Update main README

Author: molinav

README.md

@@ -11,24 +11,20 @@ using matplotlib.
 Basic requirements are the following:
 
 * Python 2.6 (or higher)
-* matplotlib
-* numpy
+* [matplotlib](https://github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib)
+* [numpy](https://github.com/numpy/numpy)
 * [pyproj](https://github.com/pyproj4/pyproj)
 * [pyshp](https://github.com/GeospatialPython/pyshp)
-* GEOS library (Geometry Engine, Open Source) version 3.1.1 or higher.
-* On Linux, if your Python was installed via a package management
-  system, make sure the corresponding `python-dev` package is also
-  installed. Otherwise, you may not have the Python header (`Python.h`),
-  which is required to build Python C extensions.
+* [six](https://github.com/benjaminp/six)
 
 Optional requirements include:
 
 * [OWSLib](https://github.com/geopython/OWSLib). It is needed for the
-  `BaseMap.wmsimage` function.
+  `Basemap.wmsimage` function.
 
-* [Pillow](https://python-pillow.github.io/). It is needed for Basemap
-  warpimage, bluemarble, shadedrelief, and etopo methods. PIL should
-  work on Python 2.x. Pillow is a maintained fork of PIL.
+* [Pillow](https://github.com/python-pillow/Pillow). It is needed for
+  the methods `Basemap.bluemarble`, `Basemap.etopo`,
+  `Basemap.shadedrelief` and `Basemap.warpimage`.
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -39,45 +35,50 @@ python -m pip install basemap-data
 python -m pip install basemap-data-hires
 ```
 
-Precompiled binaries for GNU/Linux are also available in PyPI:
+Precompiled `basemap` binary wheels for Windows and GNU/Linux are also
+available in PyPI (architectures x86 and x64, Python 2.7 and 3.5+):
 ```sh
 python -m pip install basemap
 ```
 
 Otherwise, you will need to install `basemap` from source as follows:
 
 1. Install pre-requisite Python modules:
-   - `cython`.
-   - `numpy`.
+   - [cython](https://github.com/cython/cython).
+   - [numpy](https://github.com/numpy/numpy).
 
 2. Download the `basemap` source code and move to the `packages/basemap`
    folder:
    ```sh
-   git clone https://github.com/matplotlib/basemap.git
+   git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/matplotlib/basemap.git
    cd basemap/packages/basemap
    ```
 
-3. Build the GEOS library. You may use the helper provided in `utils`, i.e.
+3. Build the [GEOS](https://github.com/libgeos/geos) library. You may
+   use the helper provided in `utils`, i.e.
    ```sh
    export GEOS_DIR=<your desired location>
-   python -c "import utils; utils.GeosLibrary('3.6.5').build(installdir='${GEOS_DIR}')"
+   python -c "import utils; utils.GeosLibrary('3.5.1').build(installdir='${GEOS_DIR}')"
    ```
-   or you can link directly to the system library if it is already installed.
-   `GEOS_DIR` must point to the GEOS installation prefix; e.g. if `libgeos_c.so`
-   is located in `/usr/lib` and `geos_c.h` is located in `/usr/include`, then
-   you must set `GEOS_DIR` to `/usr`.
+   or you can link directly to the system library if it is already
+   installed. `GEOS_DIR` must point to the GEOS installation prefix;
+   e.g. if `libgeos_c.so` is located in `/usr/lib` and `geos_c.h` is
+   located in `/usr/include`, then you must set `GEOS_DIR` to `/usr`.
 
-4. Build the basemap wheel from the `packages/basemap` folder and install it:
+4. Build and install the `basemap` binary wheel:
    ```sh
-   python setup.py bdist_wheel
-   python -m pip install dist/*.whl
+   python -m pip install .
    ```
+   On Linux, if your Python was installed through a package management
+   system, make sure that you have the Python header `Python.h` required
+   to build Cython extensions (e.g. on Debian-like systems, you should
+   have the package `python-dev` installed).
 
-5. Check that the package installed correctly by executing in the terminal:
+5. Check that the package installed correctly by executing:
    ```sh
    python -c "from mpl_toolkits.basemap import Basemap"
    ```
-   You can also test the `basemap` examples available in the `examples` folder.
+   You can also test the examples available in the `examples` folder.
 
 ## License
 
@@ -89,8 +90,8 @@ The source code and data assets are under the following licenses:
   * The EPSG file and the JPG images are also under the [MIT] license.
 * `basemap-data-hires`: [LGPL-3.0-or-later].
 
-For a full description, please visit the README and LICENSE files of
-each package in the corresponding package folders.
+For a full description, please visit the `README` and `LICENSE` files of
+each package.
 
 [MIT]:
 https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ https://spdx.org/licenses/LGPL-3.0-or-later.html
 
 ## Documentation
 
-See http://matplotlib.github.io/basemap/
+See https://matplotlib.github.io/basemap/
 
 See scripts in `examples` directory for example usage.