Kyle Walker
@kylewalker.bsky.social
Demographics | Geospatial | Data Science | Open Source
It’s been a week since I released the geosam package bringing Meta’s SAM3 image segmentation model to R.
This week, users have:
- Segmented trees in Belgium;
- Found paths in rural areas;
- Identified boats in harbors;
All in R!
Try out geosam: walker-data.com/geosam
This week, users have:
- Segmented trees in Belgium;
- Found paths in rural areas;
- Identified boats in harbors;
All in R!
Try out geosam: walker-data.com/geosam
December 24, 2025 at 4:28 PM
It’s been a week since I released the geosam package bringing Meta’s SAM3 image segmentation model to R.
This week, users have:
- Segmented trees in Belgium;
- Found paths in rural areas;
- Identified boats in harbors;
All in R!
Try out geosam: walker-data.com/geosam
This week, users have:
- Segmented trees in Belgium;
- Found paths in rural areas;
- Identified boats in harbors;
All in R!
Try out geosam: walker-data.com/geosam
While some have made the claim that "R is dead!" this year on social media...
Claude Code is going mainstream, and guess what language it's using.
#LongLiveR
#rstats
Claude Code is going mainstream, and guess what language it's using.
#LongLiveR
#rstats
December 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
While some have made the claim that "R is dead!" this year on social media...
Claude Code is going mainstream, and guess what language it's using.
#LongLiveR
#rstats
Claude Code is going mainstream, and guess what language it's using.
#LongLiveR
#rstats
If you work in geospatial, PMTiles is one of the technologies you need to know going into 2026.
This past year, I wrote an R package to help you get started.
Learn how here:
This past year, I wrote an R package to help you get started.
Learn how here:
Mapping 650,000+ Texas Census blocks with PMTiles – WALKER DATA
GIS, demographics, and data science consulting
walker-data.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:44 PM
If you work in geospatial, PMTiles is one of the technologies you need to know going into 2026.
This past year, I wrote an R package to help you get started.
Learn how here:
This past year, I wrote an R package to help you get started.
Learn how here:
Interactive energy infrastructure analytics powered by the {geosam} R package.
Find solar farms on a satellite image in West Texas, click points to segment the imagery & extract shapes.
Save the result then get back an sf object in a single step with area calculated for you.
Find solar farms on a satellite image in West Texas, click points to segment the imagery & extract shapes.
Save the result then get back an sf object in a single step with area calculated for you.
December 22, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Interactive energy infrastructure analytics powered by the {geosam} R package.
Find solar farms on a satellite image in West Texas, click points to segment the imagery & extract shapes.
Save the result then get back an sf object in a single step with area calculated for you.
Find solar farms on a satellite image in West Texas, click points to segment the imagery & extract shapes.
Save the result then get back an sf object in a single step with area calculated for you.
Reposted by Kyle Walker
Testing the SAM3 model via the new R package **{geosam}** (by @kylewalker.bsky.social) for object segmentation. Automated detection of buildings, boats, and swimming pools in Les Goudes (Marseille) using BD Ortho imagery from @ignfrance.bsky.social
Code : gitlab.huma-num.fr/aperis/testi...
Code : gitlab.huma-num.fr/aperis/testi...
December 22, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Testing the SAM3 model via the new R package **{geosam}** (by @kylewalker.bsky.social) for object segmentation. Automated detection of buildings, boats, and swimming pools in Les Goudes (Marseille) using BD Ortho imagery from @ignfrance.bsky.social
Code : gitlab.huma-num.fr/aperis/testi...
Code : gitlab.huma-num.fr/aperis/testi...
I know we used to make fun of Google's AI overviews - but it's pretty impressive how much it's improved in a short period of time.
I released this R package Wednesday.
I released this R package Wednesday.
December 21, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I know we used to make fun of Google's AI overviews - but it's pretty impressive how much it's improved in a short period of time.
I released this R package Wednesday.
I released this R package Wednesday.
Detecting the letter "O" at @uoregon.bsky.social's athletic fields using Meta's Segment Anything Model 3, Mapbox imagery, and the {geosam} #rstats package.
SAM3 does quite well - all you need is the text prompt "the letter o"!
#GoDucks
SAM3 does quite well - all you need is the text prompt "the letter o"!
#GoDucks
December 20, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Detecting the letter "O" at @uoregon.bsky.social's athletic fields using Meta's Segment Anything Model 3, Mapbox imagery, and the {geosam} #rstats package.
