Support landsat products¶
This plugin support two product types of landsat:
Level-1 Data Products (raw)¶
This is a raw Landsat products that can be downloaded from USGS. With that product the plugin only can make the cloud masking using fmask and/or blue-band (see more in Cloud Filters).
Higher-Level Data Products (espa)¶
It have more processed Landsat products with more bands to be make the quality control and masking, that can be downloaded from ESPA. With that product the plugin can make the cloud masking using all filters (see more in Cloud Filters).
Important!
When you’re downloading the images from the form on the ESPA page, with the Surface Reflectance you also need to download the input products and metadata:
How to use¶
This is a mini guide step by step for use the CloudMasking plugin
Active the plugin¶
When activate the plugin, it is load as a dockwidget plugin locate in the right position in Qgis by default:
Order to use the plugin¶
The plugin is divided and ordered by three sections; (1) Open and Load
this is for open the MTL file and load the stack, (2) Filters and Mask
for enable and configure the filters for apply cloud masking and (3) Apply and Save
for save the mask and apply the mask to stack:
1a. Browse and load the MTL file¶
The fists step you need to load a MTL file, click in Browse
and Load
for read the MTL file, when the MTL file is loaded the others widgets of the plugin is activated for use:
1b. Load stacks (optional)¶
The Load stacks
section you can make and open in Qgis the stack in RGB bands combination as you want for visualize and check the Landsat image, in the right side you can access for special stacks (more uses) RBG bands order, you need to do click in Load stack
bottom for make and load the stack configured. This is not necessary for process only for view:
2a. Select the filters to apply¶
The plugin have a four different filters to apply, the Fmask
and Blue Band
are available for all Landsat, but the Cloud QA
and Pixel QA
are available for only SR Landsat collection (see more in Cloud Filters). You can activate more than one filter at a time, the plugin accumulate the filters in the same order (bottom up).
Please see the cloud filters for more information about it.
2b. Generate the cloud mask¶
In this section you can generate the mask with the filters enabled, there are three options for generate the mask:
-
In the whole image
(by default) if the two options selected in area and shape area are disabled, the mask will process in whole image -
In only selected area
(optional) if you selected this option you can process the mask in a specific area selected drawing in the canvas (only a rectangle area)- If the option
Keep the original image size
is enabled, the result mask will be with the same extent, else the result mask will be clipping in the area selected
- If the option
-
In only shape area
(optional) with this option you can process the mask only inside the particular shape, you need create it before apply- If the option
Delete data outside the shape
is enabled, the result mask will have the same extent but the data outside the sahep will be masked, else the result mask will have the same and the data outside the shape will be valid (only masked inside the shape)
- If the option
3a. Select the mask to apply¶
In this section you must select the mask to apply or save it, there are two checkbox for help to find the mask in the list: Only activated layers
and Only mask layers
. You can save the mask selected with the buttom Save mask
3b. Apply mask¶
The plugin help for make, apply and save the stacks with the Landsat loaded, there are three options for which stack will be used for apply the mask:
-
Raw Bands
, these are the original bands of the Landsat products, you can select the order band for make the stack, by default are the reflectance bands -
SR Bands
, these are the Surface Reflectance (SR) Landsat products by ESPA, this option is enable only if you are processing this type of product, and you can select the order band for make the stack, by default are the reflectance bands -
Particular file
, the last option is apply to a particular stack or image file
Finally you must the select the output file to save and Apply mask