Use the QGIS STAC browser plug-in

QGIS is a powerful and popular geographic information system software. Among its so-called extensions, STAC API Browser offers to browse any STAC endpoint with ease, and use directly the geospatial data into QGIS.

In this video, we perform some searches in the STAC catalog using the STAC browser plugin. Then we manipulate STAC assets in full resolution (S1 images, S2 images, buildings footprints product) without downloading anything: raster files are in Cloud-Optimized-Geotiff format, streamed through HTTP, read on-the-fly by QGIS.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial to use the plugin to browse our data.

This page doesn’t require any CLI (command-line interface, or terminal). Its usage was made simpler to target an usage by users that are not developers.

Generate an API key

To use the STAC Browser plugin in QGIS, you must first create an API key.

You can manage your API keys using two ways:

• From a web browser: connect to this link
• From command line: follow these instructions

Once the API key is created, you must carefully keep it somewhere safe, because you won’t be able to retrieve the secret key later.

Set your API key in QGIS

Once the credentials created, you have to set these credentials to the QGIS authentication framework.

1. In QGIS, go to Preferences > Options
2. Select Authentication tab on the left pannel
3. If it has not been done, you must set a general password for QGIS authentication framework.
4. Click on “+”, on the top-right of the panel
5. Select API header, set a name (e.g. CDS THEIA MTD Auth) and optionally a description
6. Use the “+” button on the top-right side of the table, to add the following keys/values:

• key: access-key, enter the access key you have copied
• key: secret-key, enter the secret key you have copied

Configure and use the STAC API Browser plugin

1. Go to Extensions > Install/manage and search for the “STAC API Browser”. Install it.
2. Now from the new “STAC API Browser” shortcut icon, or Internet > STAC API Browser, start the plugin.
3. In Connections, click on new, then add the following:

• name: THEIA-MTD or anything you want
• url: https://seal-cdos.apps.okd.crocc.meso.umontpellier.fr
• authentifaction: select the authentication method you named in the QGIS authentication framework (e.g. CDS THEIA MTD Auth)

4. Click on ok

Done, you can now play with the STAC API Browser plugin in QGIS! Click on “Fetch collection” to retrieve or update the list of available collections. Then, use the plugin to perform advanced searches based on temporal, spatial, or using properties.

Read more on the QGIS STAC Browser plugin here.