SAM3 does quite well - all you need is the text prompt "the letter o"!
#GoDucks
SAM3 does quite well - all you need is the text prompt "the letter o"!
#GoDucks
Andrej Karpathy‘s comments on agency matter more than ever in a post-Opus 4.5 world
It’s not so much a matter of can you or can’t you anymore
It’s now a question of will you or won’t you
Agency in today’s labor market is the most important skill you can cultivate
It’s not so much a matter of can you or can’t you anymore
It’s now a question of will you or won’t you
Agency in today’s labor market is the most important skill you can cultivate
December 20, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Andrej Karpathy‘s comments on agency matter more than ever in a post-Opus 4.5 world
It’s not so much a matter of can you or can’t you anymore
It’s now a question of will you or won’t you
Agency in today’s labor market is the most important skill you can cultivate
It’s not so much a matter of can you or can’t you anymore
It’s now a question of will you or won’t you
Agency in today’s labor market is the most important skill you can cultivate
West Texas energy infrastructure identified from satellite imagery using zero-shot image segmentation.
Shown:
Well pads from simple text prompts;
Draw a box around a wind turbine, find the others in the view;
Click a solar farm, segment the area.
Shown:
Well pads from simple text prompts;
Draw a box around a wind turbine, find the others in the view;
Click a solar farm, segment the area.
December 19, 2025 at 9:33 PM
West Texas energy infrastructure identified from satellite imagery using zero-shot image segmentation.
Shown:
Well pads from simple text prompts;
Draw a box around a wind turbine, find the others in the view;
Click a solar farm, segment the area.
Shown:
Well pads from simple text prompts;
Draw a box around a wind turbine, find the others in the view;
Click a solar farm, segment the area.
In the age of LLMs, open source software and their developers are more important than ever.
When LLMs write code, they will typically do so with open source tools, which are still maintained by humans.
If you use LLMs to code, find ways to support the open source you rely on.
When LLMs write code, they will typically do so with open source tools, which are still maintained by humans.
If you use LLMs to code, find ways to support the open source you rely on.
December 18, 2025 at 10:23 PM
In the age of LLMs, open source software and their developers are more important than ever.
When LLMs write code, they will typically do so with open source tools, which are still maintained by humans.
If you use LLMs to code, find ways to support the open source you rely on.
When LLMs write code, they will typically do so with open source tools, which are still maintained by humans.
If you use LLMs to code, find ways to support the open source you rely on.
Introducing {geosam}: an R toolkit for Meta's Segment Anything Model 3
- Detect objects in satellite imagery with text prompts
- Interactive Shiny tools with draw & click-to-identify
- Works with Mapbox, Esri, MapTiler
- Use regular images too!
walker-data.com/geosam/
- Detect objects in satellite imagery with text prompts
- Interactive Shiny tools with draw & click-to-identify
- Works with Mapbox, Esri, MapTiler
- Use regular images too!
walker-data.com/geosam/
December 17, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Introducing {geosam}: an R toolkit for Meta's Segment Anything Model 3
- Detect objects in satellite imagery with text prompts
- Interactive Shiny tools with draw & click-to-identify
- Works with Mapbox, Esri, MapTiler
- Use regular images too!
walker-data.com/geosam/
- Detect objects in satellite imagery with text prompts
- Interactive Shiny tools with draw & click-to-identify
- Works with Mapbox, Esri, MapTiler
- Use regular images too!
walker-data.com/geosam/
The "explore" tool in the new {geosam} R package puts Meta's powerful SAM3 directly in the hands of #rstats users.
Shown here: we supply the model six prompts to find in an image; it finds all six within an interactive viewer with pan/zoom.
Release coming soon!
Shown here: we supply the model six prompts to find in an image; it finds all six within an interactive viewer with pan/zoom.
Release coming soon!
December 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
The "explore" tool in the new {geosam} R package puts Meta's powerful SAM3 directly in the hands of #rstats users.
Shown here: we supply the model six prompts to find in an image; it finds all six within an interactive viewer with pan/zoom.
Release coming soon!
Shown here: we supply the model six prompts to find in an image; it finds all six within an interactive viewer with pan/zoom.
Release coming soon!
Oil & gas infrastructure detection across 270 square miles of SE New Mexico with R, {geosam}, & SAM3.
Well pads found from a bounding box and a simple text prompt.
It's not perfect, as you'll see false positives - but it's a great starting point for filtering to what you need.
Well pads found from a bounding box and a simple text prompt.
