Basic changes?

[j08lue]

@Fernerkundung @valgur

So i made a QGIS script interface to sentinelsat. I created it on the sentinelsat organization. What do you think about all this? Good idea? Right place? OK naming? Any other comments? 😄

[kr-stn]

A plugin enabling users to search and download data directly from QGIS? I think this is a very good idea, especially as it enables more/novice users to easily interface the different DHuS entities and get the data they need.

Some general remarks for discussion:

• Why make it a thin wrapper around the cli instead of a full fledged plugin?

From what I remember from my first QGIS plugin experience was that a plugin can list Python dependencies, which would alleviate the need for users to install them manually.

• Why make users select local files (shp, geojson) or extents, when you could give them the option to select existing layers?

If I were to use such a plugin I would like to "draw" my ROI (create a polygon) or have an existing layer I want to use and then just point the plugin to that layer and say "Download all Sentinel-2 images with less than 10% cloud cover within the last 4 months for THIS area". Ideally also with the option to just create a layer of the metadata - similar to what we have implemented as "footprints" right now. This would also solve #5.

• Security: Is there a way to obfuscate password inputs with stars in QGIS plugins?

• Maybe add a line to the beginning of the Readme indicating that this is a work-in-progress.

[j08lue]

Yes, exactly, we should discuss scope. 😄

Your questions

Why make it a thin wrapper around the cli instead of a full fledged plugin?

A plugin would be great, because you could do more fancy interactive search and download. And installation through the plugin manager would be a charm.

The reason I did not make one is only that I am not too familiar with making and maintaining QGIS plugins and that I am a bit repelled by the amount of boilerplate they require - which is probably very normal for GUI programming.

give them the option to select existing layers?

That is already possible with the extent option: Both to select the extent from an existing layer and current canvas extent. NB: Always just extent, not a polygon.

Ideally also with the option to just create a layer of the metadata - similar to what we have implemented as "footprints" right now.

This is also already in place. When you tick that option, the footprints geojson gets created and loaded into QGIS right away, so you can explore the results in the attribute table.

Why make users select local files (shp, geojson)

Selecting AOI from files has been part of many workflows I have seen. You could actually skip that part and require the user to always at least load the file into QGIS and then point to the layer. I'll consider implementing that. (#6)

Interactive search and download

It would be awesome to have an interactive downloader in QGIS where you can search, view thumbnails, refine your search, and download selected scenes interactively, like e.g. in RemotePixel's Satellite Search.

However, I think you would break something inside of yourself trying to make that happen in QGIS / QT and against DHuS, where even indexing thumbnails is painfully slow.

An AWS-based web app is better suited for that and there are tons of them out there already 😄.