diff --git a/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.dbf b/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.dbf
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index 000000000..45d754f7b
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diff --git a/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.prj b/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.prj
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e3eaed5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.prj
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+PROJCS["WGS_1984_Web_Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere",GEOGCS["GCS_WGS_1984",DATUM["D_WGS_1984",SPHEROID["WGS_1984",6378137.0,298.257223563]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0.0],UNIT["Degree",0.017453292519943295]],PROJECTION["Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere"],PARAMETER["False_Easting",0.0],PARAMETER["False_Northing",0.0],PARAMETER["Central_Meridian",0.0],PARAMETER["Standard_Parallel_1",0.0],PARAMETER["Auxiliary_Sphere_Type",0.0],UNIT["Meter",1.0]]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.shp b/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.shp
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diff --git a/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.shx b/tests/data/shp/3d_point_empty.shx
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diff --git a/tests/python_tests/shapeindex_test.py b/tests/python_tests/shapeindex_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4de19a593
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/python_tests/shapeindex_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+from nose.tools import eq_
+from utilities import execution_path, run_all
+from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
+import shutil
+import os
+import fnmatch
+import mapnik
+
+def setup():
+    # All of the paths used are relative, if we run the tests
+    # from another directory we need to chdir()
+    os.chdir(execution_path('.'))
+
+def test_shapeindex():
+    # first copy shapefiles to tmp directory
+    source_dir = '../data/shp/'
+    working_dir = '/tmp/mapnik-shp-tmp/'
+    if os.path.exists(working_dir):
+      shutil.rmtree(working_dir)
+    shutil.copytree(source_dir,working_dir)
+    matches = []
+    for root, dirnames, filenames in os.walk('%s' % source_dir):
+      for filename in fnmatch.filter(filenames, '*.shp'):
+          matches.append(os.path.join(root, filename))
+    for shp in matches:
+      source_file = os.path.join(source_dir,os.path.relpath(shp,source_dir))
+      dest_file = os.path.join(working_dir,os.path.relpath(shp,source_dir))
+      ds = mapnik.Shapefile(file=source_file)
+      count = 0;
+      fs = ds.featureset()
+      try:
+        while (fs.next()):
+          count = count+1
+      except StopIteration:
+        pass
+      stdin, stderr = Popen('shapeindex %s' % dest_file, shell=True, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE).communicate()
+      ds2 = mapnik.Shapefile(file=dest_file)
+      count2 = 0;
+      fs = ds.featureset()
+      try:
+        while (fs.next()):
+          count2 = count2+1
+      except StopIteration:
+        pass
+      eq_(count,count2)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    setup()
+    exit(run_all(eval(x) for x in dir() if x.startswith("test_")))