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# PyGMT v0.8.0 released
**Announcing PyGMT v0.8.0, more GMT remote dataset loaders and cross-compatible with GMT 6.3/6.4!**
The PyGMT team is closing off the year with version [v0.8.0](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0)! Here are the highlights :tada: :
* Added support for tab auto-completion for all GMT default parameters ([#2213](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/2213))
* Created functions to download GMT remote datasets ([#1786](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues/1786))
* Wrapped the ternary module ([#1431](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/1431))
* Added an intro tutorial for creating contour maps ([#2126](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/2126))
Read through the [changelog](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/changes.html) for the full list of changes. Installation/upgrade :arrow_up: instructions are at https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/install.html! Note that this version supports GMT 6.4, but is also compatible with GMT 6.3 :exploding_head:. Go try it online at [try-gmt](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/try-gmt).
Ever wanted some grid data to play with fast? Get easy access to [several GMT remote datasets](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/index.html#datasets) :satellite: loaded directly into an `xarray.DataArray` format, complete with documented inline examples. Big thanks to @willschlitzer for undertaking this massive effort!
| EarthByte Global Earth Seafloor Crustal Age | IGPP Global Earth Free-Air Anomaly |
|--|--|
| [![EarthByte Global Earth Seafloor Crustal Age](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_age.png)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_age.html) | [![IGPP Global Earth Free-Air Anomaly](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_faa.jpg)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_free_air_anomaly.html) |
| EGM2008 Global Earth Geoid | IGPP Global Earth Vertical Gravity Gradient |
|--|--|
| [![EGM2008 Global Earth Geoid](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_geoid.jpg)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_geoid.html) | [![IGPP Global Earth Vertical Gravity Gradient](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_vgg.jpg)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_vertical_gravity_gradient.html#pygmt.datasets.load_earth_vertical_gravity_gradient) |
| EMAG2 Global Earth Magnetic Anomaly Model | WDMAM World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map |
|--|--|
| [![EMAG2 Global Earth Magnetic Anomaly Model](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_mag.jpg)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_magnetic_anomaly.html) | [![WDMAM World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_wdmam.jpg)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_magnetic_anomaly.html) |
| GEBCO Global Earth Relief (including sub-ice elevation) | IGPP Global Earth Relief |
|--|--|
| [![GEBCO Global Earth Relief (including sub-ice elevation)](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_gebcosi.jpg)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_relief.html) | [![IGPP Global Earth Relief](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/remote-datasets/raw/gh-pages/_static/GMT_dem.jpg)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.datasets.load_earth_relief.html) |
For the beachball :soccer: focal mechanism plotters, the [`pygmt.Figure.meca`](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.Figure.meca.html) offset bug :beetle: has been fixed for Python `dictionary` and `pandas.DataFrame` inputs, though there are still some issues with `numpy.ndarray` inputs (see https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues/2016). Feel free though to report new bugs using our [refreshed bug template on GitHub](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues/new?assignees=&labels=bug&template=bug_report.yaml), your feedback is what helps us to improve!
Indeed, user friendliness :children_crossing: and consistency is a key part of PyGMT. The [`pygmt.config`](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/api/generated/pygmt.config.html) function now supports auto-completion :fast_forward: for all [136 possible GMT configs](https://docs.generic-mapping-tools.org/6.4/gmt.conf.html) (thanks @seisman!) to make your map look just the right way. There has also been dozens of :memo: documentation-related fixes done by @yvonnefroehlich (who also managed this release) from small typos to big improvements :chart_with_upwards_trend: in the gallery examples! Once again, thanks to the entire [PyGMT Team](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/team.html) for making this release possible :tada:.
