DOC: new example, recreation of The Simpsons Monorail Map

examples/miscellanea/simpsons-monorail-map.py

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+"""
+Recreation of the Monorail Map from The Simpsons
+------------------------------------------------
+
+This example demonstrates how to create a minimal outline map of a
+defined area of land such as a continent, with optional labels at
+specified locations within the region, in the form of a recreation of the
+Monorail Map from The Simpsons with humorously oversized labelling (to
+imitate handwriting/scribbles) and sparsity of marked locations
+(which are all fictional).
+
+Specifically, it aims to recreate to best likeness using Cartopy
+the map of pre-Springfield Lyle Lanley Monorail locations from the
+iconic episode 'Marge vs. the Monorail' (1993) of the TV Series, as
+taken in likeness from the screen grab available at:
+https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Brockway.
+
+"""
+
+import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+import cartopy.crs as ccrs
+import cartopy.io.shapereader as shpreader
+
+
+# Define choices for projection and locations to plot
+GEOM_PROJ = ccrs.PlateCarree()
+# Not real places, so locations pulled from location on map in still image.
+# The items in order correspond to:
+# * an x-y 2-tuple for where to plot the location dot on the map;
+# * an x-y 2-tuple for where to write the text label relative to the dot above
+#   with units of points;
+# * an integer for how much to rotate the text to best match the map text.
+LOCATIONS_TO_PLOT = {
+    "Ogdenville": [(-111.8, 35.5), (-10.0, -50.0), -6],
+    "North\nHaverbrook": [(-99.0, 43.5), (15.0, -15.0), -1],
+    "Brockway": [(-80.4, 33.6), (-100.0, -40.0), 3],
+}
+
+
+def main():
+    # Set up a plot with a light blue background and a white overall border.
+    # For proportions of land mass, font size and border to be as
+    # intended, need to keep 'figsize' and 'dpi' (4:3 ratio) as below.
+    fig = plt.figure(
+        figsize=(8., 6.5),
+        dpi=125,
+        facecolor="#AFCBBD",
+        edgecolor="white",  # sets up white border without need for another axes
+        linewidth=30,  # makes the border thicker as per original map
+    )
+    map_ax = fig.add_axes(
+        [0.035, 0.035, 0.93, 0.93], projection=ccrs.LambertConformal(), frameon=False
+    )
+
+    # Center on location of USA with a bit of space on all sides to pad
+    map_ax.set_extent([-120, -72.5, 20, 50], crs=ccrs.Geodetic())
+
+    # Plot only the USA landmass, in a fawn colour with a thin black border
+    shpfilename = shpreader.natural_earth(
+        resolution="110m", category="cultural", name="admin_0_countries"
+    )
+    countries = shpreader.Reader(shpfilename).records()
+    usa_border = [
+        country.geometry
+        for country in countries
+        if (country.attributes["NAME"] == "United States of America")
+    ]
+    map_ax.add_geometries(
+        usa_border,
+        GEOM_PROJ,
+        facecolor="#C39B6A",
+        edgecolor="black",
+    )
+
+    # Now add the location labels one by one
+    for loc_name, loc_details in LOCATIONS_TO_PLOT.items():
+        loc_coords, rel_text_pos, text_rot = loc_details
+        map_ax.plot(
+            *loc_coords,
+            marker="o",
+            color="black",
+            markersize=6,
+            transform=GEOM_PROJ,
+        )
+
+        # Text in uppercase, very bold handwriting-like font, as per the
+        # screen grab of the map from the show
+        map_ax.annotate(
+            loc_name.upper(),
+            xy=loc_coords,
+            transform=ccrs.Geodetic(),
+            xytext=rel_text_pos,  # shift text relative to marker as in map
+            textcoords="offset pixels",
+            verticalalignment="center",
+            horizontalalignment="left",
+            fontname="Charcoal",  # ensure you have this font available
+            fontweight="black",
+            fontsize=28,
+            rotation=text_rot,  # slightly wonky text for handwritten effect
+        )
+
+    leg_text = (
+        "Pre-Springfield Lanley\nMonorail locations in TV's\nThe Simpsons\n"
+        "(recreation of map at\nsimpsons.fandom.com/\nwiki/Brockway)"
+    )
+
+    # Add the bottom left 'compass' legend in spirit of the original map.
+    map_ax.text(
+        0.15,
+        0.02,
+        leg_text,
+        transform=map_ax.transAxes,
+        fontsize=11,
+        horizontalalignment="center",
+        verticalalignment="center",
+        style="italic",
+        bbox=dict(facecolor="#A5B5CE"),
+    )
+
+    plt.show()
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()