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User Guide Overview

The Spatiotemporal LULC Analysis plugin provides a comprehensive workflow for analyzing land use/land cover change across multiple time periods. This guide covers all aspects of using the plugin.

Plugin Interface

The plugin opens as a dock panel with four main tabs:

+------------------------------------------+
|  Spatiotemporal LULC Analysis            |
+------------------------------------------+
| [Inputs] [Legend] [Options] [Validation] |
+------------------------------------------+
|                                          |
|  Tab content area                        |
|                                          |
+------------------------------------------+
|  [Validate Inputs]    [Run Analysis]     |
+------------------------------------------+
|  Progress bar                            |
+------------------------------------------+
|  Log messages                            |
+------------------------------------------+

Tab Overview

Tab Purpose
Inputs Add rasters, set years, configure AOI and NoData
Legend Map class IDs to descriptive labels
Options Select outputs, units, and CRS
Validation View validation check results

Workflow Summary

The recommended workflow follows these stages:

graph TD
    A[1. Add Inputs] --> B[2. Configure Legend]
    B --> C[3. Set Options]
    C --> D[4. Validate]
    D --> E{Valid?}
    E -->|Yes| F[5. Run Analysis]
    E -->|No| G[Fix Issues]
    G --> D
    F --> H[6. Review Outputs]

1. Add Inputs

Load your multi-year LULC rasters and configure basic settings:

  • Add raster files from disk or from loaded QGIS layers
  • Verify/edit the year for each raster
  • Optionally select an AOI polygon layer
  • Configure NoData handling

Detailed guide: Adding Inputs

2. Configure Legend (Optional)

Map numeric class IDs to human-readable labels:

  • Add class ID to label mappings
  • Labels appear in all CSV outputs and charts
  • Supports up to 1024 classes

Detailed guide: Configuration

3. Set Options

Choose what outputs to generate:

  • Select specific output types (CSV, rasters, charts)
  • Set the output coordinate reference system
  • Choose area units (pixels, m², km²)
  • Specify output directory

Detailed guide: Configuration

4. Validate

Run validation checks before analysis:

  • CRS, pixel size, extent consistency
  • Grid alignment verification
  • NoData and data type checks
  • Class range detection

Detailed guide: Validation

5. Run Analysis

Execute the analysis:

  • Click "Run Analysis"
  • Monitor progress bar and log
  • Wait for completion message

Detailed guide: Running Analysis

6. Review Outputs

Examine the generated results:

  • CSV tables in output directory
  • Rasters added to QGIS
  • Charts in charts/ subdirectory

Detailed guide: Outputs Overview

Best Practices

Ensure Data Quality

  • Use rasters with consistent classification schemes
  • Verify all years use the same class definitions
  • Check that NoData values are properly set in source rasters

Organize Your Workspace

  • Create a dedicated output directory for each analysis
  • Use descriptive year values
  • Add a complete class legend for interpretable outputs

Start with Validation

  • Always run validation before analysis
  • Address all FAIL items
  • Review WARN items for potential issues

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Shortcut
Remove selected raster Del
Move raster up Select and drag
Move raster down Select and drag

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

  1. Check the FAQ for common solutions
  2. Review the log panel for error messages
  3. Report bugs on GitHub Issues