2025-11-04 –, Reston ABC
This talk will explore the QGIS Processing Framework and how it empowers scientists to build robust geospatial scientific software. Two QGIS plugins, ‘QNSPECT’ and ‘Curve Number Generator’, will be discussed demonstrating how to turn GIS workflows into published software.
The QGIS Processing Framework is the bedrock of geospatial algorithms that we use in QGIS, such as Clip, Buffer, Merge, etc., but it is not just that. It also empowers developers and scientists to create robust scientific software suites in the form of QGIS plugins that are integrated with open-source geospatial ecosystems.
The talk will cover:
- All the good things that come with the QGIS Processing Framework: its versatility, command-line execution, containerization, seamless GDAL/QGIS integration, and file I/O.
- How to leverage it to turn your GIS workflows into QGIS plugins—from prototyping using the Graphical Modeler to turning graphic models into scripts (Python) and full plugins.
The talk will then exemplify this with two case studies:
Curve Number Generator: A QGIS plugin that automates the generation of Curve Number datasets for any area of interest. We will trace its evolution from a manual workflow to a community software.
QNSPECT: NOAA’s QGIS plugin for estimating nonpoint pollution/erosion over a watershed. We will dissect the plugin’s architecture—how it taps into GDAL and GRASS under the hood and delivers rapid, scenario-based analyses within QGIS.
Attendees will learn tips for dynamically constructing mock GUIs for their GIS workflows, isolating geoprocessing steps for testing, and packaging plugins with the ‘Plugin Builder’ plugin.