It's not perfect, as you'll see false positives - but it's a great starting point for filtering to what you need.
December 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Oil & gas infrastructure detection across 270 square miles of SE New Mexico with R, {geosam}, & SAM3.
Well pads found from a bounding box and a simple text prompt.
It's not perfect, as you'll see false positives - but it's a great starting point for filtering to what you need.
Well pads found from a bounding box and a simple text prompt.
It's not perfect, as you'll see false positives - but it's a great starting point for filtering to what you need.
Nearly 800 swimming pools identified from Mapbox satellite imagery with Meta's SAM3 in a section of Beverly Hills.
In the soon-to-be-released {geosam} R package: review results by confidence level, filter, then export.
This is shaping into a tool for serious applied work.
In the soon-to-be-released {geosam} R package: review results by confidence level, filter, then export.
This is shaping into a tool for serious applied work.
December 14, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Nearly 800 swimming pools identified from Mapbox satellite imagery with Meta's SAM3 in a section of Beverly Hills.
In the soon-to-be-released {geosam} R package: review results by confidence level, filter, then export.
This is shaping into a tool for serious applied work.
In the soon-to-be-released {geosam} R package: review results by confidence level, filter, then export.
This is shaping into a tool for serious applied work.
Here's the number one reason why I'm bullish on AI, especially in the post-Opus 4.5 world.
If you are in any sort of creative field, you know the rush of dopamine you get when you start a new project.
The thrill of discovering new things, of creating something novel.
If you are in any sort of creative field, you know the rush of dopamine you get when you start a new project.
The thrill of discovering new things, of creating something novel.
December 12, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Here's the number one reason why I'm bullish on AI, especially in the post-Opus 4.5 world.
If you are in any sort of creative field, you know the rush of dopamine you get when you start a new project.
The thrill of discovering new things, of creating something novel.
If you are in any sort of creative field, you know the rush of dopamine you get when you start a new project.
The thrill of discovering new things, of creating something novel.
Draw a polygon around a sand trap in a satellite image, find all of the other sand traps in the view.
There are tons of applied use-cases for this tool, but it's also just fun to play around with.
There are tons of applied use-cases for this tool, but it's also just fun to play around with.
December 12, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Draw a polygon around a sand trap in a satellite image, find all of the other sand traps in the view.
There are tons of applied use-cases for this tool, but it's also just fun to play around with.
There are tons of applied use-cases for this tool, but it's also just fun to play around with.
Today's work on bringing Meta's Segment Anything Model 3 to #rstats:
An interactive Shiny viewer using @maplibre.org to show and browse regular images. Here we detect:
- the basketball
- the Mavs player (black uniform) then the Rockets (in red)
- the American flag on the backboard
An interactive Shiny viewer using @maplibre.org to show and browse regular images. Here we detect:
- the basketball
- the Mavs player (black uniform) then the Rockets (in red)
- the American flag on the backboard
December 11, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Today's work on bringing Meta's Segment Anything Model 3 to #rstats:
An interactive Shiny viewer using @maplibre.org to show and browse regular images. Here we detect:
- the basketball
- the Mavs player (black uniform) then the Rockets (in red)
- the American flag on the backboard
An interactive Shiny viewer using @maplibre.org to show and browse regular images. Here we detect:
- the basketball
- the Mavs player (black uniform) then the Rockets (in red)
- the American flag on the backboard
Reposted by Kyle Walker
#r5rgui has been on CRAN for a few days now! Your handy helper to quickly visually explore routes built by #rstats #r5r (@urbandemog.bsky.social), powered by #mapgl (@kylewalker.bsky.social). Learn more at www.ekotov.pro/r5rgui/
December 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
#r5rgui has been on CRAN for a few days now! Your handy helper to quickly visually explore routes built by #rstats #r5r (@urbandemog.bsky.social), powered by #mapgl (@kylewalker.bsky.social). Learn more at www.ekotov.pro/r5rgui/
Today's update on the upcoming R interface to Meta's SAM3:
We'll have a Shiny gadget that allows you to interactively explore and segment imagery.
Shown here in Positron: finding red cars in a parking lot at TCU via Mapbox imagery, which are returned to your R session as an sf object.
We'll have a Shiny gadget that allows you to interactively explore and segment imagery.
Shown here in Positron: finding red cars in a parking lot at TCU via Mapbox imagery, which are returned to your R session as an sf object.
December 10, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Today's update on the upcoming R interface to Meta's SAM3:
We'll have a Shiny gadget that allows you to interactively explore and segment imagery.
