How to Visualize Geospatial Data in Jupyter with Kepler.gl – A Step‑by‑Step Guide

keplergl

is an open‑source geospatial data visualization tool developed by Uber. It can be used directly inside Jupyter notebooks to create interactive maps.

Installation

Official documentation: https://docs.kepler.gl/docs/keplergl-jupyter

Install via pip: pip install keplergl If you are on macOS with Jupyter notebook version 5.3 or newer, you can skip the nbextension steps.

jupyter nbextension install --py --sys-prefix keplergl  # can be skipped for notebook 5.3 and above
jupyter nbextension enable --py --sys-prefix keplergl   # can be skipped for notebook 5.3 and above

Simple Example

Running the following code creates an empty Kepler.gl window, confirming a successful installation.

from keplergl import KeplerGl

# Create a KeplerGl object
map_1 = KeplerGl(height=500)

# Display the map in the notebook
map_1

Adding Data

Kepler.gl supports three data formats: csv, geojson, and DataFrame. The example below uses a DataFrame.

First, read the data with pandas:

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv('rocket_launch_site_elevation_2019-10-27.csv')
df.head()

Create another KeplerGl object and add the data using .add_data():

# Create a KeplerGl object
map_2 = KeplerGl(height=600)

# Activate the object in the notebook
map_2

# Add data
map_2.add_data(name='rocket', data=df)

# Display the map
map_2

Customizing Charts

Unlike libraries such as pyecharts or matplotlib, Kepler.gl does not require extensive code for colors or chart types. All visual customizations can be performed interactively with the mouse in the UI.

Retrieving Configuration

The current map configuration, including UI interactions, can be obtained with the .config attribute.

map_2.config

The configuration can be reused for other maps:

# Create a new KeplerGl object with the previous configuration
map_3 = KeplerGl(height=600, config=map_2.config)

# Activate the object
map_3

# Add the same data
map_3.add_data(name='rocket', data=df)

# Display the map
map_3

Exporting the Map

Use .save_to_html() to export the map to an HTML file. Parameters include: data: map data (defaults to current data if omitted) config: map configuration (defaults to current config if omitted) file_name: output file name, default

keplergl_map.html

read_only

: if True, the exported file is read‑only

map_3.save_to_html(file_name='kepler_example.html')

Open the generated HTML file in a browser to start exploring your visualization.

Conclusion

Kepler.gl is an easy‑to‑use visualization tool that requires minimal coding for map configuration. Its graphical interface lets you create attractive geospatial visualizations quickly, making it a strong choice when you need to visualize geographic data in your projects.