QGIS in the Cloud

Overview

QGIS in the Cloud (QiC) comprises of a centrally hosted and managed installation of QGIS, which is streamed to the user's web browser from remote servers, rather than being locally installed on the user's machine. QiC uses a technology called AppStream which therefore appears on the user's login page.

You should receive an email with your login information and a link e.g.

(We have removed the Email address and Temporary password details in the screen shot).

Complete your Registration

Visit your login page using the link and log in using the email address and the temporary password from your email.

Please bear in mind that the temporary password expires after 7 days. If you don't enable your account during those seven days don't worry, we can provide you with a new activation email.

Now all you need to do is to set a new password.

Logging On

After completing your registration enter your Email address and Password and click Log in to log on to QiC.

Once you have logged in you will see the suite of applications that are available to you e.g.

The first step, when you log in, is to select Windows Explorer as this will reconnect the home folder.

You will see the session being prepared; typically this takes a couple of minutes the first time you log in.

Folder Structure

Once you are in the environment, you will see the following folders in Windows Explorer.

IMPORTANT

It is important to note that the only information that will persist after you have logged off will be anything that you have put in the Home Folder - all other data will be lost.

It is important to understand how the environment uses these folders. Please review the notes in the table below.

Folder	Notes

Folder

Notes

Home Folder

This folder, the actual address of which C:\Users\PhotonUser\My Files\Home Folder\ is where you should save any work done during your training course. NOTE: The Home Folder and its sub directories are the only folder where data is persistently stored between different sessions. All work undertaken during your training course should be saved in this folder or a subdirectory of it, otherwise it will be lost.

NOTE: We have redirected the QGIS start up scripts to save any session parameters into this folder as well, so that any plug-ins, bookmarks, recent projects etc, will be reinstated in future sessions also.

Temporary Files

This folder, the actual address of which is C:\Users\PhotonUser\My Files\My Files\Temporary Files\ as the name suggests is for temporary files. You can use it to download and upload data from your local machine using the My Files icon e.g. and then move your files from the temporary area into your home folder. Note - data in the Temporary Files folder is not persistently stored between sessions.

Downloads

Downloads, the actual address of which is C:\Users\PhotonUser\Downloads is where any data you download from a web browser during an AppStream session would end up. Data in this Downloads folder is not persistently stored between sessions.

Quick Reference for Common Tasks

Menu options

From left to right

Launch applications
Tile application windows
Upload / download files
Copy and paste between clipboards on local machine and cloud
Settings (screen resolution etc.)
Full screen
Toggle multiple monitors

Launching Applications

To access the applications select this icon: This will give you the full list of applications available. To launch an application, simply select it from the menu listed.

This is just an example of the applications you may have configured as these may be customised.

Application	Notes

Application	Notes
Chrome	Web browser
Windows Explorer	General folder browser
FoxITReader	PDF viewer
Notepad ++	Text editor
OSGeo4W Shell	GIS libraries used in QGIS development
QGIS 3.22.4	QGIS
QT designer 3.22.4	Utility for interface design of QGIS plugins
Remote Desktop Connection	Allows you to connect to another machine

Switching between Running Applications

If you have launched multiple applications, then you can switch between them using this icon: This will then tile all the applications you currently have running.

Uploading and Downloading files

To upload and download files, use this icon: This will then display the following dialogue.

Downloading

You can download from any folder in either the Home Folder or Temporary Files area. Simply navigate to your file, and then select the down arrow to the right.

Uploading

If you want to upload a file you first need to navigate to the folder in which you want to upload the files.

Copy & Paste between Local environment and Cloud

If you are within the cloud environment any copy and paste operations stay within that cloud environment. However, if you want to copy and paste between the cloud environment and your local machine, you will need to do it via the menu option:

Copying from the clipboard on your Local PC to QiC

Say you have a URL on your desktop that you wish to paste into the browser in your QiC session.

First copy the URL on your Local PC to the clipboard (Ctrl C)

Now select Paste to Remote session menu option and you will see the following dialog:

Press Ctrl V in the dialog and you will briefly see a tick appear and the dialog will close. You can now use Ctrl V again in the browser in your QGIS in the Cloud session to paste the URL.

Copying from the clipboard in your QiC to your Local PC

If you have some text that you wish to copy from your QiC session first select to copy the information to the clipboard Ctrl C.

Now select Copy to Local Device menu option and the following dialog will appear with your data copied into it.

Press Ctrl C in the dialog and you will briefly see a tick appear and the dialog will close. Now you can paste the information somewhere on your Local PC.

Full Screen Mode

If you want to use your entire screen for the applications you are running use this icon:

Session Lifetime

The environment you are running has session time-outs.

Before logging out, you should save any unsaved data that you wish to keep. Remember, only the Home Folder will persist permanently.
If you log out and log back in within 15 minutes, you will connect back to the same virtual machine you were running before. You may still have data in your Temporary Files etc.
If you log out and log back in after 15 minutes, your previous virtual machine will have been terminated. You will be built another virtual machine as you were at the start which will typically take between 1 and 2 minutes. Any data that was in your Home Folder at the end of the last session will be reinstated
The maximum session duration is 8 hours. If you remain in a session for this long, you will be given some warnings to save your data prior to the termination of your session.