Shown here in Positron: finding red cars in a parking lot at TCU via Mapbox imagery, which are returned to your R session as an sf object.
We'll have a Shiny gadget that allows you to interactively explore and segment imagery.
Shown here in Positron: finding red cars in a parking lot at TCU via Mapbox imagery, which are returned to your R session as an sf object.
A trick I like to use in my interactive mapgl work: `hash = TRUE`
Add that argument to your regular or `_view()` map calls and you'll add the center, zoom, pitch, and bearing to the URL hash.
It's very useful for remembering specific views / areas I want to highlight.
Add that argument to your regular or `_view()` map calls and you'll add the center, zoom, pitch, and bearing to the URL hash.
It's very useful for remembering specific views / areas I want to highlight.
December 9, 2025 at 5:43 PM
A trick I like to use in my interactive mapgl work: `hash = TRUE`
Add that argument to your regular or `_view()` map calls and you'll add the center, zoom, pitch, and bearing to the URL hash.
It's very useful for remembering specific views / areas I want to highlight.
Add that argument to your regular or `_view()` map calls and you'll add the center, zoom, pitch, and bearing to the URL hash.
It's very useful for remembering specific views / areas I want to highlight.
The new SAM3 model from Meta is blowing my mind
Shown here: detecting putting greens, pools, and cars in Scottsdale from simple text prompts via Mapbox imagery
R, Shiny, mapgl for the UI; Python backend via @giswqs.bsky.social's segment-geospatial package (thanks Qiusheng!)
Shown here: detecting putting greens, pools, and cars in Scottsdale from simple text prompts via Mapbox imagery
R, Shiny, mapgl for the UI; Python backend via @giswqs.bsky.social's segment-geospatial package (thanks Qiusheng!)
December 8, 2025 at 7:16 PM
The new SAM3 model from Meta is blowing my mind
Shown here: detecting putting greens, pools, and cars in Scottsdale from simple text prompts via Mapbox imagery
R, Shiny, mapgl for the UI; Python backend via @giswqs.bsky.social's segment-geospatial package (thanks Qiusheng!)
Shown here: detecting putting greens, pools, and cars in Scottsdale from simple text prompts via Mapbox imagery
R, Shiny, mapgl for the UI; Python backend via @giswqs.bsky.social's segment-geospatial package (thanks Qiusheng!)
Identifying well pads in the Permian Basin using Meta's new Segment Anything Model 3.
Draw a shape on @mapbox.com satellite imagery; SAM3 identifies all similar objects in the view.
There's so much going on in AI and geospatial right now beyond just LLMs.
Draw a shape on @mapbox.com satellite imagery; SAM3 identifies all similar objects in the view.
There's so much going on in AI and geospatial right now beyond just LLMs.
December 8, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Identifying well pads in the Permian Basin using Meta's new Segment Anything Model 3.
Draw a shape on @mapbox.com satellite imagery; SAM3 identifies all similar objects in the view.
There's so much going on in AI and geospatial right now beyond just LLMs.
Draw a shape on @mapbox.com satellite imagery; SAM3 identifies all similar objects in the view.
There's so much going on in AI and geospatial right now beyond just LLMs.
The @Mapbox Standard style has a lot of powerful features for customizing your maps - and it's available to you in #rstats with {mapgl}!
Example: how to use `set_config_property()` to change the light preset between "dawn", "day", "dusk", and "night"
Try out the code below:
Example: how to use `set_config_property()` to change the light preset between "dawn", "day", "dusk", and "night"
Try out the code below:
December 7, 2025 at 9:34 PM
This is the most exciting time ever to be working in data, and I'm not talking about AI.
3 years ago, I wrote a database-centric guide in my book for analyzing the full 92 million record 1910 Census.
Now, with #rstats and @duckdb?
Analyze those 92 million rows in seconds.
3 years ago, I wrote a database-centric guide in my book for analyzing the full 92 million record 1910 Census.
Now, with #rstats and @duckdb?
Analyze those 92 million rows in seconds.
December 6, 2025 at 4:46 PM
This is the most exciting time ever to be working in data, and I'm not talking about AI.
3 years ago, I wrote a database-centric guide in my book for analyzing the full 92 million record 1910 Census.
Now, with #rstats and @duckdb?
Analyze those 92 million rows in seconds.
3 years ago, I wrote a database-centric guide in my book for analyzing the full 92 million record 1910 Census.
Now, with #rstats and @duckdb?
Analyze those 92 million rows in seconds.