GIS: line_locate_point () in Python
I get started a lot when it comes to GIS, but I think I understand the basics - it doesn't seem to be difficult. But: all these acronyms and different libraries, GEOS, GDAL, PROJ, PCL, Shaply, OpenGEO, OGR, OGC, OWS and what is wrong, seeming depending on the number of others, overwhelm me a little.
Here's what I would like to do: Given the number of points and a linear line, I want to locate on the line closest to a specific point. In other words, what PostGIS line_locate_point () does:
http://postgis.refractions.net/documentation/manual-1.3/ch06.html#line_locate_point
Also, I want to use plain Python. In which library or libraries should I generally take a look at this spatial computation in Python, and is there one out there that specifically supports the equivalent of line_locate_point ()?
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