sids_from_polygon() vs make_sids()

[NiklasPhabian]

Question

On the whole, I’m unsure as to why there are so many options, or when to use one over the other, or why add_sids doesn’t give the same results as calling a_sdf.make_sids() or starepandas.tools.sids_from_polygon. It seems to me given the title STAREPandas that I should prefer dataframe operations like add_sids or a_sdf.make_sids over calling extra-df methods like
starepandas.tools.sids_from_polygon.

Answer

• STAREDataFrame.make_sids() will return a series of SIDs computed from the geometry column of the STAREDataFrame object.
• The STAREDataFrame constructor has an option to add_sids when bootstrapping an SDF from a GDF. Unfortunately, the constructor does not allow setting force_ccw and convex. It sets force_ccw=True and convex=False. If you have a CW polygon, the constructor will force it to be CCW, while make_sids allows you to keep it CW.
• starepandas.tools.sids_from* are indeed internal methods that make_sids utilizes. Users are not expected to interact with them, though they can be useful to access directly in certain situations.