The STAC Index is a public registry of datasets that follow the SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) specification—a modern standard for describing geospatial data. It helps users discover, preview, and access open Earth observation and remote sensing datasets across the web. For GIS users working with satellite imagery, elevation models, or environmental monitoring, the STAC Index is a valuable discovery tool.
What Is STAC?
STAC is a metadata standard for describing geospatial assets like:
- Satellite images
- Elevation tiles
- Weather layers
- Land use rasters
It helps developers and GIS tools understand:
- What the data is
- When it was collected
- Where it covers
- How to access it (e.g., cloud-optimized GeoTIFF)
STAC is built for the cloud—designed to work with large, remote datasets hosted on platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Planetary Computer.
What Is the STAC Index?
The STAC Index is a centralized directory of STAC-compliant API endpoints.
Each listing includes:
- A brief description of the dataset
- A link to the STAC API
- License type
- Update frequency
- Contact or documentation link
You can browse datasets by keyword, topic, or region.
Visit: stacindex.org
Types of Data Available
The STAC Index catalogs a wide range of Earth observation data, including:
- Landsat and Sentinel imagery
- DEM and terrain data
- Land cover maps
- Climate and hydrology models
- Disaster monitoring (e.g., fires, floods)
- Crop and vegetation indexes
- Air quality and weather layers
Some sources include Planet, NASA, NOAA, Microsoft, Radiant Earth, and other open providers.
Using STAC in GIS
Many GIS tools now support STAC natively or via plugins:
- QGIS: Use plugins like STAC Browser or STAC API Connector.
- ArcGIS Pro: Use Python to query and download STAC assets.
- Python and Jupyter: Use
pystacorstac-browserfor scripting.
How to Access Data
- Go to stacindex.org
- Browse or filter datasets
- Click on an entry to view its STAC API root
- Use the link in your GIS tool or fetch items using Python
STAC APIs return GeoJSON-like structures, which point to imagery files or other assets.
Benefits for GIS Users
- Standardized – Same structure across many providers.
- Cloud-native – Built for accessing remote data directly.
- Searchable – Filter by time, location, sensor, or cloud cover.
- Scalable – Supports billions of imagery tiles.
- Open – Most datasets are free to access and use.
Use Cases
- Time series analysis – Pull imagery over a location across months or years.
- Disaster response – Fetch latest cloud-free images post-flood or fire.
- Land use monitoring – Combine elevation, vegetation, and land cover layers.
- Climate modeling – Access temperature, snow, or water maps from global models.
Tips for Getting Started
- Start with tools like STAC Browser or Earth Search (a public STAC interface by AWS).
- Learn basic STAC query parameters:
bbox,datetime,collections,query. - Use
pystac-clientin Python for advanced queries and downloads. - Combine with
rasterio,geopandas, orfoliumfor visualization.
