Using QGIS on the SMCE

QGIS is available on the SMCE through a virtual desktop environment. This allows you to use QGIS with full access to your JupyterHub files and the shared storage system.

Best for: Visualization, map creation, and interactive exploration of geospatial data. For heavy geoprocessing or analysis, consider using Python-based tools in JupyterLab instead.

Starting the QGIS Environment

Step 1: Launch the QGIS Image

  1. When selecting a server, choose the JupyterLab-QGIS image

  2. Select your desired instance type (see Compute Resources for guidance)

  3. Start the server

Step 2: Open the Virtual Desktop

Once your server starts, you’ll see the JupyterLab interface with a launcher.

  1. In the launcher, click the Desktop icon to open the virtual desktop in a new tab

Launch virtual desktop

  1. A new browser tab will open with a Linux desktop environment

Step 3: Launch QGIS

  1. In the virtual desktop, open a terminal (usually available in the taskbar or applications menu)

  2. Type qgis and press Enter

Launch QGIS from terminal

  1. QGIS will open and is ready to use

Working with Data in QGIS

File Access

QGIS has access to all the same files as your JupyterHub environment:

  • Home directory: /home/jovyan

  • Shared local storage: /shared/users-local/<username>

  • S3-backed storage: /shared/users-bucket/<username>

You can open and save files directly to these locations just like you would in JupyterLab.

Loading Data from S3

The SMCE’s FSx for Lustre filesystem allows you to access S3 data directly in QGIS without downloading files first.

To use S3-backed data:

  1. Navigate to /shared/users-bucket/<username> or project-specific bucket mounts

  2. Load raster or vector data as you normally would in QGIS

  3. Data is automatically cached for fast access (see Storage Overview for more details)

This is particularly useful for large geospatial datasets like satellite imagery or LiDAR data.

Saving Your Work

Save project files and outputs to appropriate storage:

  • QGIS project files (.qgz): Save to your home directory or /shared/users-local for quick access

  • Large outputs (rasters, processed data): Save to /shared/users-bucket for unlimited storage

  • Temporary files: Can go in home directory but clean up when done (only 30GB available)

See Storage Overview for best practices on where to store different types of files.

Troubleshooting

Virtual Desktop Goes to Sleep

The virtual desktop may go to sleep after a period of inactivity.

To resume:

  1. Return to your JupyterLab tab

  2. Click the Desktop icon in the launcher again

  3. The desktop should resume where you left off

  4. If QGIS was open, it should still be running