### :bulb: New gallery examples
Two new gallery examples are showing how to plot [vertical and horizontal bars](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/gallery/symbols/bars.html) as well as how to set up a [ternary diagram](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/gallery/basemaps/ternary.html) by @michaelgrund. Furthermore, there is a new introduction tutorial regarding [contour maps](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/get_started/02_contour_map.html) by @willschlitzer.
| Vertical and horizontal bars | Ternary diagram | Contour maps tutorial |
|--|--|--|
| [![Vertical and horizontal bars](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/_images/sphx_glr_bars_001.png)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/gallery/symbols/bars.html) | [![Ternary diagram](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/_images/sphx_glr_ternary_001.png)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/gallery/basemaps/ternary.html) | [![Contour maps](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/_images/sphx_glr_02_contour_map_004.png)](https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/get_started/02_contour_map.html) |
### :railway_track: Roadmap to [v0.9.0](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/milestone/12)
What's next for 2023? Here's are a few in the pipeline, but also check out the [GitHub issues board](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues) for more! Use the [good first issue label](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3A%22good+first+issue%22) to filter easy ones you can help out with!
- Features/enhancements :sparkles:
- Wrap [fitcircle](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/1550), [clip](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/1779), and [earthtide](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/1824)
- Add a function to load raster basemap tiles using contextily ([#2125](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/2125))
- Add `pygmt.Figure.hlines` ([#923](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/923)) and `pygmt.Figure.vlines` for plotting horizontal and vertical lines ([#670](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues/670))
- Documentation improvements :book:
- More inline examples ([#1957](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues/1957))
- Add a beginner :beginner: friendly PyGMT tutorial that is a good roadmap for new GMT/PyGMT users ([#770](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/issues/770))
We invite you to get involved in these efforts by [reaching out on GitHub](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt) :rocket:!
### :warning: Upcoming deprecations
- **v0.9.0** (Mar 2023)
- Remove `pygmt.dataset.load_hotspots`/`load_japan_quakes`/`load_mars_shape`/`load_ocean_ridge_points`/`load_sample_bathymetry`/`load_usgs_quakes`, please use `pygmt.datasets.load_sample_data()` instead (FutureWarning raised since PyGMT v0.6.0)
- **v0.10.0** (Jul 2023)
- `Figure.text`: Remove parameter 'incols', use 'use_word' instead (FutureWarning raised since PyGMT v0.8.0)
- **v0.12.0**
- All plotting methods: Remove aliases `xshift` (`X`) and `yshift` (`Y`) (FutureWarning raised since PyGMT v0.8.0)
- `pygmt.Figure.plot`, `pygmt.Figure.plot3d`, `pygmt.Figure.rose`, `pygmt.Figure.velo`: Remove parameter 'color', use 'fill' instead (FutureWarning raised since PyGMT v0.8.0)
- `pygmt.Figure.wiggle`: Remove parameter 'color', use 'fillnegative' or 'fillpositive' instead (FutureWarning raised since PyGMT v0.8.0)
- **v1.0.0**
- Short form aliases (e.g. `R`) will not work if long form aliases (e.g. `region`) are available (SyntaxWarning raised since PyGMT v0.4.0, see [#1316](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/pull/1316))
The compatibility matrix is listed at https://www.pygmt.org/v0.8.0/#compatibility-with-gmt-python-numpy-versions, so make sure you keep things up to date!
### :world_map: Conference presentations/workshops
It's been an exciting year with the [EGU22 PyGMT short course](https://www.generic-mapping-tools.org/egu22pygmt) in March and [SciPy 2022 talk](https://github.com/maxrjones/scipy2022) in July. Oh yes, here's @maxrjones's talk in case you missed it, the slides and demo notebook are at https://github.com/maxrjones/scipy2022.
[![](https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/raw/v0.8.0/doc/_static/scipy2022-youtube-thumbnail.jpg)](https://youtu.be/nCktihu9bWg)
Want to see more events like this? The calendar for 2023 is currently empty, but if anyone is keen to host something for the next [EGU General Assembly](https://www.egu23.eu), [FOSS4G](https://2023.foss4g.org), [SciPy](https://www.scipy2023.scipy.org), [AGU Fall Meeting](https://www.agu.org/fall-meeting) or some other regional conferences, do let us know on the forum and we can add it to the list!
Onwards :rocket:
**P.S.** Share the word on Twitter [@gmt_dev](https://twitter.com/gmt_dev) :bird: and Instagram [@genericmappingtools](https://www.instagram.com/genericmappingtools/) :camera_with_flash: