def METHOD_NAME():
    """
    Returns an instance of the landmask type and landmask. The mask data is
    usually shared between threads.
    """
    global __roaring_mask__
    if __roaring_mask__ is None:
        from roaring_landmask import RoaringLandmask
        __roaring_mask__ = RoaringLandmask.new()
    return __roaring_mask__