Overview ¶

Kartoza, with Microsoft sponsorship, released a QGIS plugin enabling users to browse STAC API catalogs within QGIS. The plugin represents an improvement over existing alternatives, incorporating the latest stable STAC API release and active maintenance.

Key Features ¶

The plugin’s capabilities split into two primary categories:

Searching STAC Resources ¶

• Implements STAC API specification item search with multiple filter options
• Date filtering for temporal resource searches
• Spatial extent filtering using bounding boxes
• Advanced filtering supporting STAC API filter languages

Accessing STAC Assets ¶

• Displays GeoJSON geometry footprints for items
• Provides dedicated dialog for viewing, loading, and downloading assets
• Supports Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (CoG) layer loading in QGIS

Installation Instructions ¶

Users access the plugin via the QGIS official repository by:

1. Launching QGIS plugin manager
2. Searching “STAC API Browser”
3. Clicking install

Launch Methods ¶

Three interface options open the plugin:

• QGIS toolbar icon
• Plugins menu navigation
• Web menu selection

Configuration ¶

The plugin includes predefined STAC API connections. Users establish new connections by providing required details, with optional SAS Token support for services like Microsoft Planetary Computer.

Technical Details ¶

The source code operates under GPL v3 license, hosted in the referenced GitHub repository with active issue tracking and documentation support.