Contributing

Contributing#

We welcome new contributions to GeoUtils!

Guide and contact#

For direct contributions, don’t hesitate to open an issue/PR on the main repository, following guidelines in our CONTRIBUTING file.

To get in touch with us to coordinate larger contributions, use either the GitHub discussions, or find our email contact in the AUTHORS file.

AI policy#

With the recent rise of AI-assisted contributions, we repeat our AI policy below (find its original version in the CONTRIBUTING file).

“AI” herein refers to tools like large language models (LLMs) that can generate, edit, and review software code, create and manipulate images, or generate text for communication.

We welcome AI-assisted contributions under the following conditions:

  • Human communication. Write the core PR description yourself, explaining the motivation, approach, and validation in your own words. AI may polish or translate your writing and help prepare supporting lists, tables, or other displays, but must not replace your own explanation. The same principle applies to comments during PR review, and opening an issue or discussion.

  • Human review and responsibility. Personally review, understand, and validate the entire contribution, including code, tests, and documentation, before requesting review. Run relevant tests and accurately report what you checked. You remain responsible for the contribution and must be able to explain your choices and address review feedback.

  • References and licensing (copyright). AI-generated code may reproduce or adapt existing copyrighted implementations without identifying their sources. For major features or conceptual changes to methods, algorithms, or design, make a reasonable search for relevant literature and existing implementations. Verify and cite relevant sources, and check for potential code reuse. Ensure that any reused or adapted material has a compatible license with GeoUtils’s LICENSE, and flag such material explicitly to maintainers.

Maintainers may decline PRs whose descriptions appear predominantly AI-generated, or that do not demonstrate sufficient human understanding and validation, or attention to copyright and source.

This AI policy was inspired from that of NumPy and SciPy as of September 2026, which were themselves inspired by that of SymPy.