WRT-QGIS

A QGIS plugin for the Weather Routing Tool — plan weather-optimal ship routes and explore the results directly on the map.

Features

• Config Wizard — a step-by-step guide through setting up a routing run: route, algorithm, boat, weather, and constraints, with a final review step.
• Data Visualizer — a map timeline dock for playing back routes and weather data over time, with layer cards, a color legend, histograms, and region statistics.

Requirements

• QGIS 3.44 or newer

Installation

The plugin can be installed directly from a ZIP archive through the QGIS Plugin Manager.

1. Get the plugin ZIP

Download the latest WRT-QGIS.zip from the releases page, or build it yourself from the source:

git clone https://github.com/52north/WRT-QGIS.git
# Create a ZIP whose top-level folder matches the plugin name
zip -r WRT-QGIS.zip WRT-QGIS -x "WRT-QGIS/.git/*" "WRT-QGIS/.gitignore"

2. Install through the QGIS Plugin Manager

1. Open QGIS.
2. Go to Plugins → Manage and Install Plugins…
3. Select the Install from ZIP tab.
4. Click the … button and browse to the downloaded WRT-QGIS.zip.
5. Click Install Plugin.
6. Confirm any security warning about installing plugins from a ZIP file.

3. Enable the plugin

1. Switch to the Installed tab in the Plugin Manager.
2. Make sure Weather Routing Tool Plugin is checked (enabled).
3. Close the Plugin Manager. The plugin is now available from the toolbar / Plugins menu.

Updating

To update to a newer version, repeat the Install from ZIP steps with the new ZIP file. QGIS will overwrite the existing installation. Restart QGIS if the changes do not appear immediately.

Getting started

Config Wizard

Open Plugins → Weather Routing Tool → Config Wizard to set up a routing run. The wizard walks through:

1. Route
2. Algorithm
3. Boat Details
4. Weather & Depth
5. Constraints
6. Review & Export

Data Visualizer

Open Plugins → Weather Routing Tool → Data Visualizer to explore a route alongside its weather data. The visualizer adds a side panel and a timeline dock at the bottom of the map, letting you scrub through time and inspect values at each step.

Preparing weather data

Run this over a NetCDF file before loading it into the plugin — it takes a second and gives better results.

QGIS's data-pairing layer (MDAL) pairs the two components into a single vector field by comparing those names exactly, so one extra space is enough to stop it: the file loads as two separate scalar layers, and the field can never be drawn as arrows. That pairing is decided while the file is being opened, so the plugin cannot correct it afterwards.

python tools/fix_netcdf_names.py data.nc

If the file is fine, it says so and writes nothing:

data.nc: no issue found

Otherwise a repaired copy is written next to it. The input file is never modified — load the _fixed file in the plugin:

data.nc: fixed vtotal → wrote data_fixed.nc

The script needs the netCDF4 package (pip install netCDF4), and the repaired copy is a full duplicate of the input.

Getting help

• Questions and bug reports: issue tracker
• Weather Routing Tool docs: 52north.github.io/WeatherRoutingTool

Contributing

Looking to contribute code? See CONTRIBUTING.md for the development setup, lint/format commands, and code style guidelines.

License

See LICENSE.