Python Command Prompt to open IDLE and run the script. Now, all of the folders I need for this class are organized and ready for me to use in my student file. 

We also read "Zen Python" by Tim Peters. I retrieved this text by opening IDLE and typing in "import this" 

In “The Zen of Python,” I believe that Tim Peters is displaying the goals and intentions for Python programming language. This text reads like a code to bring together the Python community towards a common goal which centers on simplicity of the Python programming. Everything that he writes clues to that he cares about accessibility for Python community – calling for beauty, simplicity, readability, practicality, and “obvious” ways to do it. Using “Zen” in the title makes it seem that using Python is something that he enjoys, bringing him calm and peace. If everyone is following the ideas he has outlined for programming, users can feel the same “zen” as they write and run their scripts.